Gibson Les Paul Signature T

[diosantos]

Hello everyone, want to change my pickups because of  sound and cosmetic matters. I've read so many topics about LP pickups replacements, that I know +/- what I want. I'm not completely new here since I have had seek your help before and I have owned a VHII on a Strat bridge. Recently sold my Road Worn 60s and my Mustang Kurt Cobain and bought a Gibson. This guitar comes with 57 Classic(neck) and 57 Classic Plus(bridge), I don't hate them but im not 100% pleased either. I'm looking for a not so dark neck pickup and a punchier and fatter bridge, as I said before I went across many topics already attempting not wasting your time with the same questions over and over again. I found out that what I want is either The Mules or Black Dogs. I play mostly Classic Rock and Hard Rock through a Marshall JVM 1, I've been currently playing some Wolfmother, Danzig, sometimes I try Motörhead, Led Zeppelin and some GNR. Well my question is, which configuration should I get? The Mule in the neck with a BD? or should I buy a calibrated set of one of these? What would you get? My English isn't perfect but hopefully you'll understand everything. Thanks in Advance  :)

[BigB]

Hi there...

I have very few experience with the C57/C57+ so better to wait for someone more knowledgeable to chime in... But anyway:

First a question : are you using the stock pots, and if yes what value are they ? Gibson's standard is to use 300K pots, and this can make the pups sound dark, specially the neck one.

wrt/ Mules: I just put an uncovered set in a '91 LP Studio (IOW a '91 LP Standard without the bindings) with new 500K pots. The neck is rather on the sweet and creamy side but still quite clear and definitly not dark in a LP (was a bit dark in my SG though but that's a dark sounding SG). The bridge does have some punch to it but it's quite bright and while it's not thin - the guitar's lows and mids are here if you want to boost them - I wouldn't say it's fat,  even if it does fatten somehow when rolling down the tone pot the same way a good Tele bridge do.

Mules don't have the very sweet highs of AII pickups, but do seriously kick asses when it comes to rock'n'roll - thru a cranked up valve amp you get instant classic rock / hard rock tones, and can go further without no problem,

Can't tell about the BD as I've never played it.  Now for a still clear, bright and classic voiced but meatier / beefier version of the Mules you may want to have a look at the Abraxas.

[diosantos]

Thank you very much for the reply, I actually have at home two 550 pots but I thought that Gibson, on these new models, would not put 300 since ppl always replaced them, I'm gonna check that out. Mules seem to be really nice pups but this JVM has so much gain(never used more than half) that maybe I should go for a little more output otherwise I won't be able to use that much gain, Mules don't handle much right? I've read so many good things about Black Dogs...anyway if I manage to make my neck bit brighter ill keep the 57 classic, I kinda like it but on the bridge I want something punchier, the Abraxas sounds good.

[Kiichi]

... that maybe I should go for a little more output otherwise I won't be able to use that much gain, Mules don't handle much right?

Well mules do clean, rock, hard rock, Tim (the owner and master of BKP) uses them for a Ozzy cover band regulary, etc...
So yeah, they can do a lot more than you would think, as all BKPs do.

And then there is this, a new forum favorite: http://youtu.be/g-xQJOu9mN8 Yes, that is a mule bridge. And in the neck you have Manhattan!
Plus a low output PU with OD or booster is amazing for high gain since you have a more open tone than with a high output model.

Chew and that mate ;)

[bandmaster188]

i'm quite biased on this, but the abraxas set i fitted to my lp standard just do everything so well. the neck pickup is so vintage and woody sounding with absolutely no muddiness, fantastic for  classic bluesey rock. i play in a southern rock and blues band and the neck and bridge cover all sorts of ground for me, zz top, skynyrd, allman brothers, zepplin, taj mahal blah blah blah. not really tried them for any real high gain stuff but i doubt it would be much of a problem for them.
there thats my biased opinion, hope this helps!

[BigB]

Mules seem to be really nice pups but this JVM has so much gain(never used more than half) that maybe I should go for a little more output otherwise I won't be able to use that much gain, Mules don't handle much right?

Actually, plain wrong Sir :lol:. They might not be the most obvious choice for modern metal / djent stuff (and yet : https://soundcloud.com/nolly/snuggles-tenzing-norgay), but I can testify they do stand a huge amount of gain - more than what Nolly used in the above clip FWIW (and I really doubt the JVM has that much more gain than my own amp's soldano-like gain channel ;)).

Not to say Mules are necessarily what you want, but don't be fooled by the "vintage" label, that doesn't necessarily mean "soft", "weak" or "flubby", the Mules and RiffRaff are not shy and can both do br00talz too. It's about voicing and definition / articulation, not about output level, specially if you have a hi-gain amp that don't need to be pushed hard.

My 2 cents...

[diosantos]

Again, thanks guys. The Mules are really favored around here. I just opened my guitar and there's no values written on the pots(though there's a number three written in between the volume pots by pencil), they're push pull, can anyone tell me how do I read the values? I saw two little blue caps there, really small, they looked so cheap. When ordering the pickup I'm gonna get a couple of caps as well. I'd like to hear about Black Dogs I read so many good things, well, Mules and Abraxas on top of the list for now. This forum is so awesome and you guys are so great, really helpfull I appreciate so much.

[Telerocker]

Black Dog-bridge/Mule-neck should do very well.

[BigB]

I just opened my guitar and there's no values written on the pots(though there's a number three written in between the volume pots by pencil), they're push pull, can anyone tell me how do I read the values?

Do you have a multimeter ?

 

[diosantos]

Yes I do :)

[Kiichi]

Yes I do :)

Then just put it to the correct ohm range and measure the value between lug 3 and 2. Mounted in a guitar those a the left and the middle one.
Pretty straight forward stuff.

[diosantos]

When I looked was a bit confusing, it's a push pull was different from the tone ones. I'm really sorry I don't know these things at all...Is it the same with push pull?

[BigB]

When I looked was a bit confusing, it's a push pull was different from the tone ones. I'm really sorry I don't know these things at all...Is it the same with push pull?

Yes. A push-pull is just a pot and a switch in the same housing.

[Kiichi]

When I looked was a bit confusing, it's a push pull was different from the tone ones. I'm really sorry I don't know these things at all...Is it the same with push pull?

Yeah I missed that about the push pull.
A push pull is a normal pot, with added swtich as BigB pointed out. You got the three big lugs at the bottom as with a normal pot and then the 6 exta ones on top of that, which do the push pull function.
A pot has always three different lugs, which are numbered. With the shaft up it is from left to right 1 2 3. When you are looking into the cavity of a guitar it is from left to right of course 3 2 1. Simple stuff that caused me to make many an error xD

So what you got to do is measure the three bottom ones, the ones which you also find on the other pots, as they are essential to the working of the pot in itself. There the hole variable resistance magic happens.
Note that pots have usually a 10% margin of error in their value, so a 500k poti can be 10% off value. The good ones only have like 5%.

Also donīt be sorry for a bit that you donīt know these things. Most people donīt and a lot of those who know only learned rather recently. Most people donīt even need to know. As I guitar player it can certainly help when you are into optimizing things, but I totally get when people wanne outsource those things to techs.

This sh*t looks scary complicated at first glance. I know, Iīve been scared to do things too for a long time. Then I started too look close and realized that it was suprisingly simple once you cared to take a look. Now I build guitar effect pedal clones and such and once I have a proper job I will try doing amps too.


I can recommend getting into simple wiring operations. It really is nothing big and can help a lot. Complicated wiring issues can still require a tech, but if you are intelligent enough to play guitar you can wire it up too if you want.
Should any issues arise you still got us. In the end you will feel a lot more pround and connected to your instrument.


That is the way I see it at least ;()

[diosantos]

Thank you for the explanation, yea I've managed to read the tone ones and they're 500 but for some reason I can't read the volume ones...I'm reading in the three bottom lugs but I don't manage. I don't know what am I doing wrong...