'57 classics to BKP?

[Goldtop]

Hello, I have a Gibson LP Trad. Was thinking about upgrading the pickups and putting the current '57 classics in my SG Standard as an upgrade from the stock pickups. The SGs pickups sound quite forward in the mids and lack a bit of bass, louder than the LP though. Upgrading both this way seems quite economical.
Why am I thinking to upgrade? Well I like the tone of Allman and Betts on the filmore album, I like that "doubling" tone, not the fact that there are 2 guitarists but the high tone heard along with the note at times. This could be partly due to the high volume of the amps but it's something I don't really get from my Les Paul. Is this perhaps due to wax potting? were Pafs wax potted? I also like the Joe Walsh Les Paul sound, such as the Turn to stone live sound.
I play through a Tweed '59 Bassman reissue and use a RAT pedal for higher gain sounds. Question is really would changing pickups get me closer to a more "vintage" paf sound, what set would be recommended for this type of thing?
Thanks in advance from someone who has never swapped pickups and doesn't know his paf from his elbow :)

[fps_dean]

The '57 Classics aren't too bad, but they aren't even Gibson's best PAF-replica.  It sounds like you'd want a Mule set which is BKP's PAF replica essentially.  I have not owned one myself, but I would not hesitate to get one myself if I had another Les Paul to put them in.

I'm sure some of the Mule users on the forums can tell you the difference of the '57 and Mule from their own experiences.

[littleredguitars2]

yeah people are definitely going to suggest The Mule for that. i personally havent used one but its one of the more popular pickups in their line for that reason. someone might suggest something a little different since i dont think they normally go in SG's but you never know.

[Telerocker]

Mules and you don't look back. Fine replica of a 59 PAF, full yet with a delighful crispiness, balanced with sublime stringseparation, articulate, dynamic, excellent neckpickup. Mules can handle loads of gain without mushing up the tone. Kravitz uses Mules. Nuff said!

[littleredguitars2]

leeeennnnnnyyyyy

[Philly Q]

Stormy Mondays would probably be a little closer to the '57 Classics, due to the Alnico II magnets, and maybe most suited to the Allmans sound (the clue is in the name!  )

Mules would be, I think, a little hotter, more defined, slightly more "rocky".

Both are variations on original PAF style pickups.

[fps_dean]

yeah people are definitely going to suggest The Mule for that. i personally havent used one but its one of the more popular pickups in their line for that reason. someone might suggest something a little different since i dont think they normally go in SG's but you never know.

He was going to get pickups for his Les Paul, and put the '57 classics into the SG.  The '57 Classics work fine in Les Pauls and SGs, although I like them better in Les Pauls...

[littleredguitars2]

yeah people are definitely going to suggest The Mule for that. i personally havent used one but its one of the more popular pickups in their line for that reason. someone might suggest something a little different since i dont think they normally go in SG's but you never know.

He was going to get pickups for his Les Paul, and put the '57 classics into the SG.  The '57 Classics work fine in Les Pauls and SGs, although I like them better in Les Pauls...

whoops. i read it a little too fast.

[Dave Sloven]

If the stock pickups in the SG are 490s and/or 498s the '57s will be an upgrade for sure.  I didn't like the 490R/498T combination in my SG

[AndyR]

I've replaced 57 Classics with Mules (in a 335).

It seemed to open the guitar up quite a bit. Didn't really seem to make the guitar a lot rockier, maybe a tad more "grit" on tap when I want it. I like the swap a lot. I'm almost certain they'll do what you want...

Like Philly says - Stormy Mondays, on paper, should be a better straight swap. But I've never tried them. I did the swap because I had Mules in another guitar. If I'd been buying from scratch, I probably would have gone for Stormies - I was reaching for the same sort of sounds as you. But I've got a feeling that I'm better off having that sweet grittiness that Mules can add to the top when you want it. I'm actually wondering whether that's the "high tone with the note" that you're talking about?

Incidentally, the 57s are in the other guitar (a Tokai Love Rock). It still sounds nice, but a little more "polite" than it was. I think the 57s are definitely slightly less "air-ey" sounding than BKPs.

Lastly, I suspect you'll like what the 57s do instead of the stock 490R/498T in the SG. Later on, Riff Raffs, do the Duane/Dicky stuff quite nice in an SG :D

[fhn_lopes]

The fact is that any BKP in the vintage range (and even the vintage hot) is going to make your tone more oranic and open. For a direct swap I'd go with a Storm Monday (if you're ok with your output with the C57s). The mules are a bit more polished and rounder, being as well more clear under gain. Both are fantastic pups and are made to-spec based on specific PAF models, and both can be potted or not.

As you said Allmans, well... the name is indeed a nice clue  8)