Upgrading my LP soon. looking for suggestions

[littleredguitars2]

well its almost tax return time and i decided quite a while ago that i want to finally make the jump to a gibson les paul custom. to do that though, i'll have to part ways with my les paul classic. which is okay. its been a great guitar but i want something different now. i'm likely to sell it WITH the rebel yell pickups in it. i like the RY's for sure, but i want a different sort of sound when i get the custom and i really have no guitar to put the RYs in at the moment. probably want a little less output. i want something that will sound smooth and crunchy. thoughts?

i like the mule in my 335 but i think i was something a little hotter than that. i was thinking maybe the VHII. i would love to get a tone reminiscent of the early van halen tones except a little fatter which i'm sure the les paul body will take care of . maybe even the emeralds. i want something that can handle a lot of different scenarios. but not really anything brutal.

and if anyone is interested in my LP classic let me know.

[darrenw5094]

Medium hot would be an Emerald for sure. The VHII would also work.

The Abraxas would be a darker choice with more mids than the Mule, smother highs and feels a bit hotter than the vintage Mule.

[littleredguitars2]

yeah i feel like quite a few options would work for me. like someone said in another topic, "i want it to still sound like a les paul custom"

[Telerocker]

yeah i feel like quite a few options would work for me. like someone said in another topic, "i want it to still sound like a les paul custom"

A Mules-set would be great in there, but a Black Dog/Mule-neck would be fine too if you want a bit of extra chunk from the bridge. VHII is another option for uncompressed crunchiness and screaming solo's when you dig in. It's very touchsensitive.

[littleredguitars2]

i definitely want more than the mule. though the mule is great in my 335. i never really looked into the black dog but i'll do so.

[PhilKing]

I have Emeralds in one of my LP Customs and I have a custom set in the other, with what is essentially an AV Stormy Monday and the original Pat# pickup.  Emeralds are a great choice for an LPC.

[littleredguitars2]

Yeah I had a feeling the emeralds would be a good choice.  Can you tell me more about that one?

[metale]

I'll throw another one in the mix.

i like the mule in my 335 but i think i was something a little hotter than that.

Look into the Abraxas. It is all that is said about it (Mule on steroids, etc). It's smoother and PAFier than the Black Dog, but not loosing any of it's clarity.

There, we've recommended the whole vintage hot range.

What do you want from the neck pickup?

[JimmyMoorby]

If I had a les paul id definitely go for the riff raff / mule combo.  Both pickups seem mega versatile.

[littleredguitars2]

yeah i know the abraxus is mule on steroids but i think i want something a little different.

when it comes to neck pickups, i dont really care too much about it as long as it matches whichever bridge i get well. the only bkp neck i've used was the rebel yell and i do enjoy that one

[darrenw5094]

Emerald then............unless you are a Eddie Van Halen fan 8)

[Wayne_S]

WHAT !! No RY's ?? IMO you should keep them just incase later on you get guitar to put them in, ya never know. I must say the RY's are a different breed of pickup. First pickup change that forced me to up my playing abilities. Its kinda love hate right now LOL !!

Well Im not the BKP's expert around here by no means but Id suggest the Blackdog for your custom LP. I believe the BD is smooth and crunchy.

[littleredguitars2]

smooth is definitely a big factor that i'm looking for. if i could find a used 10 anniversary set, i'd probably go for that to be completely honest

[PhilKing]

I have all the sets you are looking at in different guitars (including an anniversary set).  I haven't anything more powerful than Emeralds in my LP's, but I do have Abraxas's in a Hamer Sunburst and a PRS Singlecut.  In my LP's I have the following:

53 Goldtop to 58 Sunburst Conversion - Black Dogs - great tones and if you are a Jimmy Page fan then this is the sound of Rock n Roll.  This guitar is the lightest LP I have though.  I tried Abraxas's in it and they really didn't work as well as I expected.  However they work really well in my heavier Hamer & PRS.

Fake 59 LP - this was built by a UK Luthier and has a really nice sustain.  It's had an Emerald/Mule set, followed by a Riff Raff/Stormy Monday set and currently has the 10th Anniversary set.  It's a great LP tone, and I have to say that I know why Tim loves this set.  They have nice aggression on the bridge but can drop off to such a sweet tone on the neck.

86 Goldtop - PG Blues set - Peter Green until you turn up the gain and then Gary Moore steps up!  I really like this set for 60's rock and blues, though it doesn't have the aggression of the anniversaries (I would think that Gary would have loved the anniversaries).

Custom built LP Custom - this has an all mahogany body and has a set of Emeralds, which to me are like more powerful Black Dogs with tons of harmonics.  Listen to this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKyzfh3nOaU - Gary Moore has an anniversary tone and Brian Robertson has the Emeralds.

Feline Anniversary Lion - custom Mule set - this is the rock sound, but the pickups aren't available anymore - though Tim's Riff Raff/Mule set will sound really similar, and possibly the same depending on the guitar (though I have to say that the Lion is a tough one to top for feel and looks and acoustic tone!).

70 LP Custom, BK rewound Pat # PAF bridge (AV Long rough cast magnet) and Patent # neck.  I love the sound of this, but a lot of it is in the wood and the guitar - the closest sound would be something like a Riff Raff set I think.

Hope this helps (but it probably will just confuse more!).

[darrenw5094]

If you want something more than the Mule, then Emeralds, VHII or Black Dog are the main choices.