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ross
October 9th, 2008, 08:19 AM
Hey guys, been reading here the past few days and finally decided I would register.

I have a quick question, and then I will go make a post about what I play etc - but this one has to do with my Les Paul.

Bottom line is - I hate the pickups that are in it. I honestly do not know which ones they are because I bought the guitar used at guitar center about 8 years ago. It is a 1989 Les Paul Standard.. at any rate - I play mostly heavier music with some cleans throughout. My Les Paul is my drop tune guitar. So here is what I have come up with:

I want to put a Dimarzio Evolution in the neck and a D Sonic in the bridge. I believe this will help with the response a bit more through the amp. The guitar just sounds muddy in all ways really. I am going for heavy crunchy rhythm from the bridge and clean fluid leads from the neck. I am really firm on the D Sonic in the bridge, but the Evolution is one that I have not had any experience with. Anyone here used this before?

Also, I have never installed pickups before, but I know how to use a soldering iron, so it shouldn't be that hard right? I am sure there are diagrams to be found online..

Anyway, looking forward to responses :) Thanks!

Spudman
October 9th, 2008, 08:48 AM
The Tone Zone and Evolution are good pickups for what you play.

Check the www.Dimarzio.com (http://www.Dimarzio.com) web site. They have the pickups grouped in output ranges. High, med, low. Personally I like a lower output pickups. I think you get better note articulation and they allow you to work the output section of a tube amp harder.

ross
October 9th, 2008, 08:59 AM
Awesome. That is what I wanted to hear! Thanks!

If I am successful on this I am going to try to get some ideas on strat pickups. Not for metal play though, but for cleans and blues like gain.

ShortBuSX
October 9th, 2008, 12:34 PM
Any suggestions for a bridge pickup to compliment a SD '59 neck? Im pretty sure thats the neck pup I wanna go with, but Im still undecided with the bridge...Im thinking a Custom, or Custom Custom, Custom 5? I dunno much bout em, I just want a nice solid classic rock/blues tone.

I also wish I knew the right size length/width pots to order too for my Epi LP...Id really like to get the ball rolling on modding that:thwap:

ross
October 9th, 2008, 01:43 PM
Any suggestions for a bridge pickup to compliment a SD '59 neck? Im pretty sure thats the neck pup I wanna go with, but Im still undecided with the bridge...Im thinking a Custom, or Custom Custom, Custom 5? I dunno much bout em, I just want a nice solid classic rock/blues tone.

I also wish I knew the right size length/width pots to order too for my Epi LP...Id really like to get the ball rolling on modding that:thwap:

I am partial to Dimarzio pickups.. Use their pickup selector thing. It gives you three choices. Also, these things sound good: www.wbpickups.com

Watch their videos on youtube. The cleans and the blues / rock stuff they roll out of those sounds incredible. Not my cup of tea though :)

ShortBuSX
October 9th, 2008, 01:48 PM
Also, these things sound good: www.wbpickups.com

Watch their videos on youtube. The cleans and the blues / rock stuff they roll out of those sounds incredible. Not my cup of tea though :)

Ive seen those, Ive watched the videos too...not my thing either. Maybe its the sound of them through the video.
Im just convenced that SD has a good grasp on what PAFs should sound like and how they are built.

ross
October 9th, 2008, 04:30 PM
Ive seen those, Ive watched the videos too...not my thing either. Maybe its the sound of them through the video.
Im just convenced that SD has a good grasp on what PAFs should sound like and how they are built.

How about a SH-15?

Also - how difficult is it to install pickups? I have used a soldering iron before, but the one I have is 100w, so thats too much. So since I know how to solder, is this going to be something that is extremely difficult? I would prefer to not take the guitar somewhere. I am going to do some reading up on this before I get my pickups, I am just wondering how many of you guys have done it and think that its a pretty easy thing to do...

red
October 10th, 2008, 04:31 PM
Any suggestions for a bridge pickup to compliment a SD '59 neck? Im pretty sure thats the neck pup I wanna go with, but Im still undecided with the bridge...Im thinking a Custom, or Custom Custom, Custom 5? I dunno much bout em, I just want a nice solid classic rock/blues tone.
A Custom Custom is pretty good for what you want. I'm using a '59/JB combination in my Epiphone Les Paul, apparently it's what both Robben Ford and Adam Jones from Tool use. The JB is a hot pickup, well-suited for lots of distortion, but I find that it really adds to what the '59 can do for cleaner sounds, when I combine the pickups. But I think the Custom Custom is a better fit for classic rock and blues.

red
October 10th, 2008, 04:38 PM
Also - how difficult is it to install pickups? I have used a soldering iron before, but the one I have is 100w, so thats too much. So since I know how to solder, is this going to be something that is extremely difficult? I would prefer to not take the guitar somewhere. I am going to do some reading up on this before I get my pickups, I am just wondering how many of you guys have done it and think that its a pretty easy thing to do...
Yes, 100W is too much. Don't use that. And make sure you use a soldering iron, not a soldering gun, because that can affect the pickup magnets.

Other than that, it's really easy, especially if you're swapping pickups. Unless you're doing fancy coil-splitting, it's a simple matter of soldering two wires per pickup. If you're swapping pickups, just look at where the wires used to go from your previous pickup on the pots, and copy that for the new pickup. It's very hard to miss what wire goes where, because the ground wire almost always goes directly on the pot, and the other one on one of the pot's "legs".

Seymour Duncans come with wiring instructions, and so do Lollars. Don't know about other brands, I've only installed a Lollar P90 dogear pickup and a couple of Seymour Duncan humbuckers so far :). But there are many many resources available on the Internet.

ross
October 10th, 2008, 11:49 PM
Red - thanks for the response. Since posting I have read a good bit. I ended up getting a 40w soldering iron. I read the stuff about the gun - yikes! I dont have any of the stuff that soaks up the old solder :/ I gotta find that somewhere. There is a radioshack close by.

I ended up getting the d sonic and the evo. hopefully they sound good. and most importantly, hope the guitar looks good. :) its wine red, and im trying some black pickups and black plastic parts on it. so ill see.

fensonpaulcaster
October 20th, 2008, 09:38 PM
Well.....

lets see..
emg 60's actually sound really good clean for being what they are. When you put distorition through them look out! they're excellent! haha very crunchy, and overdrive with the sustain and bite for metal. But played clean its clear and theres not hardly any bite to them. They're very bright clean and they have good lows ids and highs. Highs aren't so sharp as well rounded and the lows are fat and they roll.

I would consider it if I were you.

:rockon: rock on bra