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Replacing pickups

Nerdflanders

New member
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
10
Hi there.
I have a traditional LP.
Any ideas on what pick ups I can put on it to make it sound a bit more awesome?
 

grimlyflick

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 27, 2005
Messages
1,276
I think you need to be a little more specific.

What type of music do you play?
What amps are you using?
Pedals?
What type of tones are you looking for?

A metal guy might recommend EMGs.
Vintage buffs may recommend some a little more boutique.

You need to narrow things down a little to get any decent replies or advice.
 

sonar

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
Sure you want to go down that rabbit hole?

Les Paul owners are some of the worst offenders when it comes to swapping pickups over, and over, and over... an expensive, never ending loop for some.

Iirc Trad's have 57's, which are generally well liked for stock PU's. What's wrong with those?
 

Nerdflanders

New member
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Messages
10
Well I play classic rock mostly. are you telling me the stock 57's are as good as any after market pickups?
They don;t seem bad but I thought maybe there was some others to put in.
 

sonar

New member
Joined
Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
Well I play classic rock mostly. are you telling me the stock 57's are as good as any after market pickups?
They don;t seem bad but I thought maybe there was some others to put in.


Tone is subjective, so I'm not saying 57's are good or bad.

Best to arm yourself with as much information as you can before you buy. Try to figure out what type of magnet, winding and output you think might work for you. ie - I was drawn to bright and articulate full sized humbuckers for years and seemed to lean toward A5 magnet pickups, but a few years back decided to mix it up and go with an A2 magnet pickup as my taste in Les Paul tone has mellowed. A friend likes a little weaker pickup and went with degaused A2's. Yet another buddy is a full-on 70's hard rock to metal player and prefers Ceramic magnet pickups...

and that's just scratching the surface. Their are other forum members that know a lot more than I do about pickups and hopefully will chime in.

Don't just assume that a $600 pair of pickups are the answer when a $150 set might be better suited to your tastes. The LPF can sometimes defer to the most expensive as the best, which sometimes isn't the case.

Also consider what type of amp(s) you play.
 

pippo

New member
Joined
Feb 10, 2019
Messages
13
Get a good harness first - pots and caps. After that is in see what you can get out of the stock pickups (height and poledjustment). You would want a new harness to get the most of ANY pickups - stock, boutique or vintage. My 2 cents.
 
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