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Should I put new pickups in my 81 Les Paul Custom?

c_wester

Well-known member
Joined
May 9, 2002
Messages
2,116
My experience is a great piece of wood does not care that much about pickups.
As long as they are in high-quality Paf configurations.



Buy another guitar that does not need a pickup change.
Pickups do not change that much of the sound.
 

barman

New member
Joined
Oct 19, 2018
Messages
61
Keep it original. Tweaks on pickups height / polepieces height will change the tone dramatically.
Nothing wrong with stock pickups.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Bull, there is nothing wrong in choosing to install ANY flippin' pickups, in ANY flippin' combination of the owners choosing if it gets the tone the owner desires.
 

El Gringo

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 8, 2015
Messages
5,657
My experience is a great piece of wood does not care that much about pickups.
As long as they are in high-quality Paf configurations.



Buy another guitar that does not need a pickup change.
Pickups do not change that much of the sound.

Well in my experience I changed out the stock Burstbucker 1&3 in my R8 for Throbak SLE-101 Plus and it was a night and day difference in tone .
 

Elmore

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 10, 2003
Messages
1,853
I agree and would add that you should check what value pots are in your guitar. At one point Gibson was using 300k vol. pots and 100k tones, makes for a really dark sounding guitar. Many players have changed out the pickups on those guitars when all they had to do was change to all 500k pots to liven the guitar up.
Al

Yep. I would try this first.
 

Keefoman

Active member
Joined
Nov 4, 2009
Messages
576
New harness with 500k pots and caps is the least expensive route, and something many do anyway. The RS-kits are very good, and you may find that it makes you a lot happier. If not, then swap pickups. Seymour Duncans are great. Lollars are great. More expensive boutique pickups may be even better, and you can even find some cheaper pickups that makes it for you. You won't know untill you've tried.

Anyway, as long as you keep the original parts, these mods are reversible, so you do no harm to the guitar or the resale value. Either way, the most important is to make the instrument work for you. If that can't be done, you'll be better off with another instrument.
 

Progrocker111

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
4,013
New harness with 500k pots and caps is the least expensive route, and something many do anyway. The RS-kits are very good, and you may find that it makes you a lot happier. If not, then swap pickups.

This :dude:
 
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