Your opinions of the Les Paul Deluxe

guitplayer · Oct 16, 2019

71-72. Pots probably date 30th week 1971. Thats a early one in that color.
Neck will vary. Some are very thin. Some not.

zacknorton · Oct 16, 2019

I used to love them. After having one I can say that they aren’t for me.

Mini hb’s in a Firebird? Yes. In a lp? P90’s and standard hb’s work better.

Thats just me.

Big Al · Oct 16, 2019

Tom Wittrock said:
They will never sound like Standards, without a routing for the full size HBs.
If you like it, that's all that really matters.
I prefer Standards. :tw59

That is the point, Tom. They are EXACTLY the same as a Standard of the same vintage with the exception of the pickups. That difference is no different than that of p90 Goldtops. It is a pickup difference and as such, it would be more accurate to say you prefer full size humbuckers. Fair enough, in certain applications I do too, but not all.
They are different. A Deluxe is an alternative to the Standard. Mini humbuckers are humbuckers in everyway that matters. Same voice with a more focused nature. Less output, but still powerful and strong with a more balanced tonality and a clarity that never gets lost, even under extreme gain. They offer more than enough output to push a tube amp into overdrive yet do not overwhelm preamps to allow for very chimey, twangy, harmonicly enhanced, smooth, sweet compelling clean tones. Under overdrive they compress and give up a smooth, singing, very vocal like tonality with clarity while allowing for snap and growl when digging in and playing aggressively.

They are so versitile. I've always had and use Deluxes in my tone arsenal. Like my Fenders, p90 guitars and Melody Makers they offer equally valid and useful tonal alternatives to a Standard humbucker voice.

jb_abides · Oct 16, 2019

Big Al said:
That is the point, Tom. They are EXACTLY the same as a Standard of the same vintage with the exception of the pickups. That difference is no different than that of p90 Goldtops. It is a pickup difference and as such, it would be more accurate to say you prefer full size humbuckers. Fair enough, in certain applications I do too, but not all.
They are different. A Deluxe is an alternative to the Standard. Mini humbuckers are humbuckers in everyway that matters. Same voice with a more focused nature. Less output, but still powerful and strong with a more balanced tonality and a clarity that never gets lost, even under extreme gain. They offer more than enough output to push a tube amp into overdrive yet do not overwhelm preamps to allow for very chimey, twangy, harmonicly enhanced, smooth, sweet compelling clean tones. Under overdrive they compress and give up a smooth, singing, very vocal like tonality with clarity while allowing for snap and growl when digging in and playing aggressively.

They are so versitile. I've always had and use Deluxes in my tone arsenal. Like my Fenders, p90 guitars and Melody Makers they offer equally valid and useful tonal alternatives to a Standard humbucker voice.

Personally --

I don't understand people who buy a Deluxe, only to route out mini buckers out for full HBs. I suppose you can totally fall in love with playability and not sound... Yet putting HB into the mini bucker positions, well, there's no guarantee of better tonality.

That said, they are not too precious, so make a great mod platform. Like some Deluxe players, I would favor ADDING a HB in the middle, and keeping the mini buckers

[for transparency, I currently only have mini buckers in a Firebird, but would go full Pete if I found the right Deluxe...]

:salude

Tom Wittrock · Oct 17, 2019

Big Al said:
That is the point, Tom. They are EXACTLY the same as a Standard of the same vintage with the exception of the pickups. That difference is no different than that of p90 Goldtops. It is a pickup difference and as such, it would be more accurate to say you prefer full size humbuckers. Fair enough, in certain applications I do too, but not all.
They are different. A Deluxe is an alternative to the Standard. Mini humbuckers are humbuckers in everyway that matters. Same voice with a more focused nature. Less output, but still powerful and strong with a more balanced tonality and a clarity that never gets lost, even under extreme gain. They offer more than enough output to push a tube amp into overdrive yet do not overwhelm preamps to allow for very chimey, twangy, harmonicly enhanced, smooth, sweet compelling clean tones. Under overdrive they compress and give up a smooth, singing, very vocal like tonality with clarity while allowing for snap and growl when digging in and playing aggressively.

They are so versitile. I've always had and use Deluxes in my tone arsenal. Like my Fenders, p90 guitars and Melody Makers they offer equally valid and useful tonal alternatives to a Standard humbucker voice.

Don't forget, my post [that you quoted] is 15years old.

Tom Wittrock · Oct 17, 2019

jb_abides said:
Personally --

I don't understand people who buy a Deluxe, only to route out mini buckers out for full HBs.

The vast majority of those were done back when Standards were quite rare.

Big Al · Oct 17, 2019

Tom Wittrock said:
Don't forget, my post [that you quoted] is 15years old.

Oh I got that, Tom and I don't disagree with your opinion, You prefer Standards. I was trying to change focus to pickups as that seems more the point. I've had strong disagreements with others as I can't see why they insist upon calling a routed Deluxe with pafs as Deluxe and they think I'm wrong calling them Standards. I quoted you to help make that point

The rest was just my take on the Deluxe Mini Hum tone. Not responding to you, like the following observation nothing to do with you.

Anotherthing I'd like to make clear is that the Deluxe Mini is a smaller version of a paf type humbucker, same magnet, wire and build with narrower coils and smaller polepiece screws and cover. Very different from a Firebird Mini Hum which is a fundamentally different build and type and has no shared build or tone with the paf/mini hum types. STOP EQUATING THEM!!! Firebird minis are weak output, bright, thin singlecoil sounding magnet in a coil humbuckers and the people praising them in this thread use that tone to then explain why Deluxe Minis sound bad.

Obviously some damn poor listening skills and makes me wonder about how much truth or honest evaluation is taking place. Luckily these chuckleheads are few in number.

zoommutt · Oct 17, 2019

Big Al I wanted to ask you a question for awhile. I have a 77 Deluxe that has cheap P-90's that I want to change. Would you automatically put back the original mini's, or would you try to get the best P-90's that you could get? I am leaning towards putting the mini's back. It's been so long I forget what the mini's sound like. I know you have a fondness for Deluxes. Thanks

guitplayer · Oct 17, 2019

Big Al said:
Oh I got that, Tom

Obviously some damn poor listening skills and makes me wonder about how much truth or honest evaluation is taking place. Luckily these chuckleheads are few in number.

Not gonna say anything. Just not a chucklehead.:hee But minis will not work in every application of tone
or style of music. If I never wanted to GROWL again on guitar, I would play mini`s. Minis.. in my time playing Rock-Roll
never worked well and feedback often. Now if Gibson gave me one at the time. I`d play the snot out of it.
To me, always been a cheap Epiphone pickup. Put a P-90 in. That's closer to a PAF tone.

toxpert · Oct 17, 2019

Barry Bailey of Atlanta Rhythm Section used a Deluxe with mini’s. You can listen to his work...

Big Al · Oct 17, 2019

zoommutt said:
Big Al I wanted to ask you a question for awhile. I have a 77 Deluxe that has cheap P-90's that I want to change. Would you automatically put back the original mini's, or would you try to get the best P-90's that you could get? I am leaning towards putting the mini's back. It's been so long I forget what the mini's sound like. I know you have a fondness for Deluxes. Thanks

Depends. Why did you remove the minis anyway? Why install cheap p90's? What was the plan?

P90s sound great. In general they have some of the zing and twangy singlecoil responce with a girthy, harmonicly rich fat tone. Noise can be a problem but can be worked around. These are expressive fat pickups that really stand out as a unique voice.

Mini's are as I've described. Smaller focused balanced humbucker tone.

The question one should ask when changing pickups is WHY? What is it that you find missing or unsatisfactory about your existing pickups? Do you find the type tone appealing but wish more or less certain aspects of that core tone, a refinement or fine tuning, or do you find the core tone isn't what you want an no version of it will do, FOR YOU.

If you decide that you want a distinctly different voice, you need to define just what it is you want and expect from new pickups and pursue those that deliver what you want.

Or is it another case of Burstitus? So many expect any Les Paul has to sound like a Standard and in terminal Stage 4 afflictions it must be 1959 Standard "Burst tone", and if you recognise the symptoms, own it and treat it accordingly. Get a Standard, use paf type humbuckers and be happy.

Whatever pickup I may prefer has no bearing on what should go in your guitar. You need to decide, intelligently, what you really want and why. It is all about recognizing what sound you want to make and chasing that.

Big Al · Oct 17, 2019

guitplayer said:
Not gonna say anything. Just not a chucklehead.:hee But minis will not work in every application of tone
or style of music. If I never wanted to GROWL again on guitar, I would play mini`s. Minis.. in my time playing Rock-Roll
never worked well and feedback often. Now if Gibson gave me one at the time. I`d play the snot out of it.
To me, always been a cheap Epiphone pickup. Put a P-90 in. That's closer to a PAF tone.

Then get a paf. If that is your tone why get close? If you know that is the only tone for you then you should stick to it.

I like variety and enjoy using different guitars and pickups for different applications and wider tone pallet. I use multiple amps too. Same reason.

marshall1987 · Oct 17, 2019

Barry Bailey w/ Atlanta Rhythm Section, ca. 1980 Taylor County Auditorium, Abilene Texas :dude:

Shot these scanned photos of Barry B. and ARS with a 35mm Nikon. Barry sure could make his 1969 Les Paul Deluxe sing! And he always used an old 50 watt Marshall and 4X12" cab. JR Cobb was every bit the equal of Barry.

guitplayer · Oct 17, 2019

Well yeah!! Barry could make a silvertone amp/guitar sound sweet.

Just my taste. Funny ,never heard of a guy with a custom Pafs or T-tops
"Man I wish this had mini hums in it." C`mon that's funny.:spabout

zoommutt · Oct 18, 2019

I had the Deluxe with mini’s for about 15 years. I admit I got caught up in the LPF pickup siren call and they were about $12, so I thought I would try P-90’s. I was wondering with a maple neck,would the mini’s work better with this guitar.Thanks.

Big Al · Oct 18, 2019

zoommutt said:
I had the Deluxe with mini’s for about 15 years. I admit I got caught up in the LPF pickup siren call and they were about $12, so I thought I would try P-90’s. I was wondering with a maple neck,would the mini’s work better with this guitar.Thanks.

You need to not overthink it and chase the tone. Maple neck isn't the concern. I put p90's in goldtop Deluxes out of habit, can't help it. I really like p90 tone and have to have it. Funny enough, when I mod my mutts, I prefer to use Deluxe Minis for the versatility and pleasing tone. I tend to use them more.

You already have a set, so why not? You could find you really like them or find you need something different. As has been noted there are lots of alternatives available.

zoommutt · Oct 18, 2019

I think I'll go back to it's original pickups. The P-90 experiment with very under wound pickups will be over. Mini's here I come back! Thanks

Big Al · Oct 19, 2019

zoommutt said:
I think I'll go back to it's original pickups. The P-90 experiment with very under wound pickups will be over. Mini's here I come back! Thanks

After you do, live with it for awhile. Acclimate to it and find the sweet spots on the amps and live with it to get a good grasp of what it offers. I have a good friend with great gear who is a lefty and I talked him into getting a late 70's Deluxe. Nice Tobacco Burst with a bookmatched figured maple top. I was feeling bad as he seemed not to like it much.

That soon passed. He loves it, gets it and understands how to maximize it with his sweet amp collection to get killer tones. I'm always getting tone reports and hearing about how perfectly nails this or that tone.

I KNOW ALREADY!! I KNOW!!

Your opinions of the Les Paul Deluxe

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