Can my 2025 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Double Trouble be made to sound as good as a R9?

[Digiplay]

First, the back story.


I have a 2025 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Double Trouble that weighs only 8 lbs 1 oz.

I love the way it feels and plays and looks, and I "thought" I loved the way it sounded until I played my friends 2019 R9 (it sounded a little warmer, rounder, was more touch-sensitive, and the individual string definition was noticeably better).


At this point I need to point out that I could care less about having an elite, highly spec-accurate Gibson Custom Shop "Historic Reissue" of a 1959 Les Paul, built with premium woods, specialized Custombucker pickups, ,meticulous period-correct appointments and a higher resell value, I care about how the Les Paul sounds.


So back to the back story


My Double Trouble has standard Gibson USA Burstbucker 1 (neck) and Burstbucker 2 (bridge) Alnico II pickups, 500k audio taper pots for both the volume and tone controls, and the pots are paired with Orange Drop capacitors.
So......................................................................


If I change the wiring harness, as well as the pu's on my 2025 Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Double Trouble, can it sound as good as a R9?

 

[JimPridx]

Well, first off, it's probably important to point out that not all R9s are created equal in terms of being tone monsters. My experience is that only a select few are truly special in terms of great tone, and that includes R7s, R8s, and R0s. Please don't forget that the Gibson USA line generally produces some pretty fantastic guitars as well, so there's bound to be a select few that also sound extraordinarily good as well.

With that said, it may indeed be a slight possibility that your LP 50s Double Trouble can sound as good as one of the very best R9s or even better, but you'll only find out for certain by trial and error. Since every guitar sounds different from the next, one brand of pickup may sound great in one guitar but not necessarily great with another. Same goes for hardware, pot values, strings, etc. Be forewarned that upgrades can take you down a few rabbit holes until you discover what you like the best, but the chances of having a better-sounding guitar in the end are pretty good, especially if it becomes custom-tailored to your own personal tastes. I'd say give it a shot and see what happens.......

 

[Digiplay]

Well, first off, it's probably important to point out that not all R9s are created equal in terms of being tone monsters. My experience is that only a select few are truly special in terms of great tone, and that includes R7s, R8s, and R0s. Please don't forget that the Gibson USA line generally produces some pretty fantastic guitars as well, so there's bound to be a select few that also sound extraordinarily good as well.

With that said, it may indeed be a slight possibility that your LP 50s Double Trouble can sound as good as one of the very best R9s or even better, but you'll only find out for certain by trial and error. Since every guitar sounds different from the next, one brand of pickup may sound great in one guitar but not necessarily great with another. Same goes for hardware, pot values, strings, etc. Be forewarned that upgrades can take you down a few rabbit holes until you discover what you like the best, but the chances of having a better-sounding guitar in the end are pretty good, especially if it becomes custom-tailored to your own personal tastes. I'd say give it a shot and see what happens.......

So which component would you start with first, and what brand/model?

 

[JimPridx]

So which component would you start with first, and what brand/model?

Well, after reading the thread you posted the other day, I agree with others in that it's really difficult to say where to start unless you know what you're shooting for. For example, I'd tend to approach a bright-sounding guitar in a much different manner than I would a dark-sounding guitar. Some guitars have more inherent punch and sustain than others, too, so that tends to lean toward a different approach as well.

I bought a 2025 R9 a few months ago on a whim only to find out that I didn't care for the stock Custombuckers at all. This surprised me a bit, for I really like the Custombuckers that came stock in my 2014 R8. I ended up replacing the pickups in the R9 with a set of Tom Holmes pickups that I just happened to have on hand, and now I couldn't be happier with the way it sounds. It's probably the best-sounding Les Paul I've ever owned.

But, to backtrack a bit, looking at the least expensive components is where I usually look first, for swapping pickups can be quite expensive. If I don't like the way something sounds in a guitar, I usually just take an educated guess based on past experience to see what I may or may not like. For example, if you're looking for a little more bite in the high end, it's probably worth upgrading the volume pots with higher values to give it just a bit more of an edge. Conversely, if it's too bright, you might want to take a look at lowering the existing values of the pots. Cap values can also change things if you're accustomed to using your tone controls often. Pickups get a little more complicated, for some compress much quicker than others, and some can be much brighter than others, too. If your friend's R9 sounds like something that's more to your liking, you might want to entertain the idea of installing some Custombuckers or something in the low-wind PAF realm. But again, there's probably a few things you can try first without spending much money, particularly playing around with pickup heights to your strings. A small adjustment can make quite a difference. It wouldn't hurt to take the covers off, either, for it'll likely brighten things up a bit as well. If that isn't enough, I'd likely look at the pots next. I always wire my own harnesses, but I'd only do that if you feel comfortable with soldering. Otherwise, there are a number of vendors who sell them prewired online.

I really wish I could be of more help, but it would be helpful to know more about what you're hoping to achieve. I'd probably do a search on the forum for pickup choices, harness choices, cap values, etc., if for no other reason but to further educate yourself about this stuff. After a while it gets easier to make choices but, in all honesty, I've been modding my guitars for over 50 years, and to this day I still don't always get it right.......LOL.

 

[corpse]

There are some recent posts in this forum about trying to raise and lower pole pieces and pickup height. You might just get off cheap.

 

[El Gringo]

On my first historic R9 I did not really care for the Custombuckers . Why ? They sounded okay but on the weak side , like hospital food without any spice . So I knew of many around these parts that thought very highly of ThroBak www.throbak.com I checked out the ThroBak MXV-SLE-101 Plus pickups with A5 mgnets and I could not have been any happier . I would also recomend https://www.throbak.com/wiring-harnesses.html a new wiring harness as you mentioned this as well Vintage 50's wiring harness with Luxe Bumble Bee caps. Best wishes !

 

[Maguchi]

Sho' you right.

 

[Wilko]

its the wood.

wood is all different. sometimes it rings. Some times it doesn't.

 

[JimPridx]

its the wood.

wood is all different. sometimes it rings. Some times it doesn't.

Yup, and there's a whole lot of wood in between that's neither terribly bad or excitingly good. It can be tough to find an extraordinarily good one that really rings.

 

[Jethro Rocker]

Also if you aren't ABing it with the R9, as long as it sounds really good to you with the odd tweak, no matter. As mentioned, figure out what may be missing or need changjng to your ears and go from there. "Better" is a very subjective term.

 

[Offshore Angler]

Gibsons are like that. You sometimes need to go through many to find a good one. I looked at the specs on your guitar and it looks to have an ABR1 but maybe not traditionally mounted. Some may argue that makes a difference. But that said, could be the strings, could be pickup heights, could be a lot a things, but string-to string balance in my experience is in the neck wood and the frets and changing parts won't change it. Before you start violating a really nice guitar throwing parts at it I'd just look around and see if I could find one you like better.

PAFs are mids-heavy, I've never really loved them. Modern pickups will have more of a focus on the higher end. High end is where the money lives live performing.

And I'd be remiss not to add, an EQ pedal is on every pro player I know's rig. They aren't sexy, but they sure are USEFULL!

And even better yet, the FASTEST, EASIEST, CHEAPEST and MOST EFFECTIVE way to balance strings is (drum roll please) a compressor. Danged handy devices. Especially at lower volumes where the amp's natural compression hasn't come into play yet. Put it first in your chain and you'll be amazed at what it can do.

Chuck

 

[corpse]

Always wanted a compressor. One of them Cali ones.

 

[El Gringo]

its the wood.

wood is all different. sometimes it rings. Some times it doesn't.

Unfortunately one can't change the wood on there instrument versus the pickups . shows my age from way back when everyone ditched there factory pickups once they got there new instrument(s) in the seventies .

 

[Wilko]

Unfortunately one can't change the wood on there instrument versus the pickups . shows my age from way back when everyone ditched there factory pickups once they got there new instrument(s) in the seventies .

Right.

I should have mentioned, there is no reason that your guitar can't sound very similar to what you like about the R9 if the wood is similar.

 

[JASIII]

On my first historic R9 I did not really care for the Custombuckers . Why ? They sounded okay but on the weak side , like hospital food without any spice . So I knew of many around these parts that thought very highly of ThroBak www.throbak.com I checked out the ThroBak MXV-SLE-101 Plus pickups with A5 mgnets and I could not have been any happier . I would also recomend https://www.throbak.com/wiring-harnesses.html a new wiring harness as you mentioned this as well Vintage 50's wiring harness with Luxe Bumble Bee caps. Best wishes !

This is the way. Get SLE-101 for A2 magnet sound or the SLE-101+ for A5.

 

[clapciadrix]

Easy. Replace the burstbuckers with custom buckers

 

[c_wester]

Listen to Wilko here.

I have had vintage guitars, Custom Shop reissues, Japaneese copies. and standards.

I do not think Gibson always know what is the best piece of wood.

This is when your ear comes in.

I hate to sound like a old ahole... but seek and you shall find tone.

I have a Gibson 2015 standard (Known as the wide neck crappy guitars).
And this piece of wood speaks to me.
And it says: Any tone you want any melody bring it on!

 

[Happy Tree]

Always wanted a compressor. One of them Cali ones.

I just got the Cali V2 Stacked Compressor for my Rick 12-string and it's the best compressor I've ever tried. Lovely squish. Go for it!