Jangly Clean Bridge Pickup

[Marz]

Greetings,

I recently purchased a Les Paul Standard 50s with ‘57 Classic pickups. I LOVE the neck pickup but I’m having trouble getting my tone with the bridge.

I play a lot of blues/country rock/Americana that often calls for a clean jangly rhythm tone (sometimes I’ll use a Tele or a Gretsch) but I’m having trouble keeping clean and jangly. There’s a crackle in the high end (reminiscent of crackly Marshall preamp). I’m using a ‘64 black face Fender Concert, a Vox AC15 and a blackface Fender Princeton. I’m using a Barber compressor and I have a few different clean boosts. I’ve tried all of it but I haven’t hit the right combination - even with both pickups: when I engage the bridge pickup it is either dull or crackly and lacking note definition,

How do you get your Les Paul to jangle, and would you suggest a different pickup, gear, or approach?

 

[Subliminal lanimilbuS]

The amps you have should be pretty jangly. I would try a low K Alnico 2 pickup from a good pickup builder just to see what it does.

 

[JASIII]

Maybe experiment with the volume/tone knobs? There's a lot of tonal possibilities there. It can be a matter of balancing the pickups sometimes or adjusting pickup heights.

 

[NickiC]

I’d suggest wiring the bridge pickup in parallel, but 57 classics only have
single wire. 57 classics are on the dark side. When I hear jangly guitars a Les Paul doesn’t come to mind.

 

[Marz]

Maybe experiment with the volume/tone knobs? There's a lot of tonal possibilities there. It can be a matter of balancing the pickups sometimes or adjusting pickup heights.

 

[Marz]

That’s an excellent idea. I will try lowering the pickup, maybe that will tame the beast.

 

[Marz]

That’s an excellent idea. I will try lowering the pickup, maybe that will tame the beast.

 

[Marz]

I’d suggest wiring the bridge pickup in parallel, but 57 classics only have
single wire. 57 classics are on the dark side. When I hear jangly guitars a Les Paul doesn’t come to mind.

 

[Marz]

Yeah, it doesn’t really come to mind for me either, but I’ve been using an Epiphone 50s Les Paul Standard and getting a decent tone with the Probucker bridge pickup. This pickup just seems to be extra hot for some reason. I suppose I should get out my tester and see what the resistance is. I’m just surprised I havent been able to get it together with volume and tone - even straight into the amp.

 

[NickiC]

Try a set of Filtertrons, TV Jones pickups in the Les Paul.

 

[Marz]

Excellent idea. I’m just looking at a bridge supertron in a humbucker mount right now.

 

[Marz]

Excellent idea. I’m just looking at a bridge supertron in a humbucker mount right now.

Oops, Powertron, not Supertron. So many trons.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Oops, Powertron, not Supertron. So many trons.

Powertron is not on the jangle side of TV Jones HB's. I'd stick with the Supertron or a TV Classic. If you want super jangly, then maybe even a Magnatron.

Fwiw I've had the Powertron in the bridge of an SG, and the Magnatron in the neck of the same SG. I currently have the Supertron in the neck of an LP Studio. I also have their T-Armond Dynasonic clone in another SG. So I've got solid time spent with all of them except the TV Classic out of all their pickups I mentioned.

 

[Mr. Papa]

You might consider the Fralin Twangmaster.

 

[Marz]

You might consider the Fralin Twangmaster.

That sounds like it would be an excellent alternative.

 

[charliechitlins]

You can get jangly clean from a DiMarzio Super Distortion if you lower it and roll off the volume using 50s wiring or a treble bleed.

 

[RJLII]

Lower the PU a bit, then raise the polepieces the same amount. It should lower the output and brighten things up a bit. Too bright? Use tone knob.

 

[Marz]

I have lowered the pickup by about 3mm and it sounds much better. I’ll work with it some more and get the sweet spot of the amp and I think it should be just fine.

 

[Marz]

I have lowered the pickup by about 3mm and it sounds much better. I’ll work with it some more and get the sweet spot of the amp and I think it should be just fine.