Les Paul pickups

gearjunkie

gearjunkie

Inspired
Hey guys, I know these types of questions have been asked a thousand times but I'm just looking for an opinion. I've had a Les Paul for years and always kept it tuned down for heavy music. I always got on with the burst buckers for that but a few months ago I started using it for all styles. I really don't like those pick ups now. I have guitars with EMG's so I don't want tot do that again (I had considered trying blackouts or EMG 57/66). But I find the pickups I like best are the stock custom Dimarzio's on my music man axis. They aren't available for sale from music man or Dimarzio. I've been looking at pickups for days and can't really decide. Dimarzio's site says the closest pup's to the axis was the tone zone and air norton (then when the AT-1 came out they said that was closer than the tone zone But a lot of forums don't agree with either of these). One of my favorite neck pups was the Seymour duncan 59. So I'm stuck between:
Neck. Duncan 59 or Dimarzio Air Norton
Bridge. Dimarzio Tone Zone or Super Distortion

I like to be able to play a wide variety of stuff from heavy, classic, 80's, right through light rock. My Axis seems to be able to do everything well, which is what Im looking for. I'm only looking at spending max $200 (either of these combinations are less). (I also cant try them, but i have owed the 59) So anyone have any opinions on these pickups or configs for a les Paul?
Thanks for reading the long winded post!!!
 
I have actually tried a JB. It wasn't one of my favorites. When I tried them (years ago) I found them a bit "shrill"
 
gearjunkie said:
I have actually tried a JB. It wasn't one of my favorites.
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Oh, ok. I am sure there's some clips of Les Pauls with those Pickups you could find. Wish I could help more, but I am sure others will comment and help you out. I know switching pickups to find that tone you're looking for can be a pain in the ass, and lead to throwing lots of money down the drain. Good Luck!
 
I have watched so may YouTube vids!!! I have seen a lot of good YouTube vids, but not a lot of good ones for these pickups. I swear sometimes I think some people SHOULD NOT post reviews.
 
roodboy said:
Suhr Aldrich
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Yeah, I have the Aldrich in the bridge and an SSV in the neck, and I love that combo. But he said he doesn't like the JB, and I have heard Aldrich bridge described as a much better version of a JB. Plus the Aldrich bridge is much higher in output than the pickups he is asking about.
 
I'm not the biggest VH fan but I love his tone as well. The customs on my axis were pups designed for him. (The axis was his sig model guitar years ago, for anyone unaware)
 
gearjunkie said:
Yeah I was actually really considering this one as well. I was on the Suhr site but didn't see an Aldrich neck pickup anymore...
Doug is one of my favorite players BTW
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Well, I use an Aldrich in bridge and SSV in neck with a PRS McCarty Trem. The McCarty is Rosewood Fretboard, Mahogany Neck, Mahogany Body, Flamed Maple Top, so very similar to Les Paul in terms of wood. I also use the Seymour Duncan Pickup rings, which make the PUs extremely versatile: you get humbuckers in parallel, humbuckers in serial, single coil closest to neck, and single coil closest to bridge. And there are 2 PU rings, so you can have one PU in say parallel and the other in single coil and combine them using the middle pickup selector. They do make the Alrich Neck PU, but I have never heard anyone have high praise over it, actually quite the opposite, I have heard several people say they don't like it. I picked my Suhr Pickups off of Ebay btw.
 
I have suhr Doug Aldrich in my les Paul, neck as well. I had a Duncan jazz pickup in the neck before, I've used the JB and the SH4. The DA's are very versatile, not too hot. I like them a lot. They aren't as hot as the typical les Paul pickups or the Duncan's, probably about the same as the JB IMO, but less 'sizzley' , they have a great tone. They sound best in a suhr modern though.. I love the tone of that guitar!
 
Zemurray said:
I have suhr Doug Aldrich in my les Paul, neck as well. I had a Duncan jazz pickup in the neck before, I've used the JB and the SH4. The DA's are very versatile, not too hot. I like them a lot. They aren't as hot as the typical les Paul pickups or the Duncan's, probably about the same as the JB IMO, but less 'sizzley' , they have a great tone. They sound best in a suhr modern though.. I love the tone of that guitar!
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Check the specs on the Aldrich PU's, they have a hotter output than LP PU's and most Duncan's I know of. I replaced my stock McCarty PUs(which are PAF's a little juicer than LP PUs), and they are MUCH hotter.
 
I'm surprised to see the comparison between the JB and the Aldrich. Maybe they have similar output levels, but I don't really think they sound very similar. I've never liked JB's at all, they just don't cut it for me. They just seemed kind of lifeless and flat in the guitars I had them in. (Disclaimer, I haven't tried them in the same guitar. I've had JBs in two different guitars and now have an Aldrich in the bridge of my old SG.) I find it pretty hot, but not too hot, in that you can still get decent clarity out of it when needed.

I used virtually nothing but Tom Anderson's for years and still have them in 3 of my guitars, but I've recently started searching for other pickups of the same quality, but with a different flavor or voicing, to get a little more variety. The Aldrich was a good fit, and I just ordered some Bareknuckle Nailbombs for another guitar and can't wait to see how they turn out. (They are a bit more expensive though, and naturally I can't recommend them until I get them and play on them for awhile.) If you want something with a fuller range than most pickups I've heard I'd recommend checking out some Anderson's, but I think they are a love 'em or hate 'em type of pickup. Some people think they are too hifi sounding. Not sure what they go for now, but when I got most of mine they were still under $100 a piece.
 
OP.. just a thought. You might have a hard time getting what you like from your axis (pickups) out of your Les Paul, even if you had the same pickups installed in both guitars. You might get lucky and get something in the Les Paul that gets you close, but I think the Les Paul itself is so different than that axis that it's hard to compare the two. I've dome similar in the past and felt like I was going in circles. I'm suggesting that what you like with your axis may be more than just the pickups.. more the sum of the whole. If you can instead figure out what leanings your Les Paul tends to have as far as EQ, you might be able to better find a pickup that balances with that guitar in particular..

I like lower output PAF type pickups in my Les Paul in general.. I prefer a Les Paul to lean a little more towards that vintage "tele on steroids" type of thing rather than high output, screaming mids, etc. I don't have any specific brands to suggest though.. no experience with those axis pickups, although I would love to have one of those guitars.
 
I have an Axis Sport, which also uses custom Dimarzios, and I can confirm that they're much closer to the Tone Zone (which I have in an Ibanez 7-string) than the Super Distortion (which I have in a Strat). However, I agree with Hotplate in that the Les Paul itself is massively different than the Axis. I own 3 Les Pauls, an R58, a 94 Custom, and a '76 Goldtop, and while they each use different (stock) pickups and sound quite different from each other, they all have a distinct LP tone that is very different than the Axis.

All that said, I'd probably personally go with the Super Distortion. In fact, I'm considering upgrading the pickups in my Goldtop with these, as I have 2 ToneZone-equipped guitars already, and the more massive body of the Les Paul seems like it would over-emphasize the low-end of the ToneZones.
 
I've got a vintage Dimarzio super distortion. I love it.

I had been fishing around trying to get a custom pickup maker to clone it. But found they basically have to destroy it to clone it.

The Dimazio folks say the new super distortions are the same pup.

The super distortion is very dynamic. Responds to the guitar volume control very well and gives just the right amount of grind.
 
Have you tried David Allen Pickups?

He hand makes his pickups and has a fairly large variety of humbuckers for a wide range of players. There are video demos and sound clips of the different models at davidallenpickups.com.
 
Hey guys thanks for the replies. Hotplate and seasonofpain you are both correct. That is one of my biggest concerns. Different pups are better for different woods. Most of the sounds I've heard from the tone zone combo are usually is basswood or alder bodied guitars. That's partly why I was asking for opinions (like has anyone tried them in a les Paul). The dimarzio site says the AT-1 (Andy Timmons pup) would be better because it was initially designed for a mahogany bodied guitar. The reason opinions like this are good is because "changing out pickups SUCKS" it's time consuming especially if you want to try a bunch. That's why I try to get a really good idea before I commit to it. I know there are tons more options out there besides the big three (SD, EMG, & Dimarzio) but I've really never played much other than those. I'd rather go for the "known" otherwise the choices and not knowing makes me want to tear out my hair. I'm leaning toward the super distortion (I'm an 80's guy at heart and I love iron maiden etc.) or Doug Aldrich & Duncan 59. This is the thing I hate about pups, you just can't run down to the local shop and try 25 sets out....
 
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