POLL: The most accurate PAF replica...

[nicolasrivera]

Nice! On your Wizz PAFs, did you go with the stock A4 or one of the other options?

What did you think of the Sigil? I've heard good things about them, too, but they aren't getting any love here. So, I'm curious what your take is as someone who's actually tried them?

Stock A4, I have 3 sets, one of them is the first run of vintage wire he did.

I also have a set of P90s from WIZZ, great tone, there is another winder that does amazing P90s, its called Sheptone pickups.

But to me, this vintage mini humbuckers in my early 70s are the best P90s tone for rock and blues, direct to a Plexi style amp they sound magical.

 

[SpudMan]

Just heard back from the local shop and other than ML models, they don't stock the RI's. They say their customers want ML and that the customs without ML are the exception, which is why they don't stock them. The owner called Gibson and Gibson said it would be earliest October for delivery of a RI, non ML.
On the Standards, I just noticed that the pickups are different in the 50's and 60's models. The 50's have Alnico 2 magnets, and the 60's have Alnico 3 magnets. I know the neck on the 60's is also slimmer.
Sorry to bother again, but any opinions on the 50's Standards vs. the 60's Standards would be appreciated.
I can find the non ML RI's at another shop a bit further drive, but the cost would be higher due to higher taxes and less bargaining!

 

[Churchhill]

Just heard back from the local shop and other than ML models, they don't stock the RI's. They say their customers want ML and that the customs without ML are the exception, which is why they don't stock them. The owner called Gibson and Gibson said it would be earliest October for delivery of a RI, non ML.
On the Standards, I just noticed that the pickups are different in the 50's and 60's models. The 50's have Alnico 2 magnets, and the 60's have Alnico 3 magnets. I know the neck on the 60's is also slimmer.
Sorry to bother again, but any opinions on the 50's Standards vs. the 60's Standards would be appreciated.
I can find the non ML RI's at another shop a bit further drive, but the cost would be higher due to higher taxes and less bargaining!

Isn't the shop going to get a ML '57 in shortly? If so, I think I'd play that first, then decide if you can live with the aging or want to find a VOS '57. If you decide the VOS '57 is a better fit, I know they are in stock at several dealers that will offer you a deal. From everything I've seen lately, Gibson's quality is good enough that buying a specific guitar sight unseen isn't nearly the risk it used to be.

As for the '50s Standard vs '60s Standard, Gibson lists the '50s as having Burstbuckers (Alnico 2, 8k) and the '60s as having '60s Burstbuckers (Alnico 5, 8K). The Reissues (both the ML and VOS versions) use Custombuckers (Alnico 3, 8k).

My opinions on these three pickups:

• The Custombuckers ('57 RI) are really nice, warm, bright, and not very compressed at all. These are my favorite of the bunch and hold their own against anything I have right now (Throbaks are on the way, so that may change).
  
  
• The Burstbuckers ('50s Std) are good, too, a little more modern sounding, but nicely compressed. These are really nice pickups and, without having compared these directly with the other two, I'd say they were great (but I did compare them and they're still good, just not my favorite of the three).
  
  
• The '60s Burstbuckers ('60s Std) are a kinda between the two, not as modern sounding as the BB but not as vintage as the CB. They're brighter and the bass is stronger, but not overbearingly so. They're still warm and decently compressed (easy to play). From what I have, they're most like the BKP Riff Raffs, which is a later PAF/Patent-Number/Pre-T-Top type and were a good fit in the '61 SG that I played them in. Based on what you've said about the sound you're after, I think these may be a better fit than the Burstbuckers in the '50s Standard and close (but not quite) as good as the Custombuckers.
  
  
• It would not surprise me if the only difference between the BBs and the '60s BBs is the magnet. I haven't measured the individual coils, so they may have different offsets, but they're both right around 8k, unpotted, and what I'm guessing is 42 AWG Plain Enamel. The differences I hear aren't too far off what I've experienced changing magnets in other pickups. I think the Alnico 5 of the '60s BBs just works better in that pickup, at least for me, and I could be wrong about how closely related they are. I'm curious if the Alnico 5 is a short magnet, degaussed, unoriented, or what, because they do not have the sharp highs that a lot of Alnico 5 pickups seem to have.
  
  
• I think that the Custombuckers ('57 RI) are a little more vocal. I think they're a little more microphonic (in a good way) and pick up a little more of the acoustic sound. To me, they sound like they have a little more scatter in the wind, but I have no idea if that's true. I'm really looking forward to trying these with the Alnico 4 and Alnico 2 magnets that are also on their way from Throbak. It would not surprise me if these are very similar (or the same) as their '59 Collector's Series pickups. Those sound really really good, but they're using Alnico 4 and sound like it where the Custombuckers use Alnico 3. I'll know more about this by the weekend, with any luck.

That said, and as I've said before, I think the '50s Standard was a great guitar and I have no doubt that the '60s Standard is, too, although I haven't played one recently. However, when I played one back-to-back with my '60 Reissue, it was obvious that they were not in the same league, just from how it felt in my hands and more than just the neck shape. To me, it was worth the price difference and now, I actually want another (someday). If I was looking for a gigging guitar, I'd get the '60s Standard and not worry about it getting damaged (or worse) because I prefer thinner necks and I think the stock pickups sound good enough for live work. If I was looking for "the one" and was willing to spend the money, I'd pick the '60 VOS all over again in a heartbeat because it really is that much better, to me, and I don't really care for pre-aged guitars. Although, I understand why some do and, if I was looking for a replica of a specific guitar, I'd be all over the Murphy Labs stuff.

BTW, I completely understand where you're coming from; it took me forever to decide on which one I wanted, probably asked more questions than you have, and spent the better part of two days playing about 20 of them. No matter what you decide, it should feel like the right decision for you. I haven't regretted my choice for a second and you shouldn't either. I guess what I'm saying is that I think you're taking the right approach and asking the right questions.

Edited for clarity.

 

[SpudMan]

Isn't the shop going to get a ML '57 in shortly? If so, I think I'd play that first, then decide if you can live with the aging or want to find a VOS '57. If you decide the VOS '57 is a better fit, I know they are in stock at several dealers that will offer you a deal. From everything I've seen lately, Gibson's quality is good enough that buying a specific guitar sight unseen isn't nearly the risk it used to be.

As for the '50s Standard vs '60s Standard, Gibson lists the '50s as having Burstbuckers (Alnico 2, 8k) and the '60s as having '60s Burstbuckers (Alnico 5, 8K). The Reissues (both the ML and VOS versions) use Custombuckers (Alnico 3, 8k).

My opinions on these three pickups:

• The Custombuckers ('57 RI) are really nice, warm, bright, and not very compressed at all. These are my favorite of the bunch and hold their own against anything I have right now (Throbaks are on the way, so that may change).
  
  
• The Burstbuckers ('50s Std) are good, too, a little more modern sounding, but nicely compressed. These are really nice pickups and, without having compared these directly with the other two, I'd say they were great (but I did compare them and they're still good, just not my favorite of the three).
  
  
• The '60s Burstbuckers ('60s Std) are a kinda between the two, not as modern sounding as the BB but not as vintage as the CB. They're brighter and the bass is stronger, but not overbearingly so. They're still warm and decently compressed (easy to play). From what I have, they're most like the BKP Riff Raffs, which is a later PAF/Patent-Number/Pre-T-Top type and were a good fit in the '61 SG that I played them in. Based on what you've said about the sound you're after, I think these may be a better fit than the Burstbuckers in the '50s Standard and close (but not quite) as good as the Custombuckers.
  
  
• It would not surprise me if the only difference between the BBs and the '60s BBs is the magnet. I haven't measured the individual coils, so they may have different offsets, but they're both right around 8k, unpotted, and what I'm guessing is 42 AWG Plain Enamel. The differences I hear aren't too far off what I've experienced changing magnets in other pickups. I think the Alnico 5 of the '60s BBs just works better in that pickup, at least for me, and I could be wrong about how closely related they are. I'm curious if the Alnico 5 is a short magnet, degaussed, unoriented, or what, because they do not have the sharp highs that a lot of Alnico 5 pickups seem to have.
  
  
• I think that the Custombuckers ('57 RI) are a little more vocal. I think they're a little more microphonic (in a good way) and pick up a little more of the acoustic sound. To me, they sound like they have a little more scatter in the wind, but I have no idea if that's true. I'm really looking forward to trying these with the Alnico 4 and Alnico 2 magnets that are also on their way from Throbak. It would not surprise me if these are very similar (or the same) as their '59 Collector's Series pickups. Those sound really really good, but they're using Alnico 4 and sound like it where the Custombuckers use Alnico 3. I'll know more about this by the weekend, with any luck.

That said, and as I've said before, I think the '50s Standard was a great guitar and I have no doubt that the '60s Standard is, too, although I haven't played one recently. However, when I played one back-to-back with my '60 Reissue, it was obvious that they were not in the same league, just from how it felt in my hands and more than just the neck shape. To me, it was worth the price difference and now, I actually want another (someday). If I was looking for a gigging guitar, I'd get the '60s Standard and not worry about it getting damaged (or worse) because I prefer thinner necks and I think the stock pickups sound good enough for live work. If I was looking for "the one" and was willing to spend the money, I'd pick the '60 VOS all over again in a heartbeat because it really is that much better, to me, and I don't really care for pre-aged guitars. Although, I understand why some do and, if I was looking for a replica of a specific guitar, I'd be all over the Murphy Labs stuff.

BTW, I completely understand where you're coming from; it took me forever to decide on which one I wanted, probably asked more questions than you have, and spent the better part of two days playing about 20 of them. No matter what you decide, it should feel like the right decision for you. I haven't regretted my choice for a second and you shouldn't either. I guess what I'm saying is that I think you're taking the right approach and asking the right questions.

Edited for clarity.

Thanks so much for the info on the pickups, and as I have said previously, I truly appreciate your help, and your patience with me.
I also very much appreciate your kind words.
I am certain either the Standard(s) or the RI's would be great, the decision in the end is value, which is of course very intangible, and personal. Again, thanks for not losing patience and thinking I am being foolish. So far I have been very happy with all of my guitar purchases in recent times, but they have all been personal builds. This time I want a "production" guitar that has real value to me, and to others, even though I would likely never sell it.
Anyway, thanks as always, I will keep you posted.

 

[Churchhill]

This time I want a "production" guitar that has real value to me

This ^^^ - I know that feeling exactly and it pretty much sums up why I bought my R0. It wasn't an easy, or a quick, decision and one that I didn't take lightly. And you're right, value can be a very personal thing. As always, continued luck with your quest. Sometimes, I think, the hunt itself can be a very enlightening journey. It certainly was for me (as my latest obsession with PAFs has been).

 

[SpudMan]

This ^^^ - I know that feeling exactly and it pretty much sums up why I bought my R0. It wasn't an easy, or a quick, decision and one that I didn't take lightly. And you're right, value can be a very personal thing. As always, continued luck with your quest. Sometimes, I think, the hunt itself can be a very enlightening journey. It certainly was for me (as my latest obsession with PAFs has been).

I am hoping to get in to another store tomorrow where they have inventory of the 57RI and others like the 58RI. Sadly any of the other RI's are above my budget. I don't know it is appropriate to say what percentage they are willing to take off, so I won't, but it was better than the shop I just was in. Not sure what % off is considered good, or again, if that is something for public forum discussion. Either way, it seems reasonable so I am going to check them out.
Was playing my HH Tele yesterday with Fralin Modern PAF's and really like it. So if the Custombuckers are any closer to vintage PAF, that would be great. If not, after I recover from this purchase, I might try a more basic Warmoth build and put something like ThroBak's in it.

 

[Budda]

Here in Canada you dont really get a discount on new items. Lots more buying power in the US, and 10% off sticker seems standard depending on manufacturer. Part of why I buy used lol.

 

[Budda]

+1 - New gear prices up seem quite rigid. I notice the calculated exchange rate (from the primary place of manufacture) often seems tilted against the consumer (though I know these only get set every few months via dealers, there frequently seems to be some sort of "buffer" added), and, manufactuerer's sale prices don't often make their way here (there are exceptions ie JHS 20% sales a couple of times a year). Our big gear retailers keep sending me fanfare on wonderful storewide promotions, but without much in the way of significant sale prices (where's the beef!?).

Apparently l&m has discounted a lot of les pauls, except my local store doesnt have them discounted. Weird, right?

 

[SpudMan]

Seeking opinions on finish options, two guitars are 58 RI's, and one is the 57 RI. I am leaning now towards not getting a Goldtop, so the 57 RI isn't shown here. I am going to go in to the shop to see both guitars in person, and play them of course! But just wondering what people think.
The first one is Ice Tea Burst, the second is Bourbon Burst.

 

[Budda]

darker burst ftw.

 

[Jambi]

That Bourbon Burst is so nice

 

[Churchhill]

I'll go against the grain and vote for the Iced Tea. I've always liked that finish. They are both really nice!

 

[Budda]

I'll go against the grain and vote for the Iced Tea. I've always liked that finish. They are both really nice!

I own a royal iced tea, but needs the highly figured top imo

 

[lscottk]

I received a set of Vineham Sweet V59 buckers over the weekend. I finally installed them in the Severn. I have to say that I'm underwhelmed. They are nicely priced ($202usd for an H-S-H set, which includes shipping and customs fees). But when I got them they just didn't seem to have the quality that I've found on other pickups. It may be picky but I noticed the following when I installed them.

The mounting standoffs on the Humbuckers were slightly bent. Both neck and bridge were both bent enough that I couldn't put them in the pickup route. It was an easy fix to bend them in with a sturdy pair of needle nose pliers. They were well packaged - wrapped in bubble wrap, and nestled in crumpled newspaper. The box had no visible shipping damage, so it seems unlikely that they were bent during shipping. But, I suppose that it's possible.

The visible build quality didn't wow me. Small things just diminished the sense of quality. For example, I ordered nickle covers. They don't look like great quality covers. They're not bad, but they're not great either. I'm sure when you're spending $400 to $700 on pickups you'll get nicer covers.

Another thing to mention is the the wire leads were not tinned. This is being picky, no question. But, if Vineham had spent 60 seconds to tin the leads then it would have added to a sense of quality workmanship. I have a set of Wolfetone pickups that are killer. He made a set for me with black bobbins and gold plated magnets and screws. They look killer. They were about $250 for just a set of Humbuckers, but with the Wolfetones I felt like the money was worth it. Top quality parts, and flawless craftsmanship.

With the Vinehams, they just don't have that quality about them. At least not to me (IMO, YMMV, ecetera).

How do they sound? Actually pretty good. They are open and airy, with good note separation. They seem to focus a little more on the high end, so I am not able to get a good, smokey jazz tone out of the neck pickup. They are also lower output than I expected. I play a lot of edge of breakup with some grit. I wasn't able to dial them in, though in fairness, I didn't spend a tone of time on it. I did realize that I want something with a little more output. They might sound good in a low/mid heavy guitar. But not in my Severn, which is piano like and already has enough high end.

I'm going to install the Wolfetones now. I should have put the Wolfetones in first. But I've had so much going on that I just didn't feel like making the effort when I had some down time. Wolfe makes great pickups, so I should have put them in first. Sometimes it's more about the hunt, I guess. Which is a great way to spend (waste?) money on stuff.

I'll give an update once the Wolfetones are installed.

 

[Churchhill]

I received a set of Vineham Sweet V59 buckers over the weekend. I finally installed them in the Severn. I have to say that I'm underwhelmed. They are nicely priced ($202usd for an H-S-H set, which includes shipping and customs fees). But when I got them they just didn't seem to have the quality that I've found on other pickups. It may be picky but I noticed the following when I installed them.

The mounting standoffs on the Humbuckers were slightly bent. Both neck and bridge were both bent enough that I couldn't put them in the pickup route. It was an easy fix to bend them in with a sturdy pair of needle nose pliers. They were well packaged - wrapped in bubble wrap, and nestled in crumpled newspaper. The box had no visible shipping damage, so it seems unlikely that they were bent during shipping. But, I suppose that it's possible.

The visible build quality didn't wow me. Small things just diminished the sense of quality. For example, I ordered nickle covers. They don't look like great quality covers. They're not bad, but they're not great either. I'm sure when you're spending $400 to $700 on pickups you'll get nicer covers.

Another thing to mention is the the wire leads were not tinned. This is being picky, no question. But, if Vineham had spent 60 seconds to tin the leads then it would have added to a sense of quality workmanship. I have a set of Wolfetone pickups that are killer. He made a set for me with black bobbins and gold plated magnets and screws. They look killer. They were about $250 for just a set of Humbuckers, but with the Wolfetones I felt like the money was worth it. Top quality parts, and flawless craftsmanship.

With the Vinehams, they just don't have that quality about them. At least not to me (IMO, YMMV, ecetera).

How do they sound? Actually pretty good. They are open and airy, with good note separation. They seem to focus a little more on the high end, so I am not able to get a good, smokey jazz tone out of the neck pickup. They are also lower output than I expected. I play a lot of edge of breakup with some grit. I wasn't able to dial them in, though in fairness, I didn't spend a tone of time on it. I did realize that I want something with a little more output. They might sound good in a low/mid heavy guitar. But not in my Severn, which is piano like and already has enough high end.

I'm going to install the Wolfetones now. I should have put the Wolfetones in first. But I've had so much going on that I just didn't feel like making the effort when I had some down time. Wolfe makes great pickups, so I should have put them in first. Sometimes it's more about the hunt, I guess. Which is a great way to spend (waste?) money on stuff.

I'll give an update once the Wolfetones are installed.

Thank you for posting this!! Certainly a lot to think about.

I typically will say that I don't care much about looks, but that's not entirely accurate. When something, anything really, doesn't look like it's well-made, I just don't seem to have the confidence in it that I do when I know I'm using a quality tool. I don't mean that in a snobbish way, but I'd rather know that the wheels on my car are solidly attached and the same kind of thing applies to my guitars. Of course, looks can be deceiving and what really matters in this case is the tone.

Open and airy is good, but the thing that caught my attention is that you mentioned that they are lower output than you expected. This is something that is really important to me. For instance, my set of 2003 Burstbuckers drives the amp and feels like it's as high output as a Duncan Distortion (I have both in similar guitars), but one is 7.7k A2 42AWG and the other is 16.7k C8 44AWG (maybe 43AWG). I would not have thought that possible. It's open and airy, too, and can get as smokey as you want. Open and airy is good, but thin and weak, not so much (and I know I'm drawing conclusions without hearing it myself). Of course, this is all subjective and supposition on my part, but I believe that a good PAF-type pickup should be able to do all of those things, open, airy, sweet, aggressive, smoky, all of those things. Maybe I ask too much, but I have several pickups that can do that.

Now I'm really curious what you think of those Wolfetones in your Severn. I remember you saying that you liked them, but would like to know how they work in that guitar. I'll reference my Burstbuckers again because I've had them in 5 guitars and they sounded great in all of them while letting each guitar sound like itself. So, I'm curious if the Wolfetones have that in common. I'll also mention that the Wolfetones were some of my favorites in the demos I've heard.

As a disclaimer, I'll add that my 2003 Burstbuckers don't really have that much in common with the current Burstbuckers I played about 10 days ago. Those were good pickups, too, but were different from mine. I'm fairly convinced that mine were custom-spec'd along with the guitar I got them in. But, that's another story.

Thanks again for posting this!!

 

[DeeSquared]

I know you said you're not leaning towards a goldtop, but that would be my vote if I had some influence on how to spend your money

 

[David McCarroll]

The Throbak has the authentic sound and the totally accurate look but you pay for that . The trouble is I can spot the Duncan cover from the other side of the room on a vintage guitar.

you CAN buy them without covers y'know.......

 

[David McCarroll]

Regarding the 2003 R7 vs. the new 50's Standard, clearly to me the 2003 felt better, resonated better, and definitely looked better. But again, I couldn't tell the difference when amplified.
I did a comparison in specs from the Gibson website as follows: (1) 50's Standard, (2) new R7, the one listing for $4,999, and (3) the 1957 LP Goltop Ultra Light Aged. The last two seem identical with the exception of the light aging, as Budda said above. But when comparing other specs from body specs, to hardware, to electronics, it seems clear that there is a lot of value added in the reiisues. Is it worth almost double the price, probably not in terms of a pure dollar comparison. But for me, this is a big purchase, and it really has to count for me. So, given the intangibles like the specs, I lean towards it is worth paying more for the reissues. But again, for me this is a big purchase, and it is quite possible that whichever I would choose, I might want to upgrade pickups sometime in the future. And for the 50's Standard, the wiring harness would likely need to be replaced/upgraded if I bought it and changed pickups at a later date.
But I was at least happy that the new 50's Standard's didn't look like junk to me, like the ones at Guitar Center did during the pandemic. I am thinking that I likely was just too traumitized at that time to make a clear headed evaluation.

In all honesty I don't really think there's much wrong with Gibson's current electronics - the pickups are really not bad at all, the pots are from memory CTS and 500K correct(ish) taper, the switch and jack are Switchcraft..... that's pretty much what was in a 50's Gibson (okay, the pots were probably Centralab or something similar back then, but CTS are basically the industry standard right now) - I don't know about you, but typically for 99% of the time my typical guitar control settings are: vol:10, tone:10, any given pickup selector switch location - at these settings basically the pots and capacitors make a vanishingly negligible difference to the tone of the instrument. Gibson pickups are fine - really, they're not bad at all in the CS reissues, and plenty of very accomplished and respected musicians are delighted with their CS Les Pauls more or less straight out of the box.

Personally what i think sucks are pot metal ABR-1s and aluminium stop bar tailpieces...... first things to go on my Gibsons, and pretty much instantly replaced by Callahams cast steel ABR-1 and tailpiece. That change makes to me a very serious positive impact on the tone of my Gibsons - they have a sort of grangly piano like sustain and super defined low end that I love. The '53 has just had the stoptail bridge subbed out for a Music City Bridges "Stud Finder" which seems to be solid machined brass - more to try and get the action a little lower than any other particular reason, but (and maybe I am kidding myself on here in hope) as guitarist extraordinaire Tom Bukovac says, finally this guitar is in tune everywhere on the neck - it's very nice, even if the action still needs to drop a millimetre or so.

I guess what I am long windedly trying to say is - don't swap stuff out just because TGP says you should - Gibson pretty much designed the humbucking pickup, and for many, many years they were the only kid on the block, and every Gibson player was happy with that (after all, a set of Gibson PAFs will set you back close to $10K right now - no boutique winder is getting ..... ummm ..... close to that......) - so, first up, find a Les Paul that talks to you, take it home, play it for a couple of months and then work out whether you really need to spend even more money on what was already a very substantial investment!

 

[SpudMan]

In all honesty I don't really think there's much wrong with Gibson's current electronics - the pickups are really not bad at all, the pots are from memory CTS and 500K correct(ish) taper, the switch and jack are Switchcraft..... that's pretty much what was in a 50's Gibson (okay, the pots were probably Centralab or something similar back then, but CTS are basically the industry standard right now) - I don't know about you, but typically for 99% of the time my typical guitar control settings are: vol:10, tone:10, any given pickup selector switch location - at these settings basically the pots and capacitors make a vanishingly negligible difference to the tone of the instrument. Gibson pickups are fine - really, they're not bad at all in the CS reissues, and plenty of very accomplished and respected musicians are delighted with their CS Les Pauls more or less straight out of the box.

Personally what i think sucks are pot metal ABR-1s and aluminium stop bar tailpieces...... first things to go on my Gibsons, and pretty much instantly replaced by Callahams cast steel ABR-1 and tailpiece. That change makes to me a very serious positive impact on the tone of my Gibsons - they have a sort of grangly piano like sustain and super defined low end that I love. The '53 has just had the stoptail bridge subbed out for a Music City Bridges "Stud Finder" which seems to be solid machined brass - more to try and get the action a little lower than any other particular reason, but (and maybe I am kidding myself on here in hope) as guitarist extraordinaire Tom Bukovac says, finally this guitar is in tune everywhere on the neck - it's very nice, even if the action still needs to drop a millimetre or so.

I guess what I am long windedly trying to say is - don't swap stuff out just because TGP says you should - Gibson pretty much designed the humbucking pickup, and for many, many years they were the only kid on the block, and every Gibson player was happy with that (after all, a set of Gibson PAFs will set you back close to $10K right now - no boutique winder is getting ..... ummm ..... close to that......) - so, first up, find a Les Paul that talks to you, take it home, play it for a couple of months and then work out whether you really need to spend even more money on what was already a very substantial investment!

I agree, the new 50's and 60's Standards I played sounded fine. Funny thing is actually my guitar control settings are different than yours. I vary my volume, but like you, generally it is around or at 10. But for Tone I tend to have it very low, usually 1 or 2. I find it gives me more warmth in my tone, and less "fizz".
Interesting on the bridge impacts. I will pay attention to that.
As to your last paragraph, absolutely, my plan is to evaluate things enough to make a decision that I won't need to modify anytime in the near to mid-term future. Eventually I might switch some things, but hopefully not for a long time as this is a major investment for me.

 

[lscottk]

Thank you for posting this!! Certainly a lot to think about.

I typically will say that I don't care much about looks, but that's not entirely accurate. When something, anything really, doesn't look like it's well-made, I just don't seem to have the confidence in it that I do when I know I'm using a quality tool. I don't mean that in a snobbish way, but I'd rather know that the wheels on my car are solidly attached and the same kind of thing applies to my guitars. Of course, looks can be deceiving and what really matters in this case is the tone.

Open and airy is good, but the thing that caught my attention is that you mentioned that they are lower output than you expected. This is something that is really important to me. For instance, my set of 2003 Burstbuckers drives the amp and feels like it's as high output as a Duncan Distortion (I have both in similar guitars), but one is 7.7k A2 42AWG and the other is 16.7k C8 44AWG (maybe 43AWG). I would not have thought that possible. It's open and airy, too, and can get as smokey as you want. Open and airy is good, but thin and weak, not so much (and I know I'm drawing conclusions without hearing it myself). Of course, this is all subjective and supposition on my part, but I believe that a good PAF-type pickup should be able to do all of those things, open, airy, sweet, aggressive, smoky, all of those things. Maybe I ask too much, but I have several pickups that can do that.

Now I'm really curious what you think of those Wolfetones in your Severn. I remember you saying that you liked them, but would like to know how they work in that guitar. I'll reference my Burstbuckers again because I've had them in 5 guitars and they sounded great in all of them while letting each guitar sound like itself. So, I'm curious if the Wolfetones have that in common. I'll also mention that the Wolfetones were some of my favorites in the demos I've heard.

As a disclaimer, I'll add that my 2003 Burstbuckers don't really have that much in common with the current Burstbuckers I played about 10 days ago. Those were good pickups, too, but were different from mine. I'm fairly convinced that mine were custom-spec'd along with the guitar I got them in. But, that's another story.

Thanks again for posting this!!

Full disclosure - Wolfe Macleod (the founder and owner of Wolfetone Pickups) and I are personal friends. I have known Wolfe for well almost 20 years. He had me accompany him to an Edgar Winter concert where he gave Rick Derringer a set of pickups for a Derringer signature War Guitar build. (thanks Wolfe! We had a great time!). I mention this because I am not going to pretend to be unbiased in my opinion. I have purchased a few sets from Wolfe over the years and I have loved every one of them. I still try other builders because every manufacturer has their own take and their own sound. I do not try other builders because I don't like Wolfetone pickups. Quite the opposite. In my opinion, Wolfe's pickups are top notch and sound excellent, especially when you consider how reasonable his pricing is when compared to other top builders. I try other builders because I like to experiment and try new things. I may love Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, but I still buy Haggendasz or Dryers or Tillamook Ice Cream now and then. To quote a cliche, "variety is the spice of life."

Putting on my objective hat, I'll mention that you won't find a more honest, customer focused, stand up guy than Wolfe. He always speaks positively of competitors, though he has called out Dimarzio (in my opinion Wolfe is right to do so) because Dimarzio has gotten lawyers involved and even sued competitors because Dimarzio claims to own a patent on double cream bobbin pickups. But that's a different topic. Wolfe has a small shop, and he provides the best service that you could ask for. So please keep in mind my association with Wolfe as you read my evaluation of his pickups.

I agree with you that, one the one hand, I'm not overly concerned with looks. But in the case of the Vineham pickups, the small things that could have been done better with little to no cost left me wondering if other corners were cut that I can't readily see. And it also left me wondering if other cut corners may impact the tone. This probably isn't fair to Vineham. A pickup sounds like it sounds, and my brain suggests that I should just evaluate on the merits of the tone. But, seeing the cut corners made me think "Oh, so that's why they're such a budget price. I wonder if he cut corners anywhere else? On a $6K guitar like the Severn, looks do matter, at least to me. That being said, if I loved the tone, I'd probably keep them anyway. It's not that they're bad sounding. They just aren't right for me, especially on this guitar.

My wife and I are going to see Brit Floyd tonight, so I likely won't get to swapping in the Wolfetones until this weekend. I will post a few sound clips of the Vinehams before I put in the Wolfetones. I also received the set of Shed Pickup HA-59s. The covers on those pickups exude quality. Much different experience of quality than the Vinehams. I decided that I'm going to put the HA-59s in a Knaggs Kenai J that I love. I currently have a set of Harmonic Design Z90s in that guitar. I like the Z90s a lot. They are unique, with their own vibe, and are really great sounding pickups. The Harmonic Design website describes them as HB sized P90s with a hifi sound. The Z90s remind me of a cross between a P90 and a Tele. The Kenai J may be the best guitar I've ever owned. It just has mojo. So I think that the HA-59s would be a good home for the Kenai J.

@SpudMan, if you're open to something different than a traditional Les Paul you might take a look at Knaggs. They currently are flying under the radar. You can sometimes find really great guitars at great prices used on Reverb. Because of the lack of broad name recognition prices are lower than other comparable guitars. They have their own take on the Les Paul vibe, but every Knaggs I've ever played has been an outstanding guitar. For $4k - $5k (without much effort you should be able to find a great one for under $4k) you could buy a truly beautiful and outstanding used Knaggs on Reverb. It's just a thought to consider.