New pickups installed!

[red5]

Sold my stock 500/496 ceramic magnet gibson pickups to my friend with a Rat.

With the money, I bought Gibson Burstbucker 1 & 2s. Put them in my Les Paul Classic yesterday.

Wow, I actually get a killer clean tone with them! Through almost any amp. Lots of mids and highs... well just think PAF.

Pretty quiet, but they handle high gain well. As I just said in another post, thank god for my Java Boosta!

Finally, my Les Paul sounds like a Les Paul!!!

[rufes]

I installed my new pickups in the LP this weekend too but I put Evolutions.

I am certainly impressed Red5.

I've tried stock, Voodoo 60s, Rolphs, SD EVH... (most of them cost 140 each) but was not happy and all of them (except the SD EVH) sounded sterile to my ears.

Now it sounds the way I always wanted it to sound. Very similar to the Jem but more bassy.

The cleans with the neck pickup are fantastic (even better than the Jem) and the bridge is aggresive with presence. The middle position (something we cannot try in the Jem) is very good and useful too.

I am very happy with the results. The LP is a fantastic weapon again and can compete it without problems with the Jem. Something which did not happen before.

[red5]

Wait the Evos are clean in a LP?

I was guessing they'd be a little muddy with the maple top and set neck, at least for a good clean. But that's cool. I'd like to hear a recording of that LP now both clean and distorted.

I am very happy with my Burstbuckers though. I've always liked that classic heavy midrange Les Paul tones on my Les Pauls like Jimmy Page or Gary Moore on The Messiah Will Come Again, and I get similiar tones through whatever I play through. Their cleans just sound so amazingly good. Can pull off that "twangy" Les Paul as well as any pickup too.

Unfortunately I cant even try it through my Marshall Major because the tubes are totally shot. (very quiet and fizzy... I HOPE it's the tubes.. as I have new ones waiting to get put in.... one of them is completely white too!).

[rufes]

I will record something A-B-ing the LP and the Jem dirty and clean so you can have a clearer idea of how they compare. I'll do it later when the wife and daughter go to sleep

[red5]

Awesome thanks!

Be sure to mention what youre running it through!

[rufes]

With a backing track I've found somewhere I just recorded something fast before I wake up everybody....

Line6 POD2 with exactly same parameters.

Clean = neck pup
OD = Bridge pup

It's incredible how similar they sound now.... Don't you think?

http://rufes.com/LesPaul.mp3

http://rufes.com/Jem.mp3

[Algiman]

This probably does more to prove that devices such as PODs remove the individual character from the guitar than it does to show how the guitars sound now.

Interesting demo though!

[rufes]

I just finished a CD I have recorded during last months when the Les Paul had different pickups. The chararcter of the Les Paul was absolutely different and I recorded nearly everything with the Jem because I liked its tone more. Everything was recorded with the POD but there was a BIG difference.

I have A/B the 2 guitars with my '67 Bassman and my Marshall 30th Anniversary and they sound very similar too.

I think PODs trend to remove the individual character from the guitar only with very high distortions, delays etc.... but It happens with the amps too.

[red5]

Finally got to listen to them.... they sound exactly the same!

Sure you arent using the same guitar and setup? Or did you just copy the one titled LesPaul.mp3 to Jem.mp3? :P