What pickups would work best for me?

[justiniscool]

So, after being a touring musician for the past 6 years, I finally bought my first Les Paul. I've always liked them, however, either didn't have the money for one or had an endorsement with another guitar company.

I bought a 1990 Les Paul Standard. Very heavy, plays beautifully.
The pickups are not actually "Burstbuckers" but instead "Burnys"..VH3 and VH4...I'm told that Burny pickups are the original Burstbuckers and Gibson ended up buying them out and changed the name to Burstbucker.

Bottom line though, I don't know if i like the pickups. The guitar has a ton of bottom end (obviously) and the pickups (especially the neck) don't seem to cut through at all. I'm running a Framus Dragon amp (hi-gain tube head)...and honestly just switching to the "lead" channel is feedback city.

However I plug in a Fernandes Monterey with a JB pickup in it, and no feedback...which doesn't make any sense.

So my questions are:
1. What do you think is up with my pickups?
2. Are burny pickups really burstbuckers?
3. What pickup would sound best in my les paul running through a framus dragon head?

[asher67]

Before changing out the pickups, I'd try changing the pots to 500k audio taper (instead of the 300k linear taper that it probably has). Then, change the mica capacitors to paper-in-oil, such as NOS Sprague Vitamin Q or one of the current made vintage-style caps. This is what was in Les Pauls in the 50s.

I did this to my '57 Reissue pickups, and my LP lost the muddy quality. The tonal range is greater than before, and I have no problem cutting through the mix, whether using the neck or bridge pickup. Some complain that the sound is brighter, but that's part of returning the guitar to vintage specs. I roll back the tone control when I want more of a midrange sound.

Hope that this helps.

[justiniscool]

hm. i'll try that, thanks for that!

i guess no one else has any ideas/suggestions?

[backline]

Sounds like the pickups are not wax potted to reduce feedback. Burstbuckers are not.

I prefer '57 Classics on a Les Paul, but Burstbuckers on a hollowbody.

I've found '57 Classics to be less bassy than the Gibson 490R/498T set that came on my guitar. More vintage sounding too, but less powerful (not that I can't just turn up my amp).

[Blues Power]

Asher hit it right on the head. 500K pots are the way to go

I swapped the stock 300's out of my 02 for 500's and it was like lifting a wet blanket off of it.

and if you ever want to jerk around with 300 again just roll the pot back to about 6 or 7 and youre there

BTW I never heard of Burney's b4

[dcmey]

Originally Posted by backline

Sounds like the pickups are not wax potted to reduce feedback. Burstbuckers are not.

I prefer '57 Classics on a Les Paul, but Burstbuckers on a hollowbody.

I've found '57 Classics to be less bassy than the Gibson 490R/498T set that came on my guitar. More vintage sounding too, but less powerful (not that I can't just turn up my amp).

The Alnico V Burstbucker pros are wax potted.

[Boleskinehouse]

[justiniscool]

im gonna try changing the pots to 500k
also, i was thinking of putting in a Gibson 490r pickup in the neck and a 498t in the bridge...i was running that combo on one of my sg's and i really liked the tonal output of those pickups alot.

im curious why lp standards come with burstbuckers...yet studios (a lower grade les paul) and customs and supremes (a higher grade les paul) all come with 490r and 498t pickups? seems like they are better pickups than the burstbuckers.

im confused though why gibson puts the same pickup in their lowest and highest grade les paul...then on their middle grade lp's (like the classics, standards, etc) put in burstbuckers and 57's? seem's odd to me.

who has experience with a 500t pickup? some say i would like that a little more than a 498t... hmm

(btw thanks to everyone that's been replying to this and helping me out. it truly means a lot to me)

[justiniscool]

ok i just had my tech check out my lp, TURNS OUT I ALREADY HAVE 500K POTS!
the previous owner put new 500k pots in before i bought it...so yeah...already got 500k hahaha...i think it's def. the burstbuckers causing the problems.

490r/498t
or
490r/500t
or
57's?

[sarge40]

Whaddya playing? Whatever it is, if you are having feedback problems, you definitely want to go with potted pickups. I am not sure if the Burnys are potted or not, but I have MIJ pickups that are. After you get the potted or not thing sorted out, you can figure out what potted pickup you want to put in (JBs are potted), which leads us back to: Whaddya playing?

[RnRjUnKiE]

Go with the 490r/498t combo. You'll like it. If in doubt go to a local store and play some similar guitars with those pickups in them.

I had Burstbuckers in my Standard and didn't really like the sound.

[justiniscool]

Originally Posted by sarge40

Whaddya playing? Whatever it is, if you are having feedback problems, you definitely want to go with potted pickups. I am not sure if the Burnys are potted or not, but I have MIJ pickups that are. After you get the potted or not thing sorted out, you can figure out what potted pickup you want to put in (JBs are potted), which leads us back to: Whaddya playing?

umm i dont know how to describe the band im playing for. technical/layered pop rock? i dunno haha. we were just in alternative press magazine and they said "for fans of: yellowcard, the receiving end of sirens, simple plan"....so i guess something along those lines? i never know anymore.

[siggy14]

I like the 498's in guitars with a maple top, i like the 500's in guitars that are all mahagony since the 500 has a little more highs, both have alot of bite, the difference being the 500's are ceramic magnets and the 498's are alinco V's.

For your style of music you can go for either, honestly just a preference. But your best way of judging I would go do a comparison between a les paul studio (498T in the bridge) and a les paul classic (500T in the bridge) and it will roughly let you know what you like best.

Originally Posted by justiniscool

ok i just had my tech check out my lp, TURNS OUT I ALREADY HAVE 500K POTS!
the previous owner put new 500k pots in before i bought it...so yeah...already got 500k hahaha...i think it's def. the burstbuckers causing the problems.

490r/498t
or
490r/500t
or
57's?

[banditguitarist1]

Mind if I ask the name of your band? I have the 490R and 498T In my studio and they handle heavy gain very well.

[The_Sentry]

I'd go...active!! Especially for that kind of music. Seymour Duncan Blackouts~ (and shave a pound or two off the weight of your guitar while you're at it!)

[siggy14]

Do you follow the scene much, those groups he mentioned pretty much use les pauls or SG's with stock pickups.

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

I'd go...active!! Especially for that kind of music. Seymour Duncan Blackouts~ (and shave a pound or two off the weight of your guitar while you're at it!)

[The_Sentry]

Originally Posted by siggy14

Do you follow the scene much, those groups he mentioned pretty much use les pauls or SG's with stock pickups.

All the more reason to go w something different....

[siggy14]

Cant argue there, actually he never said he wanted to sound like them, just been compared to them. But honestly actives are more of a metal pickup, the fact that he uses a framus will give him different tone then most of those bands.

Originally Posted by The_Sentry

All the more reason to go w something different....

[sarge40]

You can find 498T and 490R/T all day on the bay, sometimes finding them at a real good deal. It seems that lots of people who play distorted (as opposed to varying levels of classic overdrive) like the combo. If you like it, hell, you like it. I am a fan of the JB for the bridge. I have one in my 86 standard which has the lower valued pots, and it isn't shrill but does well for classic rock into metal. You would likely have to downgrade your 500k pots (assuming thats what you have) if you went that route, or back off the pot just enough to emulate a 300k or 250k. I'm personally not a fan of the 490s. I don't like them because to me, they just sound generic. As far as the neck not having enough cut, it isn't gonna have as much as the bridge. I personally only use the neck for cleans and smooth flowing creamy type lead (think Dave Murray from Iron Maiden). The bridge gets the nod for rhythm and bright lead. I know the LP chip says rhythm for the neck, but I never really use it for rhythm cause it seems too muddy for a bright driving heavy rhythm sound. If anyone has had luck finding a pickup for the neck that can do this, I'd like to hear about that too.

[asher67]

I'm a big fan of the '57 Reissues, or even the Burstbuckers. Wide tonal range, with great highs and well-defined lows, which is characteristic of alnico magnets and traditional windings. My big problem with Gibson's ceramic magnet structure is the muddiness, which is what generated this thread in the first place. As I said before, you can always roll off the treble on your guitar to get less of the highs out of the '57s.

The info I could find on Burny pickups suggests that they were a line developed by Fernandes in Japan for Gibson replicas in the 70s. Already this implicates the pickups as the possible problem.

The best suggestion already was made by another member here: Check out some Les Pauls with different pickups at your local guitar store, keeping in mind, though, that Gibson puts 300k linear pots on most of its regular production models. Whatever pickups they have will sound different if the pots are different.

[BWar]

justiniscool,

Did you replace the pickups? I just picked up a mid-80's Burny LP shipped from Japan, only the neck pup was an original VH1, so I'm looking for a replacement bridge pickup. Was it the VH3 or VH4 in the bridge position?

Brian

[EEF13]

get a Dimarzio Super Distortion and a PAF pro

[WoodyTone]

I second EEF. Also, note that some of the Gibby pickusp (I believe the 500T, others) have ceramic magnets. That could be good for higher-gain stuff, but also could give you too much gain. Depends on what you are looking for, really. But I would personally stay away from ceramic mags. To me they sound the least good of all the options.

Oops -- The DiM SD does have a ceramic mag, but sounds good. For an even better sound, you can replace that mag with an Alnico of your choice -- or your tech can.

[BWar]

Thanks, Woodytone!

Would that DIM SD with an Alnico switch be sorta like the Seymour Duncan SH14 Custom 5 Alnico?

[EEF13]

or try a Seymour Duncan Alternative 8 in the bridge and a Duncan Jazz Neck or a '59 neck. I hear that the ALT 8 is a nice warm hot pickup. I am thinking about this set.

[KSG_Standard]

[BWar]

I went conservative and dropped in a 490T. Sounds purdy.

Thing looks like a Randy Rhoads Gibby, ivory patina and all, yet imported afairly inexpensively from Japan. Kudos to AquaMusic.

Brian

[Blues Power]

the 490 is a excellant sounding pup esp in the neck i wouldnt call that conservative.

glad it worked out for ya