Burstbuckers=Dark?

[monty john]

I am sure this type of subject matter has been posted before but I am a newbie so .... Had band pratice Sat night and realized that my new Les Paul 2006 Standard Honey is rather dark sounding. Didn't really get the tone pots below 8 or so....strange my last Les Paul which had Lindy Fralin PAF's couldn't get the tone pot above 7...... the tone was good sat nite, just not much wiggle factor with the tone pots on the guitar...any thoughts, is it the Burstbuckers? thanx guys....

[FennRx]

if its a usa standard, it has the bb pros, which in my opinion are not dark at all. the guitars i have owned and/or played with the BB Pros have been very treble-y.

[Boleskinehouse]

There are a lot of ways I could describe BB Pros, none of them flattering, but dark wouldn't be one them.

[monty john]

Tryin to be politically correct here (dark=muddy) as I turn down the tone pots she darkens up......not in a good way....in NO way trebly NO not at all.....tone pots full up sounds acceptable.....

[Led Zep Fan]

Perhaps you need new pots and caps...

[Dr. Brown]

What amp? Speaker? That's critical.

[monty john]

Marshall Jub, Celestion Heritages-speaks......My last Les Paul was way brighter had to tone down the tone knobs, this 06 knobs on full or close to it....she sounds ok tone knobs up, we recorded practice and my tone was Billy-ish.....just making an observation about pickups cause nothing has changed except guitar....thanx guys

[cynic79]

With my 2007 LP Standard, the tone pots generally were not useable below 7 unless you were going for "woman tone," and the volume pots tended to roll off an excessive amount of treble.

I would recommend switching to 50's wiring first off to see if that helps the situation. If not, you might want to look into new pots and caps. Jonesy on this forum is a good source of capacitors and wiring kits. RS Guitarworks also sells a variety of wiring kits for Les Pauls, and several people here are fans of their Superpots.

[Drew224]

I would eq my amp with all the guitar knobs at ten, then if i wanted a darker/cleaner/quieter tone, i'd just roll down the knobs on my guitar.

[monty john]

YUP Cynic79, that is exactly it, below 7-8 on tone pots = mud......wanted to keep guitar stock.....hmmm

[cynic79]

Originally Posted by monty john

YUP Cynic79, that is exactly it, below 7-8 on tone pots = mud......wanted to keep guitar stock.....hmmm

You can try 50's style wiring and see if that works before changing anything. You just have to move the capacitor from the center to the outer lug on the tone control.

Gibson Wiring Diagrams - Wiring Library - Schematics

[monty john]

Ok will give it a go, don't wanna change anything if I don't have too, re-eq amp move caps over.....thanx guys.....still no-body is bashing the pickups so I will try these things out first.....I miss those Lindy Fralin's they were articulate as hell...

[FennRx]

nobody is bashing the pickups because they are being polite (for once lol). there are plenty of people who are not fans of the BB Pros, myself included.

[SlyStrat]

Raise the poles on your pickup. Try adjusting the pup up and down. I never read anyone say a BB Pro lacked treble either.
A 500k pot would probably fix it too.

[Dr. Brown]

what was your Les Paul with the Fralins in? Do you know the pot value? Your Standard has 300k pots in. You really want 500ks in there.
With the A5 mag in BB pros they are already on the bright side but if you want more you need 500k pots.

[monty john]

NO plenty treble with tone pots on 10 - just after rolling back to say 8 not much treble present or a lack of it.....with tone pots full up or close to it the tone is OK just not much wiggle factor past that....the other Les Paul was an 89 standard, not sure of pots, just dropped in the Fralin's which seemed bright, never ever put tone pots on 10....but the Fralins always had articulation throughout the range....kinda miss that..

[Dr. Brown]

Oh well yeah then you need a pot and cap upgrade. Get an RS kit in there. It will transform your guitar no end. You'll have useable pots all the way down to one and great caps too.

http://www.rsguitarworks.net/rsstore...roducts_id=392

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by Boleskinehouse

There are a lot of ways I could describe BB Pros, none of them flattering, but dark wouldn't be one them.

+1.

You need new tubes on your amp? Hearing loss in the upper registers?

[lpcustom69]

Probably need to change pots and/or caps. If you're worried about originality, keep the original parts to include if you sell.

[LouieTM]

I too have a 2006 Standard with the stock BB Pros still in it. With the stock electronics the sound wasn't dark at all, just muddy. I installed a RS Guitarworks vintage kit in it and now I can say I'm happy with the tone. It's clear and has the typical Alnico V bite on the bridge position. I strongly suggest new caps and pots before you change the pick-ups.

[monty john]

You need new tubes on your amp? A. Possibly but I am using a practice amp also, same result, roll back tone knob past 7-8 tone is dark (dark=unarticulate) ...

Hearing loss in the upper registers? A. Yes but guitar still does this thats why I am posting

Seems as though the pots caps may be the culprit = RS is out of stock of the item :C

Thanks to everybody though for helping MOnty

[monty john]

PS didn't want to use the word "muddy" so dark sorry for confusion

[The_Sentry]

500k pots will fix you right up.

[BoxyBrown22]

I think you should solve the problem by getting another Les Paul, this way you can have more Les Paul's. It will help you deal with the stress you've endured trying to get the tone you want out of your current Les Paul's. Might I suggest a Deluxe? Maybe 2 or 3 Deluxe's?





I think that would solve your problem

[xguitardevilx]

In my experiences, BB pro's sound bright and raunchy with a lot of chirp when you pick. How much does your guitar weigh? mind you not every guitar will sound the same with the same set of pickups. My '96 Standard sounds like mush with high output pickups but, it sounds lovely with lower output pickups. While other Standards I've played sound great with higher output pickups.

[dcmey]

Can you post a sound clip of your guitar, that we people could better help you?

[dcmey]

Burstbucker pros are a brighter sounding pickup. They sound great in my VM. It is a standard that you have correct? Are the original owner of the guitar? Somebody else could have put differant pickups in there. My VM is all mahogany it is darker sounding, I know that Gibson has some all mahogany customs.

[Mr. Snappy]

Tone controls should be abolished. That will solve your problem. I know several folks who just bypass them altogether.

[dcmey]

Has the guitar been properly setup? Is it both pickups or just one that is dark? You might try adjusting the pickup height before changing pots and caps.

[eddie_bowers]

Don't get hung up on keeping it stock. I did that with my 84 for MANY years and when I got over it a whole world of tone opened up. I do keep all the original parts in case someone wants to sell it as a set when I die