SH55 Neck And T-Top Bridge

[Classicplayer]

I'd like to hear from any Les Paul owners with this combination of pickups installed and just what their opinions are. As of this moment, I have SH55 Seths as a pair in my Classic. I like the tones I'm getting, but I do wonder if I could enhance my middle position (my favorite) tones even more.

I came close last year, to purchasing one of the many T-Top clones for the bridge slot; from an online source. I elected instead, to go with Duncan Seth Lovers. I'm not looking for high gain, and Page is my benchmark for middle position tone.

Classicplayer

 

[ARandall]

Well, if you put the Seth bridge in the neck and the Ttop in the bridge I think you'd be damn close to a post 72 JP setup.

 

[AJK1]

I'd like to hear from any Les Paul owners with this combination of pickups installed and just what their opinions are. As of this moment, I have SH55 Seths as a pair in my Classic. I like the tones I'm getting, but I do wonder if I could enhance my middle position (my favorite) tones even more.

I came close last year, to purchasing one of the many T-Top clones for the bridge slot; from an online source. I elected instead, to go with Duncan Seth Lovers. I'm not looking for high gain, and Page is my benchmark for middle position tone.

Classicplayer

I had a T-Top replica and couldn't bond with it
I replaced it with a Dimarzio 36th bridge and it is perfect
The middle position is to die for

 

[freefrog]

Not in a LP but once, I've temporarily put a Seth Lover in a SG, paired with one of the original T-Tops. It was not easy to find an amp setting adapted to the two pickups (separately).

I had also a set of Seth's in a (Gibson) LP a while back: they are the best mass produced Duncan P.A.F. clones IMHO... but they're also voiced for warmth rather than for an open tone IME (at least they appeared to be in the Gibson LP used).

So, if I had to associate a P.A.F. clone with a T-Top in a LP, I'd probably choose something else than a Seth Lover. YMMV.

SIDE NOTES

Regarding T-Tops in general: I played a Gibson LP Custom with 3 of them back in the 80's and they are of course more than useable, if we use them as some dudes did in the 70/80's... Ask to Angus Young, the Schenker brothers and a few other folks.

Regarding associations between different pickups: not so easy, IME. In LP's, I've tried PG1 with SH1 then APH then SH55, SH4 with Schaller Golden 50 and so on... and never been happiest than with matched sets [I even tend to think that the best "chirp" in middle position can be obtained with symetrically wound PU's, rather similar to each other than differently voiced]. Once again, YMMV.

Good luck in your quest!

 

[Classicplayer]

Thanks to those who have posted above! I'm turning this idea over in my mind: I'll think I will keep the neck Seth Lover which measures 7.24k and try a Forum winder for a replica T-Top in the 7.5k type of wind. Right now I have the Seth bridge in place; measuring 8.2k. I'm not a Marshall owner, but I like how Orange does their gain structure these days.

Classicplayer

 

[Benjammin]

I hear Vineham makes a good T-Top clone, they have 2 versions too IIRC

 

[AJK1]

Thanks to those who have posted above! I'm turning this idea over in my mind: I'll think I will keep the neck Seth Lover which measures 7.24k and try a Forum winder for a replica T-Top in the 7.5k type of wind. Right now I have the Seth bridge in place; measuring 8.2k. I'm not a Marshall owner, but I like how Orange does their gain structure these days.

Classicplayer

As some other forum members here have indicated and i found out in reality, T-Tops only sound good with a loud Marshall or similar amp
Also, If you want a good middle position sound you need a beefier neck pickup than usual, Pageys neck pickup was a beefy A2
I'd put your Seth bridge in the neck and get a Dave Allen Powerage T-Top bridge and you just might find it is what you're looking for
Good luck with it

 

[freefrog]

Thanks to those who have posted above! I'm turning this idea over in my mind: I'll think I will keep the neck Seth Lover which measures 7.24k and try a Forum winder for a replica T-Top in the 7.5k type of wind. Right now I have the Seth bridge in place; measuring 8.2k. I'm not a Marshall owner, but I like how Orange does their gain structure these days.

Classicplayer

A T-Top inspired bridge PU should sound good through an Orange as through other amps, IMHO...

[Slightly OT, FWIW

In the early 80's, I was not exactly a seasoned player but I had no issue to obtain what we considered as a good sound from T-Tops feeding a Boogie clone.

One of my friends is a pro musician. I've repaired his vintage Gibson SG a while back. The last week, as each summer, I was checking the health of this guitar through his Twin reverb and Vox AC15C1. Even plugged direct in each amp, its T-Tops sounded glorious - and I had absolutely no pain to obtain a serious crunch from the AC15 with the bridge pickup.

If a bridge T-Top is too thin n' bright, plug the guitar through a long cable: its capacitive effect will darken the tone and give it some "hair".

Note: none of my testimonials implies that a T-Top MUST sound good and please every player; I'm ONLY explaining MY experience and not denying what other folks experienced nor criticizing their preferences. De gustibus et de coloribus non est diisputandum. ]

A few other ideas...

-I've built once an hybrid with the coils of a Seth Lover and the "magnetic circuit" of an old T-Top (magnet, keeper bar, slugs and screws)... it was an interesting thing, tonally speaking, blending the characters of the two PU's;

-with a "normal" Seth Lover paired to a typical T-Top, I'd keep expecting a mismatch due to the "voicing" of these two models. unlike the smooth Seth Lover's, T-Tops have generally a "pointy" and focused "resonant peak" that I'd rather pair with the sound of a brighter P.A.F. clone... unless you put a short A5 in the neck Seth Lover instead of the stock A2 bar;

-if money is an issue, there's an humble and non expensive pickup, not supposed to be a T-Top clone technically speaking but whose tone is still close to the real thing: the Schaller "Golden 50" (ask to Michael Schenker what he thought about this cheap German PU).



Once again, good luck in your quest, Classicplayer!

 

[Zoobiedood]

The Seths with unoriented A5 magnets get a remarkable Page tone, btw.

 

[Classicplayer]

A T-Top inspired bridge PU should sound good through an Orange as through other amps, IMHO...

[Slightly OT, FWIW

In the early 80's, I was not exactly a seasoned player but I had no issue to obtain what we considered as a good sound from T-Tops feeding a Boogie clone.

One of my friends is a pro musician. I've repaired his vintage Gibson SG a while back. The last week, as each summer, I was checking the health of this guitar through his Twin reverb and Vox AC15C1. Even plugged direct in each amp, its T-Tops sounded glorious - and I had absolutely no pain to obtain a serious crunch from the AC15 with the bridge pickup.

If a bridge T-Top is too thin n' bright, plug the guitar through a long cable: its capacitive effect will darken the tone and give it some "hair".

Note: none of my testimonials implies that a T-Top MUST sound good and please every player; I'm ONLY explaining MY experience and not denying what other folks experienced nor criticizing their preferences. De gustibus et de coloribus non est diisputandum. ]

A few other ideas...

-I've built once an hybrid with the coils of a Seth Lover and the "magnetic circuit" of an old T-Top (magnet, keeper bar, slugs and screws)... it was an interesting thing, tonally speaking, blending the characters of the two PU's;

-with a "normal" Seth Lover paired to a typical T-Top, I'd keep expecting a mismatch due to the "voicing" of these two models. unlike the smooth Seth Lover's, T-Tops have generally a "pointy" and focused "resonant peak" that I'd rather pair with the sound of a brighter P.A.F. clone... unless you put a short A5 in the neck Seth Lover instead of the stock A2 bar;

-if money is an issue, there's an humble and non expensive pickup, not supposed to be a T-Top clone technically speaking but whose tone is still close to the real thing: the Schaller "Golden 50" (ask to Michael Schenker what he thought about this cheap German PU).



Once again, good luck in your quest, Classicplayer!

I think you've made a very valid point about pairing two differently voiced pickups. The Seth Lover pair I have do a really acceptable middle position with enough "chirp" for me [the chirp has a full, not thin, sound to it]. The Duncan '59 set that these replaced did not produce a full enough sounding middle position sound for me and at times the bridge alone would exhibit some spikey transients now and then.

I'm in no way trying to cop Page's middle position tone as my go to sound. I love what he gets and there are several YouTube videos of players who get Page's tone; some being in cover or tribute Zeppelin bands. With the Seths, I'm able to get my own version of "chirp" in the middle position and I look at it has sort of a clean pallate to play it clean or gain it up a bit. In the grand scheme of finding my own tone, the Seths have helped immensely.

Classicplayer

 

[SWeAT hOg]

I hear Vineham makes a good T-Top clone, they have 2 versions too IIRC

You heard right.