Standard 50s or 60s... what to do?

[Cozmik Cowboy]

Easy one; '50s Standard P-90.
I mean, do you want a pick-up developed not to hum, or one developed to sound the best possible?

 

[kysrsoze]

Right bollocks, this is what you do:
1. Go into a shop that has shitloads of Les Pauls.
2. Play the shit out of as many as they will let you.
3. Decide which one you like the best.
4. Buy the fucker and walk out of the shop with it!

'...I don't think playing with the tone controls is going to change the overall character of either one...' Really? Are you fuckin' joking???

Friday fuckin' syndrome again!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lighten up, Francis. What I meant was adjusting the tone wasn’t going to make the 60’s sound like the 50’s, or vice versa.

You gonna be OK after all that hyperventilating?

 

[kysrsoze]

Pickup swaps are the least of your worries.

That’s kinda what I’m thinking. It’s not a big hit to change them and sell the originals.

 

[kysrsoze]

Easy one; '50s Standard P-90.
I mean, do you want a pick-up developed not to hum, or one developed to sound the best possible?

Good suggestion, but I’ve got two P-90 guitars already.

 

[kysrsoze]

Then i swapped the 61 pickups for BBs. Didnt notice much difference so swapped them back.

Good to know. Thanks!

 

[Knoby]

Good to know. Thanks!

But you might get a different result. You have to try it for yourself in your own rig with your own playing style.

 

[coyote95667]

stuff that's hard to change:
Weight
Neck profile
Neck angle
Neck straightness and stiffness
Top figure
Top paint
Fretboard color
Fretboard texture

stuff that's easy to change:
Pickups


Sounds like you should get the 60s that looks the way you want it to, and later on change pickups if you still want to after messing with the stock pickups for a while.

To get a guitar with a neck that's fatter than you want because it comes with the pickups you want, seems like the grinch stuffing the whole tree up the chimney just to change one bulb

 

[John Vasco]

Lighten up, Francis. What I meant was adjusting the tone wasn’t going to make the 60’s sound like the 50’s, or vice versa.

You gonna be OK after all that hyperventilating?

1 The name's not Francis, it's John (in case you haven't fuckin' realised!).
2 '...What I meant was adjusting the tone wasn’t going to make the 60’s sound like the 50’s, or vice versa....' Well, you didn't say that, did you. Do you think we are all fuckin' mind-readers? Can you really tell the difference between a '50s Les Paul and a '60s Les Paul, across the many thousands of them? (No need to go into the Richards v Clapton v Bloomfield v Kossof v Page v Green v Taylor etc...) All different guitar settings and different amps and different amp settings and different studio dynamics...
3 '...You gonna be OK after all that hyperventilating?...' I don't hyperventilate, I take the piss out of people like you. People like you who haven't got a sense of humour, and wouldn't know a joke/piss-take if it twatted you around the head! GOT IT???

Now, sod off back to your bedroom and ponder on all the different options that has got YOU hyperventilating. Alternatively, do as I suggest in my first post and actually GO TO A SHOP, OR SHOPS, play as many as you can, and select the one that suits you best. Then plug it in, switch amp on, and play the shit out of it! You see, people like you come on here and ask a load of stupid questions, instead of getting out there and finding out the answer for yourself!

 

[Leee]

 

[cokekolev]

Get both.

 

[1allspub]

I can’t say this about everyone, but in my case I used to be waaaaay too hung up on the whole 50s vs 60s neck thing. I do prefer them fat. And for a while absolutely went out of my way not to buy a skinny neck. Then eventually a guitar I wanted had a skinny neck and I said, “what the heck” and bought it. It did feel, well, skinnier for sure... but it made really zero difference in how I played the guitar. It didn’t hamper me in any way. It just felt different for a bit when I first started playing it after playing a fatter neck. But after a couple minutes, it was just a guitar neck. Fat, skinny... whatever. Now don’t get me wrong, I definitely still do prefer the tactile feel of a fatter neck. It’s pleasing feeling, but that’s really it. And if anything having different necks is kinda fun—gives each guitar its own feel and character. And if nothing else, after playing one of my skinny-necked guitars, going back to a fatter-necked one is a tactile treat. It makes me appreciate the feel more so than if all my guitars’ necks were exactly the same. Were that the case I wouldn’t get to appreciate the difference and recognize the tactile reward of the fatty! Ha!

Seriously though, OP (or anyone), unless playing a fat neck (or skinny neck depending on your personal preference) causes you pain or discomfort or actually hampers your ability to play a given guitar, having a bit of variety in neck size can be fun. Whoever said you should only have one size?

Personally, I’d advise the OP to get the 50s (tone rules after all) and enjoy/embrace the difference rather than obsess on it negatively. YMMV DSTM WAFH DWBH

Oh... OR... recognize that neither the Burstbuckers nor the 61s are the be all end all of pickups. There are a plethora of aftermarket and boutique PAF clones out here that can, and will smoke, either of the two mentioned above. So you could always just get the 60s and yank the pickups for more vintagey ones if/when the 61s don’t do it for you. Easy fix if neck profile really is a deal breaker for you.

 

[Leee]

… And if anything having different necks is kinda fun—gives each guitar its own feel and character. … having a bit of variety in neck size can be fun. …

I get my variety from different brands of guitars.
But they all tend to be slender.

My ‘93 Standard and ‘03 LP Custom both have “Rounded” neck profiles but there’s a noticeable difference between them.
I’m OK with the Standard, but the Custom takes some work for me.

Of course, if I was a smokin’ player to begin with…

 

[kysrsoze]

1 The name's not Francis, it's John (in case you haven't fuckin' realised!).
2 '...What I meant was adjusting the tone wasn’t going to make the 60’s sound like the 50’s, or vice versa....' Well, you didn't say that, did you. Do you think we are all fuckin' mind-readers? Can you really tell the difference between a '50s Les Paul and a '60s Les Paul, across the many thousands of them? (No need to go into the Richards v Clapton v Bloomfield v Kossof v Page v Green v Taylor etc...) All different guitar settings and different amps and different amp settings and different studio dynamics...
3 '...You gonna be OK after all that hyperventilating?...' I don't hyperventilate, I take the piss out of people like you. People like you who haven't got a sense of humour, and wouldn't know a joke/piss-take if it twatted you around the head! GOT IT???

Now, sod off back to your bedroom and ponder on all the different options that has got YOU hyperventilating. Alternatively, do as I suggest in my first post and actually GO TO A SHOP, OR SHOPS, play as many as you can, and select the one that suits you best. Then plug it in, switch amp on, and play the shit out of it! You see, people like you come on here and ask a load of stupid questions, instead of getting out there and finding out the answer for yourself!

1 The name's not Francis, it's John (in case you haven't fuckin' realised!).
2 '...What I meant was adjusting the tone wasn’t going to make the 60’s sound like the 50’s, or vice versa....' Well, you didn't say that, did you. Do you think we are all fuckin' mind-readers? Can you really tell the difference between a '50s Les Paul and a '60s Les Paul, across the many thousands of them? (No need to go into the Richards v Clapton v Bloomfield v Kossof v Page v Green v Taylor etc...) All different guitar settings and different amps and different amp settings and different studio dynamics...
3 '...You gonna be OK after all that hyperventilating?...' I don't hyperventilate, I take the piss out of people like you. People like you who haven't got a sense of humour, and wouldn't know a joke/piss-take if it twatted you around the head! GOT IT???

Now, sod off back to your bedroom and ponder on all the different options that has got YOU hyperventilating. Alternatively, do as I suggest in my first post and actually GO TO A SHOP, OR SHOPS, play as many as you can, and select the one that suits you best. Then plug it in, switch amp on, and play the shit out of it! You see, people like you come on here and ask a load of stupid questions, instead of getting out there and finding out the answer for yourself!

Well, John, that almost sounds like a half-attempt at an apology, so thank you!

You know, you are the only person in this thread who thought my questions were stupid. I really don’t need validation of the worthiness of my questions. And I didn’t expect anyone to read my mind, but you tried and misinterpreted. You could just as easily have taken the high road and asked for clarification of what I meant.

I have a couple pieces of advice for you. Fist, try some anger management counseling. Second, if you you think questions from people like me are dumb… move along.

 

[tincbtrar]

The neck on the 50s adds to the overall tone of the instrument because there is more wood. I have both and even when I put the same pickups in each guitar I can hear a more woody tone on the 50s. The attack on the 60s is different and sounds great for its use case.

 

[zube]

I was in the same boat as you last year. I wanted a Les Paul Standard and preferred the BB1/BB2 over the 61R/61T. I’ve always preferred thin necks like the [email protected] fret/0.88 @12th fret on my Suhr and never got along with thicker necks. I owned a PRS SE245 for 8 years ([email protected] fret/0.94 @12th fret) and every time I picked it up I wished the neck was thinner, I never got used to it.

I tried a bunch of ’50s Standard/60s Standard/Classics and came back to the thinner necks every time. I narrowed it down to the ‘60s Standard and the Classic and ended up buying the Classic. Deciding factors for the Classic over the ‘60s Standard were: 1) my favorite LP color is Honeyburst, 2) I actually prefer modern wiring, 3) I like and use 3 out of the 4 of the “pull” tones, 4) I got a much better discount on the Classic. This particular guitar measures [email protected] fret/0.90 12th fret.

Once I adjusted the pickup heights and pole pieces I forgot all about the BB1/BB2.

 

[Leee]

It’s worth repeating here, Classics tend to be cheaper in the used market.
Makes them a great value if they are equipped as you prefer.

I love ‘em!

 

[mjross]

I wish we could all get along! Life’s too short…

 

[Leee]

I wish we could all get along! Life’s too short…

‘Da fuck are you talking about?

 

[Leee]

 

[John Vasco]

Well, John, that almost sounds like a half-attempt at an apology, so thank you!

You know, you are the only person in this thread who thought my questions were stupid. I really don’t need validation of the worthiness of my questions. And I didn’t expect anyone to read my mind, but you tried and misinterpreted. You could just as easily have taken the high road and asked for clarification of what I meant.

I have a couple pieces of advice for you. Fist, try some anger management counseling. Second, if you you think questions from people like me are dumb… move along.

Yes, I did think the questions were stupid, and I've answered why. GO OUT AND SOURCE YOUR OWN GUITAR, FROM THOSE YOU PICK UP AND PLAY! Is that clear enough? Don't you realise that if you put the kind of questions out that you did, you will get shitloads of different answers, such that in the end they are all valueless! Make your own mind up!

And I haven't read your mind at all. Wherever did you get that from? MAKE YOUR OWN MIND UP!

And finally, I do not need your advice about anything. 1) '...Fist (sic), try some anger management counseling...' I don't need anything of the kind. I'm sitting here laughing at your puerile replies to me. Having worked in civil service Management for decades, I've come across plenty of dickheads in my time, you being the latest (going on the attack because you have been called out - a standard ploy!) 2) '...if you you think questions from people like me are dumb… move along...' Yep, your questions were dumb! But 'move along'? Who the fuck are you to tell me what to do on a public forum? You put something out there, you should expect all manner of replies. If you didn't expect that, then DON'T put it out there in the first place!

Jeez, some people just don't get it...