Best paf reissue

[laurencer83]

i'm having trouble deciding on a paf reissue for my 72 les paul custom 54 reissue black beauty routed for humbuckers. i think it has patent decal humbuckers. but i really don't like the sound of my bridge. i figured i might as well get a pair just to have an extra neck pick so i can compare them. anybody have any suggestions? fralin, voodoo, holmes, wcr ? the only one's i've got to hear were the wcr one's from the website. i really liked the crossroads paf. but i want to see if any of you guys have any first hand accounts with any of these pickups.

i like classic rock ala aerosmith, zeppelin, stones. i don't want a lot of gain but enough for a good crunch. thanks for your help

[Shemp]

I've owned, played or heard a bunch of PAFs. They all have similar characteristics, but they're all different. I like Antiquities, Voodoo 59s, Holmes, Rolphs, Fralins, Gibson 57s (particularly in a semihollowbody), and I just bought a set of WCR Crossroads.

I think you have to play or hear a few to find the "one" that will work for you. In fact pups will sound different depending on the guitar they're in and your playing style. But all the pups mentioned above are excellent, it just depends on your taste.

[Mike Dresch]

I really like WCR Fillmores. One caveat about them though, I've had them in three different guitars and they sound different in each guitar. The best match for me was a Fillmore in a Hamer Standard Custom (explorer shape). Tone for DAYS!

[r9player]

Personally like the sound from Burstbuckers and 57 Res.
Also like the Antiquities and '59s from SD (but not so sure if 59s really sound PAF)
Will be trying out some Rio Grande BBQ and WCR Cross Roads soon

[58relic]

The burstbuckers in my 58RI weren't that bad at all. But after reading alot on this forum I had to try a set of those Wagners. Had a great offer on a set of Crossroads en had them installed last week together with the RS truetone kit.
Difference is night and day. And I mean night and day!!! Beautiful tone, endless sustain, no mud. I really prefer the bridge and the middle postion. I was never a big fan of the bridge position (too trebly), but with the RS kit, too much treble is easy to tame. In the past, I heard clips of several PAF shootouts, and I could hardly hear any difference beween these pickups, so I didn't expect too much from the Crossroads. Was I wrong, buy yourself a set, and you won't look back!

Btw, since last week I have this PRS McCarty, and I'm sure this one needs Wagners as well .......... :cool:

Cheers, Rob

[laurencer83]

Originally posted by 58relic
The burstbuckers in my 58RI weren't that bad at all. But after reading alot on this forum I had to try a set of those Wagners. Had a great offer on a set of Crossroads en had them installed last week together with the RS truetone kit.
Difference is night and day. And I mean night and day!!! Beautiful tone, endless sustain, no mud. I really prefer the bridge and the middle postion. I was never a big fan of the bridge position (too trebly), but with the RS kit, too much treble is easy to tame. In the past, I heard clips of several PAF shootouts, and I could hardly hear any difference beween these pickups, so I didn't expect too much from the Crossroads. Was I wrong, buy yourself a set, and you won't look back!

Btw, since last week I have this PRS McCarty, and I'm sure this one needs Wagners as well .......... :cool:

Cheers, Rob

do the crossroads pafs sound anything like the fourth clip they have on their website? check it out it you haven't heard. the reason i ask is because i love the tone on that fourth clip on the crossroads paf mp3's.

here's the link to that fourth clip http://www.wcrclips.com/clips/JimMCR.mp3

[58relic]

I like my tone a little cleaner, but with the right amp no problem at all! I play this Aiken Invader, I'm sure it will deliver!
This pickup really shines when set up a bit cleaner. Too much overdrive, and they all sound pretty much the same .... IMHO.

[Mark C]

It really depends on which PAF tone you want. Not all PAFs were created equal, so some of the clones sound different. I currently have two different types in my guitars: WCR darkbursts in my Les Paul (they belong to another forum member and are on loan) and a Duncan Antiquity in my 335 bridge position. The Darkbursts nail that hollow, biting, vicious PAF tone that I've always found elusive. The antiquity sounds a little more midrangey and creamy to my ears. Both are excellent pickups as are, I'm sure, voodoos, Rolphs, Harmonic Design, etc.. However, If I can ever come up with some cash, WCR will be getting a nice big chunk of it.

[laurencer83]

i'd love to get a pair of wcr crossroads but i'm real tight on money. i may just end up getting a used pair of lindy fralins with a 9k bridge and 8k neck. fralins are some of the better quality paf reissues aren't they?

[Rock Fella]

Voodoo 59 PAFS 7.9 k / 8.1 k

these are just astonishing.

[Tom CT]

Originally posted by Mike Dresch
I really like WCR Fillmores. One caveat about them though, I've had them in three different guitars and they sound different in each guitar. The best match for me was a Fillmore in a Hamer Standard Custom (explorer shape). Tone for DAYS!

Great pickups (I have a pair), but they're not PAF clones. Any pickup that reads 13k is not based on standard PAF specs. Crossroads would be a more accurate choice, although SD Antiquities are my current "flavor of the week".

[fatback]

I've been around the block and had a chance to try out Duncans, Dimarzios, Lollars, Gibsons, WCR's, Frailins, Voodoo's, a Lentz rewind, and more. I've even had a chance to hear some real 58' and 59' PAF's thanks to meeting Arriba here from TGP. I have to agree that it all comes down to matching the pickup to the guitar to the type of music you are playing. The two old PAF's I heard sounded slightly different, but both had an amazingly mellow air to them with stellar dynamics! There are lot's of cool PAF style pickups out there, but for my ears the most dynamic/authentic/lively sounding PAF repro has got to be...

Tom Holmes

Now don't go doing something silly like paying over $600. for a pair of his pickups on ebay. He's still in buisness, just a little low key about it, and will gladly wind you pickups to your needs. I just got a 456 (his hotter version of a bridge PAF) that he wound for the bridge in my alder Grosh retro. What a smokin' sound! Tom's the man!
:dude

here's his website:
http://www.tomholmescompany.com/

[ArthurS]

Timbuckers.

If you can find them or are willing to wait a while.

[Bonedance]

Well, you have received some excellent answers so far! I guess I'll opine my .02 cents.

Best is subjective (at best). As you can see from all the replys, everyones idea of whats best is what works best for them. Me too. I tend to recommend what I've had experiecne with and what works for me. I have certainly not tried all that are out there, but I have tried quite a few.

I prefer my PAFs on the lower output, vintage side, so take that into consideration. Seth Lovers work well for me. Many people like them, others don't. Lollar Imperials are wonderful. Open, rich, articulate. Dimarzio's virtual vintage pafs are great for the money as are Kent Armstrong vintage winds. Good bang to buck ratio.

The best I've used are from a fella in Canada named Jon Moore. I went for a total, unpotted vintage wind, but he'll wind them however you want. Beautiful tones. How they would compare with Tom Holmes I can't say as I have not had the pleasure of trying those. The Moores are good enough that I'm not looking elsewhere for pickups these days!

Just tried a Wagner Goodwood. Very, very nice pickup, but a bit too hot for me. Very responsive to the guitars volume control. For the right player, it would be killer. I'd still like to try the darkbursts as those would probably be more up my alley! One thing is for certain....with all the talented winders out there, it's a great time to be a guitar player! Good luck on your search.

[sabbath90]

i really like my darkbursts as far as PAF tone goes. voodoo's and lollars are very nice too. for less money i'd recommend seymour duncans. the pearly gates are my absolute favorite inexpensive pickups for les pauls.

[Tom CT]

Originally posted by Bonedance
I prefer my PAFs on the lower output, vintage side, so take that into consideration. Seth Lovers work well for me. Many people like them, others don't.

This is good advice, IMO. I believe that vintage PAFs with a high-7 neck and low-8 bridge are the exception, not the rule. Jim Rolph is a big fan of slightly lower output pickups, and he takes pride in their clarity as opposed to their "oomph".

I have an early pair of Timbuckers that have been replaced with Antiquities (as mentioned above), because in my particular guitar the SDs sounded much better for the tone I was after. I also agree that one pair of pickups can sound completely different in two different guitars. It's a delicate balance of matching the tone that's inherit in the guitar with the frequency curve that a specific pickup accentuates. There's no right choice. Tom

[laurencer83]

Originally posted by Rock Fella
Voodoo 59 PAFS 7.9 k / 8.1 k

these are just astonishing.

i sent you a pm about voodoo's

[JDW3]

That to me is not a great example to compare pickups tones with. Any guitar with that much OD will sound about the same. Sounds like a damn fuzzbox. They should be plugged into a halfway cranked tube amp, with no effects.


----do the crossroads pafs sound anything like the fourth clip they have on their website? check it out it you haven't heard. the reason i ask is because i love the tone on that fourth clip on the crossroads paf mp3's.

here's the link to that fourth clip http://www.wcrclips.com/clips/JimMCR.mp3 ----

[Mr.Hanky]

Try the Darkbursts.

[alderbody]

try a set of WCR Crossroads for a classic PAF tone.

now, Jim offers the traditional nickel-silver covers.

the best Humbuckers i ever played.

[MCG]

Well my experiance is just with a few Duncan models. I have used 59's a Pearly Gates bridge, and a Seth at the bridge.

Of those three the Seth Lover was my favorite. It did the best job of recreating the tones I heard on Shynyrd and ZZ Top records.

The first time I heard the Seths my buddy had put a set in this LP, and running it threw his marshall seemed to nail the tone from "Working Man" by Rush.


when he moved to Voodoos' I bought one form him and loved what it did for my Melodey Maker. They have a very warm and full tone that work for me just fine.

MCG

[Joe57]

I've used Duncans, Dimarzios, Fralins, WCRs and others. My favorites right now are HighOrder Pickups (http://www.highorderpickups.com). They have a clarity and even response that is fantastic. Not only that but their build quality and attention to detail is unmatched by any other pickup that I've seen at any price. And speaking of price, HighOrder humbuckers are only $50 - $55 each, and you have a choice of magnet type and wind.

[Anje]

Voodoo's just do it for me, they are fabulous pickups.

I have a 59 set in my R9 LP (double white, with covers ( :confused: :D ), around 8k both, Alnico III in neck V in bridge)
don't want to look any further (well, we never know, but I'm really pleased with the Tone I have with them and I'm not "on a hunt" anymore on that part :) )

btw they have the Peter Green mod, great! out of phase sound

Had a 60 set too in one SG that I ordered from Peter for early ACDC tone, nailed it

[laurencer83]

thanks for all your replies guys. i decided on getting a pair of fralins from ebay. i just won the auction. it's for an 8k neck and 9k bridge. i'll give those a try for now. if they don't sound good to me i'll probably look for either a pair of voodoo's or wcr's. but thanks again for all your help.

i have a pair of the new heritage celestion 30 watters on the way too from a guy on the gearpage. i'll put them in my orange 2x12 cab. hopefully they'll sound good. i know they'll need breaking in but i don't mind.

[Thelonius]

A friend handed me a set of Rolphs which I quickly stuck in my LP. While I am not able to yammer on and on about different pickups due to my lack of RL experience with different ones I know the Rolphs made my it's nice, but it isn't number 1 material lester into a monster. Now that guitar combined with my Fargen MiniPlex is disgustingly enjoyable.

[laurencer83]

i bought a pair of fralins on ebay but someone offered me a pair of crossroads WCR for about the same price. so i'm selling the fralins that i haven't even recieved yet. the crossroads should be better i think for the sound i want which is a classic PAF tone. they should be here by sat or monday at the latest. i can't wait. is there any info on the net on how to install pickups?

[r9player]

Just contact Jim at WCR I bet he'll fill you in on how to install and what caps to use.

[rreiser]

I've heard good things about Wolfetone Legends. Anyone try his pups?

[ArthurS]

Originally posted by JofZ
Voodoo 59s in my R9 Murphy and they sound fantastic and very happy, but I am on the Timbucker waiting list which is currently 2 years. With all the hype I had to order them :)

You will not be disappointed. They are phenomenal pickups, and Tim is quite possibly the nicest person you'll ever deal with :)

[mbratch]

While you're waiting on Timbuckers, you might want to check out Harmonic-Design (http://www.harmonicdesign.net) Classic Humbuckers. I put a set in my 1982 Gibson ES-347 and they are awesome. I'm surprised nobody has said much about them on this thread. Excellent vintage tone, and they get excellent reviews.

[Blueser]

Peter Florance VooDoo 59's are the best I have ever heard!

[Fireball XL5]

So far of all the humbuckers I've tried in my Les Pauls (Fralins, Antiquities, Seth Lovers, 57 Classics, Burstbuckers, WCR Crossroads) my favorites are Peter Florance Voodoo 59's. They sound incredible and just work best for me. I have a set of Tim White's pickups due to arrive soon so I'm also looking forward to giving those a try!

[mbratch]

Originally posted by JofZ
I tried the website you posted and the link is bad, any ideas?

Sorry, typo in the link. Try it again (I fixed it in my original post).

[Fireball XL5]

Originally posted by splatt
that confuses me!
if they sound *incredible* and *work best* for you, why are ya still shopping?!?
?
dt / spltrcl

splatt...you sound like my wife! :D

Just kidding man...

but you know, when you hang out on forums like this you just find yourself buying things you don't "really" need...like amps, guitars...and pickups! ;)

But I also have four Les Pauls (only need one) to put the different pickups in....it's a sickness I guess?!!?

:rolleyes:

[arriba]

I had two 59' Les Pauls ( hope they doing well in their showcase in Japan ) , still have three 1959-60 ES 345 with PAF's and two Es 175's with PAF's. So I should know how a PAF sounds .

Some weeks ago I tested with friends WCR's , Lollars, Fralin Unbuckers, Gibson 57's , Tom Holmes, Timbuckers and Gibson Burstbuckers and my Gibson PAF's.

What we all agreed with, was , that the Tom Holmes are the best PAF's Replicas, second were the Fralin Unbuckers.

Well that was a surprise!

[Fireball XL5]

Originally posted by arriba
I had two 59' Les Pauls ( hope they doing well in their showcase in Japan ) , still have three 1959-60 ES 345 with PAF's and two Es 175's with PAF's. So I should know how a PAF sounds .

Some weeks ago I tested with friends WCR's , Lollars, Fralin Unbuckers, Gibson 57's , Tom Holmes, Timbuckers and Gibson Burstbuckers and my Gibson PAF's.

What we all agreed with, was , that the Tom Holmes are the best PAF's Replicas, second were the Fralin Unbuckers.

Well that was a surprise!

arriba...

Can you describe just what exactly is the elusive quality that the Tom Holmes & Fralin Unbuckers possess that make them closer to a real PAF?

[arriba]

Fireball,
you control a good PAF from the volume pot of your guitar. You roll it back, and it cleans nicley with this big piano clean sound, you turn it up , and it starts slowly to break up, and gets into distortion when you pick hard. ( I am German, and I am still struggle to express myself)

So, thats the way I compare so called PAF's replica pickups from the originals, and the Holmes are almost there.

Ron and John should chime in!!!!

[laurencer83]

does anybody have specific experiences with fralin HUMBUCKERS and WCR CROSSROADS? i have both coming in the mail in a couple days and i just wanted to see if anyone had opinions about them. i already put the fralins on ebay thinking i'd like the crossroads better but i'm thinking about ending the auction so i can compare them. then i'll put the one i least like on ebay. let me know what you guys think if you've played both of them.

i'm going for a classic PAF tone ala Jimmy Page.

[MCG]

i'm going for a classic PAF tone ala Jimmy Page. [/B][/QUOTE]

Do you know that Seymour Duncan makes a Jimmy Page sig pickup set?

MCG

[Bonedance]

Originally posted by laurencer83
does anybody have specific experiences with fralin HUMBUCKERS and WCR CROSSROADS? i have both coming in the mail in a couple days and i just wanted to see if anyone had opinions about them. i already put the fralins on ebay thinking i'd like the crossroads better but i'm thinking about ending the auction so i can compare them. then i'll put the one i least like on ebay. let me know what you guys think if you've played both of them.

i'm going for a classic PAF tone ala Jimmy Page.

I can't comment on the Fralins as that is one ( out of many! ) I have not heard. I have a Goodwood in the neck of a tele right now and it is a bit too hot for my taste. Don't get me wrong, it is an excellent pickup, but I'm used to a more vintage wind.

Personally, I'd end the auction to compare the tow myself. .... You just never know.

As I stated earlier, the humbuckers I had Jon Moore wind are fantastic. Open, articulate, woody, bluesy. They resond very well to the guitars volume and tone controls and love dirt pedals. Beautiful, lush clean tones and fat, honkin blues rock tones with a touch of o/d. Even though they are unpotted ( he'll also pot them ) I have no problems with noise or squeals.

Good luck! I hope you find the tone you're looking for.

[laurencer83]

Originally posted by MCG
i'm going for a classic PAF tone ala Jimmy Page.

Do you know that Seymour Duncan makes a Jimmy Page sig pickup set?

MCG [/B][/QUOTE]

i didn't know that. thanks! i don't neccesarily want HIS tone, i just want a tone that's similar. basically any good PAF reissue is what i'm looking for.

[Bonedance]

Originally posted by Flavum
This is good advice, IMO. I believe that vintage PAFs with a high-7 neck and low-8 bridge are the exception, not the rule. Jim Rolph is a big fan of slightly lower output pickups, and he takes pride in their clarity as opposed to their "oomph".

I have an early pair of Timbuckers that have been replaced with Antiquities (as mentioned above), because in my particular guitar the SDs sounded much better for the tone I was after. I also agree that one pair of pickups can sound completely different in two different guitars. It's a delicate balance of matching the tone that's inherit in the guitar with the frequency curve that a specific pickup accentuates. There's no right choice. Tom

Excellent post Tom. I play mostly with the neck pup and the 7.2 to 7.75 seem to work best at what I like to hear with 8.3 on the bridge. As you said, no right or wrong, just what works for the individual and for the guitar.

I have heard nothing but raves about Timbuckers. A friend just got on the waiting list. I'm afraid I have not the patience for that....I want instant gratification!! I've been thinking of trying an Antiquity. The Silver Series bucker by Dave Stephens is also very tempting. So many great winders out there at this time.

[Gearhead]

I have three of the mentioned pickup sets. Honestly, as far as I can tell, the PAFs were all over the ballpark in output. Heck, according to this site (http://www.provide.net/~cfh/paf.html) they randomly put in Alnico 2,3,4,5 in HB/PAFs until 61.

WCR Darkbursts in a Hamer Studio Custom (chambered). Great pickups, just chock full of harmonics. Both are Alnico 5, finally decided I like Alnico 2 in neck so put:

Wolfetone's built to my specs (Bridge 8.9k Alnico 5, Neck 7.5k Alnico 2, with true-vintage type nickel covers) in my Heritage 150CM. My absolutely favorite pickups now. They're "my" PAF tone. Like the Wagners, however, they are a bit pricey, so I went and put:

High Order's built to my specs (Bridge 8.7 Alnico 5, Neck 7.4k Alnico 2) in a Hamer Korina Studio Custom (all Korina, chambered). Of all the pickups I've ever tried, the HO are the most "hifi" ones I've ever played. They don't have the swirling harmonics of the WCR/Wolfetones, but are more straightforward. Have only had them a week, so am still dialing them in (pup height, balance between the two, amp vs guitar volume settings). Overall, they have slightly less character than the other two, but are waaaay better than any production pup I've tried, and cost less than both boutique -and- most production pups.

IMHO, if you want great harmonics and want them fast, go with WCR ($260 shipped/4 days). If you want great harmonics, built to your specs (and a bit more personal touch), go with Wolfetones ($228 shipped/2 weeks). If you want a cleaner, but pleasing tone, and cheap, go with High Order ($105 shipped/4 weeks).

[PinkStrat]

Originally posted by splatt
ah, the sickness, the sickness.
:)
when iya know that one specific element sounds incredible, though --- don't keep fu**in' wid it;
just enjoy it, learn to employ it, and play some gol'danged gitfiddle.
dt / sptrcl

Amen Splatt! I say if a guitar sounds great right from the get-go leave it the hell alone & play with what is THERE. I wish more people would realize this. I am now in the mode of leaving guitars alone and discovering their voices by just messing with techniques inspired by what they sound like stock. :dude

[Colt]

Timbuckers from Tim White.

[Lex Luthier]

A lot of depends on how the guitar sounds, then finding the right pickup to get you where you want to go. Maybe it sounds good as-is, maybe it could benefit from some tweaks.
Ideally, I like to find guitars that sound close to the way I want them to sound in the first place and tweaking from there, instead of buying something that may not do it for me tonally and trying to make it conform to what I am looking for tonally. Wood is all different you know.

I've tried most all the PAF repros out there, some I liked better than others (IMO of course).
My personal faves are:
Wolfetone
Rolph
WCR
Tim White

I am just not a fan of CGE pots, they seem to kill the tone for some reason. Ideally, I'd like to use Centralabs, but they have been out of business for a long time, so I have to use CTS which are OK but not the same.

[John Bell]

Originally posted by splatt
well, OF COURSE people have opinions about them, but.....
if you're actually GETTING the pickups in a few DAYS and are going to EXPERIENCE them for your SELF, why do you want OTHER people's opinions, NOW?
???
still confused by much in this thread.....
dt / spltrcl

Welcome to the gear page way of thinking.;)

[1radicalron]

Humbucker Shootout

Humbucker Shootout - Les Pauls

>The West Coast Tone Freaks are Back<
We have Been Testing Various "Handwound Humbuckers" and Some So Called Humbucker Standards In Historic Les Pauls.
"Testing" Consists of 4 or 5 Les Paul Players coming down to my Recording Studio and Playing and Listening to Gibson Historic Les Pauls and Evaluating the Pickups.
Some of the things we are Listening for are: Balance between Bridge and Neck, Smoothness, Clarity, Cleaning up when rolling back the Volume, and Overall Timbre.
Testing is done with No Pedals, Going straight into a Marshall JTM-45 with Handwired Circut Board, OEI Tranny's, and A Pair of Amperex EL-34's We are also Testing Through an Aiken 18 Watt Invader Head. Both of these Amps are Going through a Marshall Basket Weave 4 x 12 Cab Reissue with Celestion Greenback 25's.
All Guitars have 500k Pots and Tone Controls have been left Wide Open.
We are not Done testing all Pickups, But have now tested about Half of them. Here are the latest Results:

*Tom Holmes - Unanimously the Best Humbuckers Tested so far. Very Smooth Sound, Great Harmonic's, Never Harsh, Great Balance and Clean up exceptionally well! - Top Honors

*Lindy Fralin -Unbuckers - Running a close Second, Very Smooooth, Great Jimmy Page Bride Sound, Great Harmonic's Clean up nicely, Killer Overall Tone.
We were all very Surprised by the sound of this Pickup. Considering the Fralin PAF did not test so well.

*WCR Fillmore - Great Rock n Roll Sound. These would be Killer Slide Pickups. Very Convincing "Duane" sound. But A Bit Overwound. Good Balance between Neck and Bridge. The Volume roll back can get a bit muddy though. But With Volume up all the way - these Pickups Scream!

*Tim White Timbuckers - A Bit Bright Sounding. Somewhat Harsh Treble Frequencies. Cleaned up well with Vol adjustement. Decent Balance between Neck and Bridge. =Overall we were Slightly Underwhelmed.

*Lindy Fralin 59 PAF - Neck Pickup Had a Strange Lack of Mid-Range. The Bridge was Decent, But Overall they sounded Somewhat Unbalanced. But Had good Clarity.
This came as a Huge surprise to us, as some of the Fralin Single Coil Strat Pickups we Tested Last Year - Tetsed Very well, Especially the Steel Pole 43.

* Jason Lollar Specials - Unbalanced Sound Between the Neck and Bridge. The Neck was Dark and Bridge seemed to have too Much Mid-Range. A Mysterious Lack of Bass in Both Pickups. Cleaned up well with Vol Adjustments, These could probably sound fine in a High Gain Amp, But we were very dissapointed overall.

*Gibson BurstBuckers - "They Sound Boring", "Not very Clear on top", "Kind of Boomy on the Bottom", "Unfocused" - Words someone had said. These are Very Lame Humbuckers. - Again, you could Probably get a Decent sound out of a high Gain Mesa Boogie, But As for PAF Sounds These Plain out Suck!

*Gibson 57 Classic's - Not Great, But, Definitly better than the BurstBuckers. Somewhat dark sounding, But Cleaned up Nicely and Had good Balance Between Neck and Bridge. You could get by with these for a while.

-Your Mileage may Vary- We were going for More Classic Rock, Blues Sound. =Page, Beck, Duane, Early Clapton. - Classic PAF Sound

Up Next- Harmonic Design, Peter Florance Voodoo's, WCR DarkBurst, WCR Goodwood's, WCR Crossroads, Rio Grande BBQ, Wolftone Greywolfs.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/1radicalron/2x59LesPauls1.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/1radicalron/79e6d024.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/1radicalron/Michaels59LesPaul.jpg http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y209/1radicalron/LesPaulElegantfront.jpg

[rreiser]

Thanks 1radicalron. I just ordered some Wolfetone Legends. Its a crapshoot and I hope they work with my guitar. I went for it based on some reviews and the fact that he will rewind until happy. I agree with Lex that its important to match the pickup with the guitar. I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the Greywolfes. I envy you having all the contenders in one place. Thats the best way to make a decision.

[laurencer83]

Originally posted by splatt
well, OF COURSE people have opinions about them, but.....
if you're actually GETTING the pickups in a few DAYS and are going to EXPERIENCE them for your SELF, why do you want OTHER people's opinions, NOW?
???
still confused by much in this thread.....
dt / spltrcl

what do you care anyway? if you don't have an opinion on them then leave me alone.

[laurencer83]

it's like going to see a movie. i'm sure you might ask a friend if the movie is good or not? but what ever he or she says you're still going to see it, right? same thing with these pickups. i have these wcr's on the way but i've never heard them myself. so i'm asking others what they think about it. when i see the movie i'll judge myself if it's good or not. same when i get these pickups. make sense? i'm not trying to come down on you, i'm just explaining why i started this thread. to keep things in perspective when i started this thread i hadn't ordered the WCR's yet. so with people's opinion's i came to conclusion that i should try these pickups out. if i don't like them i'll sell them. since i don't have the luxury of knowing anyone right now with these pickups i can't judge for myself whether they are good or not till i recieve them. make sense? sorry about my last post. i was just a little mad. but i'm over it.

[tonedaddy]

Originally posted by 1radicalron
Humbucker Shootout

Humbucker Shootout - Les Pauls

>The West Coast Tone Freaks are Back<
We have Been Testing Various "Handwound Humbuckers" and Some So Called Humbucker Standards In Historic Les Pauls.
"Testing" Consists of 4 or 5 Les Paul Players coming down to my Recording Studio and Playing and Listening to Gibson Historic Les Pauls and Evaluating the Pickups.
Some of the things we are Listening for are: Balance between Bridge and Neck, Smoothness, Clarity, Cleaning up when rolling back the Volume, and Overall Timbre.
Testing is done with No Pedals, Going straight into a Marshall JTM-45 with Handwired Circut Board, OEI Tranny's, and A Pair of Amperex EL-34's We are also Testing Through an Aiken 18 Watt Invader Head. Both of these Amps are Going through a Marshall Basket Weave 4 x 12 Cab Reissue with Celestion Greenback 25's.
All Guitars have 500k Pots and Tone Controls have been left Wide Open.
We are not Done testing all Pickups, But have now tested about Half of them. Here are the latest Results:[/IMG] Thanks for the tone reports, 1radicalron!

How was the choice made regarding which pickups went in which guitars? Was it each individual guitar owner's choice, or was there consensus testing done to see which pickup worked best for each individual guitar?

[r9player]

Hey 1RadicalRon
Nice bit of testing and nice guitars.
I had the same question as to what PUs went into what guitar?
Last guitar listed looks like an Elegant which is chambered?

[jcs]

gearhead, i really like highorder 8.5k alnico 3,but they have a touch more mids and more rounded top than others in this range..

if i were wanting a more paf clone from jeff at highorder i would go 8.0 to 8.3k bridge and alnico 3..

i tried the alnico 2-3-4-5,the alnico 5 in the 8.5k is powerful but maybe not as vintage gibson to my ears(and i have played several real pafs and own t tops-pat no gibsons)..

also jeff pots his pickups and many paf clones are NOT potted..

you might request an alnico 3 mag from jeff and give it a try just for fun in the bridge..

jeff is cool he likes to experiment and try things,thats why i will buy more from jeff,plus the workmanship is outstanding :cool:

[Tom CT]

So a whole bunch of pickups were tested in a whole bunch of different guitars, and they sounded different? What a shocker...:rolleyes:

[arriba]

Dude, they were not tested in different guitars, they were tested in LES PAUL'S:rolleyes:

[Tom CT]

Originally posted by splatt
i think that flavum is suggesting --- correctly, imo --- that no two gtrs sound "the same", even when both of them are Les Pauls.
dt / spltrcl

splatt is correct, although my original comment could have been a little less sarcastic. All the Historic LPs I've owned over the years (only five) have sounded different, which is why I now only own one. It's the one that "spoke to me". I've switched from the stock '57 Classics to Timbuckers to SD Antiquities, and it's been impossible to get a bad sound of out of this guitar. The pickups change the character of the instrument slightly, but much less than one might expect. It's the wood, baby. :)

[Lex Luthier]

Originally posted by 1radicalron
Humbucker Shootout

Humbucker Shootout - Les Pauls

>The West Coast Tone Freaks are Back<
We have Been Testing Various "Handwound Humbuckers" and Some So Called Humbucker Standards In Historic Les Pauls.
"Testing" Consists of 4 or 5 Les Paul Players coming down to my Recording Studio and Playing and Listening to Gibson Historic Les Pauls and Evaluating the Pickups.
Some of the things we are Listening for are: Balance between Bridge and Neck, Smoothness, Clarity, Cleaning up when rolling back the Volume, and Overall Timbre.
Testing is done with No Pedals, Going straight into a Marshall JTM-45 with Handwired Circut Board, OEI Tranny's, and A Pair of Amperex EL-34's We are also Testing Through an Aiken 18 Watt Invader Head. Both of these Amps are Going through a Marshall Basket Weave 4 x 12 Cab Reissue with Celestion Greenback 25's.
All Guitars have 500k Pots and Tone Controls have been left Wide Open.
We are not Done testing all Pickups, But have now tested about Half of them. Here are the latest Results:

*Tom Holmes - Unanimously the Best Humbuckers Tested so far. Very Smooth Sound, Great Harmonic's, Never Harsh, Great Balance and Clean up exceptionally well! - Top Honors

*Lindy Fralin -Unbuckers - Running a close Second, Very Smooooth, Great Jimmy Page Bride Sound, Great Harmonic's Clean up nicely, Killer Overall Tone.
We were all very Surprised by the sound of this Pickup. Considering the Fralin PAF did not test so well.

*WCR Fillmore - Great Rock n Roll Sound. These would be Killer Slide Pickups. Very Convincing "Duane" sound. But A Bit Overwound. Good Balance between Neck and Bridge. The Volume roll back can get a bit muddy though. But With Volume up all the way - these Pickups Scream!

*Tim White Timbuckers - A Bit Bright Sounding. Somewhat Harsh Treble Frequencies. Cleaned up well with Vol adjustement. Decent Balance between Neck and Bridge. =Overall we were Slightly Underwhelmed.

*Lindy Fralin 59 PAF - Neck Pickup Had a Strange Lack of Mid-Range. The Bridge was Decent, But Overall they sounded Somewhat Unbalanced. But Had good Clarity.
This came as a Huge surprise to us, as some of the Fralin Single Coil Strat Pickups we Tested Last Year - Tetsed Very well, Especially the Steel Pole 43.

* Jason Lollar Specials - Unbalanced Sound Between the Neck and Bridge. The Neck was Dark and Bridge seemed to have too Much Mid-Range. A Mysterious Lack of Bass in Both Pickups. Cleaned up well with Vol Adjustments, These could probably sound fine in a High Gain Amp, But we were very dissapointed overall.

*Gibson BurstBuckers - "They Sound Boring", "Not very Clear on top", "Kind of Boomy on the Bottom", "Unfocused" - Words someone had said. These are Very Lame Humbuckers. - Again, you could Probably get a Decent sound out of a high Gain Mesa Boogie, But As for PAF Sounds These Plain out Suck!

*Gibson 57 Classic's - Not Great, But, Definitly better than the BurstBuckers. Somewhat dark sounding, But Cleaned up Nicely and Had good Balance Between Neck and Bridge. You could get by with these for a while.

-Your Mileage may Vary- We were going for More Classic Rock, Blues Sound. =Page, Beck, Duane, Early Clapton. - Classic PAF Sound

Up Next- Harmonic Design, Peter Florance Voodoo's, WCR DarkBurst, WCR Goodwood's, WCR Crossroads, Rio Grande BBQ, Wolftone Greywolfs.


You really need to do these tests with the same guitar, maybe use some quick disconnect system for easy pickup swaps. How about testing a few real PAFs as well?

[ES330]

Originally posted by 1radicalron
Humbucker Shootout

Humbucker Shootout - Les Pauls



Up Next- Harmonic Design, Peter Florance Voodoo's, WCR DarkBurst, WCR Goodwood's, WCR Crossroads, Rio Grande BBQ, Wolftone Greywolfs.


When will you get around to that ???
I'll be watching for it !!!!

Thanks in advance

[ArthurS]

I'm going to have to rectify my earlier post about Wolfetone (now deleted): Wolfe just mailed me that my pickup is on its way. Can't wait to try it out!

And, yes, I will post a short review once it's been installed :)

[rreiser]

Just got my Legends a few days ago. They look great and I'm very happy with the sound. Its like a 53 Tele pickup with the extra output of a humbucker. Compared them to my friends guitar with Rolphs and in my opinion they both sounded very good.