2016 Gibson Goldtop Dark Back Les Paul

Wow...the Les Paul just has a certain feel that I been missing. All these years avoiding the weight and missing the tone.

My SG is awesome, but there is no comparison to the Les Paul. Better punch. Better sustain. More growl....and the weight makes vibrato easier.

I'm convinced of the need for more output in a les paul...at least 10k in th ed bridge, which sounds nasaly in the SG, but just roars in the Les Paul.
 
Robert Herndon said:
I'm seriously trying not to buy it.
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Don't buy it; the black backs are ugly.

Before recently purchasing an SG special, I had loads of gas for a LP, looked at local ones in my price range, and they all had black backs - didn't like that at all. A LP is a bit of a poof and needs to be well suited, imho. The 2017 versions don't have black backs...
 
Mr Grumpy said:
Don't buy it; the black backs are ugly.

Before recently purchasing an SG special, I had loads of gas for a LP, looked at local ones in my price range, and they all had black backs - didn't like that at all. A LP is a bit of a poof and needs to be well suited, imho. The 2017 versions don't have black backs...
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Correct. The 2017 has a blonde back, but it was less exciting to play. It also has covered 490's.
 
Mr Grumpy said:
Yeah, many options. I had a 498T - it sounded good.
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Not sure you were here when I was buying Gibson pickups...but i'm a little gun shy after three sets.

I had a pair of nee 57 Classics and they were noisy in both my Gibson SG and my Squirecaster through different amps and cables. The bridge was too bright and the neck too muddy. I tried them on my SG's factory Gibson PCB and the Tone Man Harness with K40Y tone capacitors too - .033uf bridge and. 015uf neck - same issue.

Then I tried two sets of 490's. A set wound in 2015 and a pair of the "revised specification" 490's wound in 2016 from a 2017 Les Paul Tribute.

The newer (different ohms and magnet length) 490's sounded better and had more clarity than the old ones. Still they had more noise than I was happy with.

Then I dropped in a set of GFS Classic II's andI thought I had forgot to solder a connection - totally quiet!!!

So, I'm headed back to GFS for the next set I suppose...
 
I'm headed towards a 498t.
I have 57/57+, and just don't care for them. Im wondering if a tone capacitor change would help, I have orange 015uf.... Regardless,
I've tried to like them, but I'm done.

As for a 2017 back color,

20170207_180740.jpg
 
Bocc69 said:
I'm headed towards a 498t.
I have 57/57+, and just don't care for them. Im wondering if a tone capacitor change would help, I have orange 015uf.... Regardless,
I've tried to like them, but I'm done.

As for a 2017 back color,

View attachment 4190
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I changed from PCB to vintage harness, from .022uf capacitors to .033uf/.015uf and never got a decent sound out of myGibson 57 Classics.
 
Bocc69 said:
Yup, I did all vintage wiring too. Funny though, you describe too bright, and mine seem to dark.
Maybe, it's the wood!! Haha, can o-worms rite there....open now....booom!!! :D
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It was very frustrating. 3 sets of Gibson pickups...didn't like the borrowed Duncan JB, Seth Lovers or Saturday Night Specials either...some had more buzz than others, some had better tone, but all were lacking.

Then I threw in a set of "junk" $35 GFS Classic II's (Alinco II 7.9/7.8) with no other changes and not only were they quiet, but the clarity and tone was there that I had been looking for.

I sold the 3 sets of Gibson's to one of the "Gibson Faithful." I told him, "Dude, these buzz and sound like poop. You sure you want them?"

He replied, "Hell ya, Man! They are Gibson's! "

Anyway, I used to really like Carvin pickups, but lately, I have found GFS to have a lot of variety and really good quality. They've never disappointed me...

So, here is a fairly complete list of what pickups I have used/tried/borrowed/given for evaluation in my guitars since about 1989 - Carvin, Fralin, Lollar, Duncan, Benson, Bare Knuckles, Tone Empourium, David Allen, Schuyler Dean, Original Gibson T-tops, Dominger, Sentell, Mojotone, Bill Lawrence, MJS Custom, Xotic Effects California, RAW Vintage, EMG, DiMarzio, O.C. Duff, Geppetto, Amalfitano, and Fender.

Here's my opinion based on experience. QUIET signal is number one. Good tone and clarity is evaluation standard number two.

Some people will claim that ALL humbuckers are buzz-free simply by virtue of the fact they are humbuckers. BULLSHIT. Some of the most expensive humbuckers I experimented with buzzed like hell and some even picked up radio signals...and each time I could plug another guitar directly into the same rig and noise stopped immediately.

Based on actual experience, here's the best IMHO:

Best Stratocaster Pickups - DiMarzio Virtual Vintage Solo, Virtual Heavy Blues, HS3

Best Humbuckers - GFS Classic II's, Carvin C22T

Now, here's the kicker...look at the list above. See all the rather obscure names??? Each and every one of those "Blacklist" winders listed above produced a superior product to the big names!!!

I think if Gibson ever built me a signature model Les Paul Custom, it would have GFS pickups in it...or Gibson would have to step up their game!!!
 
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Bocc69 said:
I'm headed towards a 498t.
I have 57/57+, and just don't care for them. Im wondering if a tone capacitor change would help, I have orange 015uf.... Regardless,
I've tried to like them, but I'm done.
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I have 498T/490R pickups in my Les Paul and 57 Classics in one of my SGs. You won't make the 57 Classics sound just like a 498T. The 498T pickups have more gain, for one thing.
 
smitty_p said:
I have 498T/490R pickups in my Les Paul and 57 Classics in one of my SGs. You won't make the 57 Classics sound just like a 498T. The 498T pickups have more gain, for one thing.
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I went with GFS VEH's that have 11.5k bridge...maybe a little less than the 498T's 14.0k
 
Last time i came to these guys telling them i was seconds away from buying a guitar and was looking to them to slap some sense into me....



I ended up with the Gibson 2013 70's tribute sg...

Never regretted it.
 
Metal89 said:
Last time i came to these guys telling them i was seconds away from buying a guitar and was looking to them to slap some sense into me....



I ended up with the Gibson 2013 70's tribute sg...

Never regretted it.
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Never ask an addict for advice.....
 
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