I'll let them speak for themselves

[dbw]

I dunno guys.  DiMarzios have never excited me much, though I don't have much experience with them.  I just think of them as Superstrat pickups, not LP pickups.  Maybe it's because of their big players... Satch, Malmsteen, Petrucci, and Paul Gilbert come to mind.

Billy Gibbons is the sort of player I like best, and that's the sound I'm trying to nail.  Maybe I'll go with the Pearly Gates after all... they were designed to copy "the" Pearly Gates, Billy's '59.

...then again, he uses Rio Grande pickups these days... and the originals were Gibsons.  So those are the three I'm thinking about.  SD Pearly Gates, RG TX/BBQ, and Gibson Burstbuckers.

Edit: My neck is bubinga/ebony, which I expect is a little brighter than the original mahogany/Brazilian.  So that's something to think about.
Edit 2: Oh, and mine is 25.5", too.

 

[Orpheo]

still; air norton (or mules, i forgot about those!).

pearly gates are so damn shrill, they will make a les paul sound like a telecaster.

 

[Mor Paul]

pearly gates are so damn shrill, they will make a les paul sound like a telecaster.

Hmm....  :laughing7:

 

[DocNrock]

For the sound you are looking for, I still say Norton.  I have one in my Gibby LP Studio.  It nails the classic rock sound, "brown sound," and can do the modern high gain stuff no problemo.  I haven't tried, but if I dropped the gain in my amp a bit, I bet it would nail the BG tone.

If you're looking for something a bit less hot (and it is not that hot, relatively speaking), consider the DiMarzio 36th Anniversary PAF, although this might just bring you back to something like your Seymour '59.  The Norton is a bit more rude.

 

[dbw]

pearly gates are so damn shrill, they will make a les paul sound like a telecaster.

I've never heard anyone say that before...

 

[Orpheo]

pearly gates are so damn shrill, they will make a les paul sound like a telecaster.

I've never heard anyone say that before...

hmm funny. I hear it here all the time. guys buy them, hoping to get a zz-top like sound, but they are all disappointed, and they swap them for something 'warmer'.

 

[tfarny]

Really Orpheo? I've never heard that, in fact I got one (PG) for my upcoming LP because of good reviews.

 

[dbw]

SD describes it as "warm"... of course, they're Selling It, but in the past I've found their descriptions to be accurate.

 

[DocNrock]

SD describes it as "warm"... of course, they're Selling It, but in the past I've found their descriptions to be accurate.

Norton.  I feel like the devil on your shoulder.   :toothy12:

And the Humbucker from Hell for the neck. 

 

[NonsenseTele]

Should I act as the boxing Devil?  :laughing7:

 

[dbw]

And the Humbucker from Hell for the neck. 

Whaaat??

 

[DocNrock]

And the Humbucker from Hell for the neck. 

Whaaat??

Yup, you would be surprised how versatile this is for a neck pup.  I get a killer "Sultans of Swing" tone out of this pup on clean, and can get a great crunch with distortion, as well.  The tone control becomes very usable.  It's not warm like the Air Norton in the neck, but you aren't looking for a jazzy tone, I understand.  The Humbucker from Hell name came from the attempt to make this as a single-coil like pup for the bridge, except it was waaaay tooooo bright...the "Humbucker from Hell."  It has become a very popular neck pup, and for good reason. 

This goes along with what Orpheo was saying earlier.  The output is vintage power, but the EQ is somewhat focused, so the output matches a somewhat hotter pup with a broader EQ.  Does that make sense?

The ones I was comparing earlier had a similar EQ, so his argument didn't hold.  Here, it does.

 

[DocNrock]

FYI, DiMarzio has a 30 day exchange policy.  If you order a pup, and use it, and don't like it, you can return it in exchange for another DiMarzio pup.

 

[dbw]

All right Doc, your vote and Orpheo's have been counted for DiMarzio.  Don't think I'm gonna go with them though.  Maybe on a future build... 

 

[DocNrock]

All right Doc, your vote and Orpheo's have been counted for DiMarzio.  Don't think I'm gonna go with them though.  Maybe on a future build... 

I just finished editing my post above on this page...at least please re-read it.

 

[Orpheo]

Really Orpheo? I've never heard that, in fact I got one (PG) for my upcoming LP because of good reviews.

yeah, I really feel that way.

I agree about the humbucker from hell in the neck, very, very cool one! the virtual paf is somewhat in between the air norton and the humbucker from hell.

the mule is a very great paf-clone. if you play 'harsh' it will sound harsh. if you play mellow, it will sound mellow.

 

[DangerousR6]

Hey dbw, you might try a SD invader set. Very very heavy real good low end, harmonics are just effortless even in a d-tuned situation. I have one in my VW in the bridge and it's just plain mean. I'll probably get one for the neck as soon as I finish my "Tale of two tele's" projects.

 

[Ted]

That body deserves hand wound pickups.

I'd definately go with BKP Mule. Also I've no idea if RG's are hand wound but I want to try a set.

 

[shanejw]

I have to say I love my Bartolinis.  The PBF Vintage Bridge pickup is nice, and the name of the PBF High Distortion pickup is a little misleading.  It's definately not as hot as a super distortioin or a JB.

 

[dbw]

After failing to find anyone who tried and DOESN'T love the RG TX/BBQ set, I'm going with it.  :guitaristgif:

I'm also going to splurge on matched pots and nice caps.  I'm going with 50's style wiring, except the volume pots will be push-pull (NOT push-push, I have those on my first Warmoth and I'm not a fan); when they're pulled up a treble bleed cap will turn on (for that pickup).

I can't wait.