Les Paul guys, what pickups..

[Twitch]

do you employ in your Les Pauls? If you stay with the Gibson pickups, which model numbers?

[levantin]

JB or duncan distortion in the bridge, 500r in the neck works for me.

[horns666]

I tried classic 57s and loved them!

[toejam]

I put EMGs in mine... 85 in the bridge and 81 in the neck.

[Ward]

I've got a Gibson Burstbucker 2 in the bridge and a Burstbucker 3 in the neck. They are the original pickups (2001 LP). Love them both, won't ever be changing them.

[SixstringKing]

I have the stock Burstbuckers 2 (neck) and 3 (bridge) in both my `59 and `60 VOS reissues.

[Ward]

I got those reversed. It's Burstbucker 3 bridge, 2 neck in mine too, same as SixstringKing.

[DalyTek]

I know it seems weird, but the best pickups I ever had were the stock pickups in my Tradition Les Paul copy.
I regret selling that guitar...not because I liked the guitar, but because I miss those pickups.
I contacted the Tradition company to see I could buy just a pair of the pickups and sure enough I can.
If I ever get another Les Paul, that's what's going in there!

[straycat]

I like the original Shaw pick ups that Gibson used in the 80's.If they are in a L.P.when I buy it I leave them in there.
In my 03 Std I used a set of Duncan APH-1's (alnico pro II's).
Not only looks good but sounds incredible.

[MetalHeadMat]

Honestly, I'm not TOO too fond of the JB, or Les Paul's at all, but when I tried an LP with a JB in the bridge... I nearly shat

[TKEblue]

I don't know from experience but from lurking on MLP for about a year I've read nothing but praise for the burstbuckers.

I know that epi and gibson LPs are completely different animals, but I love the jb in mine. The bright jb goes well with the dark mahogany.

[DonP]

do you employ in your Les Pauls? If you stay with the Gibson pickups, which model numbers?

They all have the original Gibson pickups.

1956 P90s
1977 T-Tops
1996 496R/500T
2002 BBPros
2004 / 2009 BB1&2 (x2)

I have a pair of DiMarzio 36th in double white, and a PAF / Super D set in double white, but have yet to do a swap because I just don't feel the need.

[SixstringKing]

I had an `05 Les Paul and I did try a JB as well as a Screamin Demon, Evolution, and a Super3, before I settled on a matched Slash Sig. set. Les Pauls seem to like a lower output pickup or I just prefer the sound with them over a high output pickup. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[Axegrinder87]

I now have faith again in mankind, since there's only one post so far mentioning EMGs

[Twitch]

Don, do you have any experience with the 498T or the 490T? These are the ones that really have my attention.

Heres the deal, I bought an 05 Epi LPC in Ebony and its reported to come with Alnico V Classics. I played an 04 in GC yesterday and it sounded phenomenal through a 6505+, at low volumes. I think theyll match excellent with the Powerball. The guitar had a girth to it that no other guitar Ive ever played has had. I didnt play the one I bought. I got it off the GC used site, I called the store to match as many of the time period specs as I could with the one I did play(I beat the price of the one I played in store by $100 AND it had a case). It was made in the same factory, has the Grover tuners and similar wear on the hardware.

Anyhow, my concern lies here, when it shows up and if it doesnt sound quite the same, Im thinking Im gonna go with a set of actual Gibson pickups. If it does sound pretty much the same, the next obstacle will be high volume use. If they feed back real bad, then again it will be a candidate for different pickups. I bought this guitar primarily for recording(all thats left for me are solos and Ill be done with all my tracks), but lets face it, it will get played live and for rehearsals now that the DKMGTFF doesnt leave the house anymore, not to mention its in pieces at the moment(it got scavenged of its electronics).

AG87, I had thought about putting EMGs in it as the guitar that got me on this kick about a year and a half ago was an 80s Gibson LPC with the 81/85 set in it. It had balls, but so does this guitar even with its stock pickups, just not as much hair .