Les Paul neck pickup question.

[minimustangs]

I have a 1981 Gibson Les Paul - The Paul "Firebrand" model to be specific. Recently I determined the neck pick has gone bad. I found these pickups to be the nicest of the LP's I've played/owned, and because of that I would like to replace it with something similar whatever just crapped out. None of my Gibson retailers seem to be of any help or are interested in figuring out what would be an equivalent current model pickup to the neck P/U in this '81. Since I'm going to replace this one, and will likely have to order it, I have a '78 LP Custom that I would want to install an identical set of pickups in, if I could determine what they are.

Is anyone here able to point me to a resource that would help me with this?

Thanks

S~

[soundguruman]

Contact Lightning Joe, a Gibson Dealer, 8054812222, to order the exact factory replacement PU. OR contact Gibson to find you the exact part No. for the correct stock PU.
The part can be looked up by guitar serial number. Joe will no doubt order it for you.
In general, replacement pick ups are not as good as the factory pickups, despite what salespeople tell you.

[minimustangs]

I noticed they weren't the same... case and point...replacements seem to always come as 4 wire, where the stock ones use braid over the hot. Subtle, but noticaable, especially in front of hi-gain amps. At least that's been my experience.

S~

[soundguruman]

The stock pickups are so superior to aftermarket- you want the stock PU.

[big_teee]

Can't these be rewound?
I would think there would be lots of folks available here to do that.
Terry

[soundguruman]

Somehow I have my doubts that a rewinding service could produce as good of a result.
Having tried many pickups in many guitars, I have never found one that worked as well as a stock pickup, as made by Gibson.
For this reason and that, the stock pickup has less noise and hum than a reproduction, and an outstanding sound quality that the reproductions just don't match.

Years ago, when many guitarists rushed out to buy "super pickups" I tried them and came to the conclusion that the stock pickups sounded superior. Despite all the publicity and hype, nobody who copied humbucking pickups seemed to be able to match the quality of the original ones. Initially, this was a bit of a shock and disappointment. I realized that the original had a lot of time and effort put into the sound and design.
It's more than winding wire, there must be a certain method that produces the best result.

[big_teee]

Winding Pickups is what we do here.
I doubt you will get many to agree with you here.
I thought everyone made better Pickups than the modern Gibson Pickups.
I think I do anyway.
Hey Pickup Winding Guys, I have a Question?
Why all of a Sudden Do we have all these Authority's, That are Non Pickup Winders?
Surely there are Other groups they could Aggravate!
B_T

[StarryNight]

Somehow I have my doubts that a rewinding service could produce as good of a result.
Having tried many pickups in many guitars, I have never found one that worked as well as a stock pickup, as made by Gibson.
For this reason and that, the stock pickup has less noise and hum than a reproduction, and an outstanding sound quality that the reproductions just don't match.

Years ago, when many guitarists rushed out to buy "super pickups" I tried them and came to the conclusion that the stock pickups sounded superior. Despite all the publicity and hype, nobody who copied humbucking pickups seemed to be able to match the quality of the original ones. Initially, this was a bit of a shock and disappointment. I realized that the original had a lot of time and effort put into the sound and design.
It's more than winding wire, there must be a certain method that produces the best result.

Assuming you can't find a replacement, you will probably get the closest reproduction to that pickup by rewinding it as the steel, magnets and geometry will be exactly the same (and also match the other working pickup). All that's required is matching the coil wire as close as possible, TPL and tension.

[David Schwab]

Somehow I have my doubts that a rewinding service could produce as good of a result.
Having tried many pickups in many guitars, I have never found one that worked as well as a stock pickup, as made by Gibson.

Oh please! There's nothing special about Gibson pickups. Any Duncan generally sounds better.

I've rewound Gibson pickups back to stock specs and they sound the same as they did stock (maybe better).

The pickups in an '81 LP are probably the Shaw humbuckers. Not hard at all to rewind.

[LtKojak]

Despite all the publicity and hype, nobody who copied humbucking pickups seemed to be able to match the quality of the original ones.

The actual quality of ther originals was flaky at its best...

Initially, this was a bit of a shock and disappointment. I realized that the original had a lot of time and effort put into the sound and design.
It's more than winding wire, there must be a certain method that produces the best result.

This phrase comes from the hype you've believed. The originals were wound by women getting minimum wage and QC didn't exist, not even as a concept.

Get some book and read 'bout how it really was back then. With Gibson suits getting getting materials from whoever offered cheapest.

I'd say that every p'up is made today is of a better quality than those. All the rest was George Gruhn and his "Vintage" hype strategy working like a charm through the "Guitar Player" magazine that sold it to the world.

To finish, in the several blind tests conducted by several magazines through the years, real PAFs always placed 5th to 7th with ten contenders. When the ears talk, they don't say "real PAF", They say "good tone", period. It just doesn't seem to come from those old, smelly p'ups worth $ 5,000.00 a pop.

Your honor, I rest my case.

[fieldwrangler]

Oh please! There's nothing special about Gibson pickups. Any Duncan generally sounds better.

I've rewound Gibson pickups back to stock specs and they sound the same as they did stock (maybe better).

The pickups in an '81 LP are probably the Shaw humbuckers. Not hard at all to rewind.

I second all of these statements.

Bob Palmieri

[SpareRibs]

Hello,
I think you guys are being trolled. I doubt anyone could actually believe what those guys are saying. They should be on MLP with that mindset.

[fieldwrangler]

Hello,
I think you guys are being trolled. I doubt anyone could actually believe what those guys are saying. They should be on MLP with that mindset.

Certainly a strong possibility. However, once I went on a Mazda forum to ask a simple question about putting my RX-7 back on the road and some regular jumped up and accused me of being a troll. Since then I give folks the benefit of doubt and answer their questions if possible.

I will admit, however, that the thread initiator's question does strain credulity of those of us with many years of experience in this area.

If he really likes his pickup he should get someone to fix it.

Bob Palmieri

[David Schwab]

I will admit, however, that the thread initiator's question does strain credulity of those of us with many years of experience in this area.

Well when you get statements saying that the factory pickups are better than the after market pickups, even though they are both made at the same time at the same place, kind of shows a lack of reasoning.

The short piece of coax attached to the pickup will not sound any different from 4-conductor cable.

I think we can all assure the OP that you can have a Shaw or T-Top or even PAF rewound by a competent winder and it will sound like the stock pickup.

[Alan0354]

Oh please! There's nothing special about Gibson pickups. Any Duncan generally sounds better.

I've rewound Gibson pickups back to stock specs and they sound the same as they did stock (maybe better).

The pickups in an '81 LP are probably the Shaw humbuckers. Not hard at all to rewind.

I was going to reply this but you take the words out of my mouth. I have the 75 Gibson Les Paul Standard. I thought the neck pup sound really bad. I switch it to Dimarzio DP151 PAF PRO and I thought it sounded so much better both in clean and distortion. I can actually hear the "Wah" sound that people talked about the PAF PRO. The split coil sound is very good too. There are so so many people thinking that vintage is better and keep trying to copy that. Little that they know people from those days really don't know much and they did it by hope or by crook.