GFS Mean 90's

[Rickenjangle]

I just ordered a pair of these on the spur of the moment - to put in my ESP LTD EC256 Goldtop. It sounds great on its own but is a bit too fat and perhaps not as clear as I'd like - it gets lost in a 4-piece band. So, it's a cheap way to spruce up an already-nice guitar.

[Russ]

cool lets us know how that goes please. I have been thinking the same for a Epi LP I have.

[Rickenjangle]

I dropped off my guitar with my tech on Saturday. It might be a couple weeks depending on his busy-ness...

[Russ]

I dropped off my guitar with my tech on Saturday. It might be a couple weeks depending on his busy-ness...

A couple of weeks thats like a couple of decades in fourm life lets us know please

[thegeezer]

I like Gold Tops with good pickups, I hope the pickups add what you are looking for.

[thegeezer]

I listened to them on YouTube, I think the tone is very usable.

[Rickenjangle]

I got my guitar back with 'em on Saturday - but have only been able to log about 40 minutes on 'em, played quiet and clean.

First impression is that I'm gonna like these puppies.

I'm gigging the guitar this weekend, then I'll really know what those pickups can do...

[Kap'n]

Excellent!

Nearly completely off topic, but how did your TV Jones transplant work?

[Rickenjangle]

I didn't do that one yet. Gonna do it but I have not circled back around to Andy's store since Fairport Canal Days and he was (understandably) busy that day with his "Fab Gear" stage...

[mmcquain]

RickenJ - I'm looking for P90 pups (humbucker sized) to put into my Les Paul Custom. I've been leaning towards the Fralin P92 but I'm really interested in the GFS if they do a decent job since they are a much better $ for my wallet. How noisey are the GFS pups? The Fralins are supposed to be hum cancelling quiet.

Here's the type of Les Paul tone I'm hoping to get...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw5jFbholCM

[NeoFauve]

Is that even plausible, when you factor in the maple top, ebony board and big inlay blocks?
It's structurally quite different than a mahogany slab body, rosewood board and little dots, which are probably relatively invisible, sonically speaking.

[mmcquain]

Is that even plausible, when you factor in the maple top, ebony board and big inlay blocks?
It's structurally quite different than a mahogany slab body, rosewood board and little dots, which are probably relatively invisible, sonically speaking.

I can kinda' see your point. There are differences between the P90 Les Paul Studio I sold and the Les Paul Custom I'm looking to modify.

Les Paul 60 Tribute Studio...




Les Paul Custom I am wanting to upgrade the pickups in...




BUT there are great examples of Les Paul Customs with P90 pickups that sound more like I'm looking for...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brd_itLEz-0 (great example!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyoqVMye134

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfEDq0rFzgY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9wvTHcngg8

[Russ]

Cool thanks for the word on them .

[Rickenjangle]

I can tell you they're not dead quiet...

The way my guitar is wired I've got hum cancelling in the middle position.

My gut feeling is that they're not quite as nice as a boutique set - I know that Duncan makes a set but they're more than twice the cost...Phat Cats I believe.

[Gravity Jim]

I can't quite discern what those five clips have in common, tonally. Sounds like five very different sounds to me.

But if I wanted to sound like that Larry Carlton clip (and I do), I wouldn't be shopping for bargain pickups. I'd buy Larry's "335 Blues" instruction course.

[Rickenjangle]

Mike, I would never, ever, ever do anything to that beautiful LP Custom that you have! :)

I swapped the pickups in a $350 ESP LTD Goldtop knockoff...one of my 'small club, drunks dancing too close, gig' guitars...

Jim, I can totally see that - if you want to SOUND like LC (or, in my case, like Setzer or Knopfler, or Gilmour, or Beck, or whomever - learn to PLAY like them...and the rest will follow, Grasshopper. :)

[DanD]

Mike, I would never, ever, ever do anything to that beautiful LP Custom that you have! ...

Jim, I can totally see that - if you want to SOUND like LC ... - learn to PLAY like them...and the rest will follow, ...

+1

The P90 Studio you had or a LP Special would fill the bill, with lots o'practice!

Ever notice that Gregor sounds like Gregor (and sounds great to boot) no matter what he plays?

[Gravity Jim]

+1

The P90 Studio you had or a LP Special would fill the bill, with lots o'practice! :

Exactly. if you couldn't get there with that perfectly serviceable P90'ed LP you bought and sold, then butchering the pretty one isn't gonna do it.

Because I know a P90 sounds a lot different that a bucker or Strat pickup... but still, "it ain't the shoes, Mars."

[mmcquain]

I would love to have kept the LP Studio but I sold it to help pay for getting the Custom back (not because I didn't like the sound). Anyway, I've been talking to Lindy Fralin and I think his P92 set may be exactly what I'm looking for so I'm going to give them a try I think. That will still keep the Custom looking nice (no wood cutting, etc.). I'll let you all know how it turns out.

p.s. Yes, the clips were somewhat different tone-wise. I like bits and pieces of each (not exact reproduction of any particular one). I just already have a humbucker sound I'm happy with in my CS-356 and now that I've sold my P90 Studio and my Strat I'm just looking for something different with the Custom.

But you're right, it ain't just about the pickups, it's the player that makes a lot of the tone on all of those clips (e.g., Larry always sounds like Larry and Gregor always sound like himself, etc.).

[NeoFauve]

I can't quite discern what those five clips have in common, tonally. Sounds like five very different sounds to me.

The take away could be that it's possible to get a bunch of different sounds from a given very well known type guitar with a very well known type of pickup.

[Gris]

Love the Mean 90 in bridge, not so much in neck. Dream 90 is great in neck, as is his alnico II... ; )

[Rickenjangle]

I like the bridge M90 better, too.

Overall, the new pickups added a lot of usefulness to this guitar, but I think I'm gonna need to get the middle position rewired because it's too polite...and as for the coil tap switching tone pot, it of course has no usefulness now, so I wonder if I could set it up as a series/parallel. But in general, these pickups are an improvement over the stock Duncan-designed pickups the guitar came with.

[Offshore Angler]

'Jangle, did you change the pots? I find with P90's a 300K pot works better, adding a little depth and girth while still keeping the clarity. I'm guessing you have 500K's in there originally?

[Rickenjangle]

Chuck, I'm gonna give you the guitar and have you rewire it. You are the tonemeister after all...I don't *do* guitar wiring 'cause I'm a

I didn't have John Bucci (at the Music Store) change the pot.

It's an ESP LTD EC256 goldtop with the relic'ing - all mahogany and a very nice player. Probably had a cheap 500K pot or more...plus, the tone pot is as I've said - a push/pull. I'd love for it to be a series/parallel, or a blower circuit...something.