Pickup recommendations for LP Custom

[Mr. Papa]

I have a '73 LPC with the stock T-Top pickups. I've tried different boutique PAF style pickup sets and came back to the T-Tops because I found the PAFs too muddy. You might try turning your volume controls down to 8.5 or 9 or dial down the tone controls to see if that cuts the 'thin' off the top.
But if what you're talking about is a lack of "body" in the mids, a Pearly Gates neck and Hades Gates bridge combo is something I've been considering to try.
There are a hundred answers to your question. The best one might be "just try stuff," or maybe even better, "wait a year and just play guitar before trying stuff."

 

[Athos]

The best one might be "just try stuff," or maybe even better, "wait a year and just play guitar before trying stuff."

Yep, it's only been three months since I brought the guitar home, so I'll give them more time. So far the small tweaks like changing to fifties wiring and adjusting the height have helped a bit. I think the only gripe I have at present is just a little lack of output from the bridge. I have to turn the gain up higher on the amp than I'd prefer to get the level of distortion I am after.

 

[Amp360]

I bought my LPC used and it came with Throwback pickups in it. The guitar played great and sounded nice acoustically, but plugged in sounded horrible. I sold those (quickly on Reverb) and put in a set of Antiquities and pocketed the difference, which got me the old knobs and poker chip the guitar was missing.

 

[Athos]

I played the LPC with its stock T-types for about 90 minutes at a rehearsal space yesterday, plugged straight in to a 100w JVM head and a 4x12. I played clean and low gain stuff a bit, but spent most of the time with the gain way up and the master at about 5, so pretty loud. No serious issues with feedback, but it would squeal a bit if I wasn’t careful about how I oriented the guitar in relation to the cab or got a bit too close. I’m no longer worried about unpotted humbuckers.

Pretty fun! They are good pickups. I still wish the bridge pickup had a little more output though.

 

[Gridlock]

I am a big fan Gibson Burstbusters and Custombuusters.

 

[Athos]

I flipped the magnet in the neck pickup today. Turns out there is some wax in there after all! Not much, just a bit. Never opened up a pickup before, but it was a pretty simple job.

I had to re-learn how to get those "Greeny" tones though. Seems to work best with both volume knobs below ten, and close to each other but not exactly matched. If both are set to ten, you get the out-of-phase sound, but drop either one just a tad and it's gone. Much easier to work with if both knobs are closer to the middle of their range. Using the tone knobs adds more variation. Lots to play with here!

It might just be the amount of time that's passed since I last played a pickup set like this, but there doesn't seem to be as much character as I remember. A little plainer sounding. Possibly because the T-types are so closely matched, whereas before I had two PAF style pickups with a greater difference between them (both magnets and output).

 

[Mr. Papa]

It might just be the amount of time that's passed since I last played a pickup set like this, but there doesn't seem to be as much character as I remember. A little plainer sounding. Possibly because the T-types are so closely matched, whereas before I had two PAF style pickups with a greater difference between them (both magnets and output).

I’ve had a similar experience. I think the T is great in the neck but lacks some push in the bridge. I asked a well regarded pickup winder to overwind a spare T for me to try to get better balance with my neck pickup, but it didn’t sound right to me, just more of the things about the T that I don’t like versus what a good, low-wind PAF style pickup might do.
But T’s have their own strengths vs. PAFs. I wonder if a magnet swap in the T bridge might add a little something that’s missing?

 

[RJLII]

I have ‘57 classics in my 2004 LPC. Mine is all mahogany for what that’s worth. They sound pretty good. No plans to do anything with them.

 

[Wilko]

I've owned the old customs before, and they NEED hotter pickups. That's why so many were changed.

I know I'll get a lot of crap, but the Super Distortion from Dimarzio is a great pickup in a real 70's LPC. Probably great in the new ones too.

 

[Subliminal lanimilbuS]

I see it mentioned, but get yourself a pickup with an alnico II magnet. Alnico V pickups are generally brighter than alnico II pickups. A good choice would be Seymour Duncan APH-1 or APH-2. APH-2 is a bit hotter, but not that much.