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Gibson Les Paul Junior Pickup/Bridge Placement

glassbottomboat

New member
Joined
Dec 6, 2022
Messages
1
Hello!
I have a newbie question about pickup placement/bridge on the Gibson Les Paul Juniors, if anybody could help me.
Has anybody played the current production Original series Juniors and also vintage 57 or reissues, and can tell me please if there is noticeable difference in tone between the two because of the distance between the pickup and the bridge? I am unfortunately unable to test any of those guitars. Thank you!
 

58fan

New member
Joined
Mar 21, 2022
Messages
10
There is a noticeable difference. Not night and day but noticeable. I just bought the USA model for that reason. It is positioned like the 1956 and earlier LPJ, ala Leslie West.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
No, the bridge has the vintage slant on Historic. The pickup is not in the early pre 57 placement but the post 56. The USA uses the post 64 straight mount with " Lightning Bolt ", intonation raised saddle ridge. I own multiple vintage Jrs and Melody Makers as well as the USA versions Singlecut and SG, (an excellent Jr btw), and though there is a slight difference in tone on pre 1957 Jrs due to the closer pickup to bridge placement, I cannot tell or detect any noticeably different tone between slant bridge and straight bridge versions, post 57, vintage or modern, due to it.

Wood, neck joint, hardware and the pickup itself can all effect tone and in judgement of pickup/bridge relationship, it is overall harmonic content, the general voice that is revealed, discounting the filtering effects and specific voice presented by any individual guitar. I find they do possess a remarkably similar voice in contrast to the closer pre 57 pickup placement.
At least too my ears. Some others may hear more than I, I do not claim to have bat ears. Maybe bat face.
 

KoP

Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2016
Messages
62
I currently have a 2019 Gibson USA Junior and used to have a 2007 CS Special. The Special’s P-90 placement was modeled off the 1950’s Special and was set away towards the neck a little more than the newish Junior I own. It also had more of a slant.

I do find that the closer bridge placement on the newer Junior has a brighter sound. The pickup is hearing the string vibrations closer to the bridge. It has a little bit of that sound when you pick a string too closely to the bridge; tinny is the way I describe it. Not a lot, but it’s there. That can be good or bad depending on what you want the guitar to sound like. The Special didn’t have this same tone since the bridge was further away from the pup. It was a little thicker sounding, imo.

I do wish that Gibson would go with the further from the bridge P-90 placement on all these Juniors, alas…
 
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