• From: London, UK
  • Registered: 2011-04-01
  • Posts: 313

Topic: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

Hello

Is there anyone out there with a Les Paul containing 3 pickups? One bridge, one neck and another in between.

I was wondering what sort of sound the centre pickup made and how it would be compared to a normal Les Paul with 2.

Thanks

Xavier

Guitars:
Epiphone Les Paul Junior Black + Gold Hardware, PRS SE Santana Yellow, Ovation Double-Neck Semi-Acoustic, Ovation Celebrity CC44 Honeyburst, Gibson 2008 Les Paul Standard Heritage Cherry Sunburst (#10), Gibson Robot Les Paul Studio 2012 Limited, Gibson 1976 Les Paul Custom Heritage Cherry Sunburst
  • From: East Lancashire, UK
  • Registered: 2011-06-24
  • Posts: 3,019

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

Ask Peter Frampton he's been using one for the last 40 years.

Come on the Blades (sorry Idolbone just had to borrow your line)
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

These days, I believe it's cosmetic. You really can't get any tones that can "kill a strat" without a six way switch. My Bumstead Custom SG has three pickups and a 6-way switch. It looks like a volume control... similar to what some PRS guitars have.

I can get strat tones with humbuckers but WAY BETTER and no hum.
1 bridge/ neck
2 bridge
3 bridge/middle
4 middle
5 middle/neck
6 neck

I'm not sure what you'd get out of a three humbucker lespaul with a standard 3 way switch

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Danville, IL
  • Registered: 2012-02-18
  • Posts: 458

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

Hang on just a bit and I'll tell you...

Was ready to order the Gibson Ace Frehley "Budokan" - triple pickup cherry burst - but it's such an exact replica that only the bridge pickup works (other two pickups are for letting smoke out).

I like cherry burst, and would like to have a triple pickup - but as much was I wanted to let smoke out of my guitar when i was 13, now that it's 33 years later I'm too old (and uncool?) to do that now, so i didn't order it.  Yeah, I know I could have re-wired the Gibby, but I do like to keep my guitars "stock"

Instead, ordered the Epiphone version - because all three pickups work - but its back ordered and expected to ship later this month.

So, like I said, hang on a bit and I'll tell you! smile

kestrou

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

Frampton has his wired differently then Stock Gibsons though.  He has a master volume and tone for the Bridge and the neck together and then a master volume and tone for the middle pickup if I'm not mistaken.  Normally Gibson has that pickup on all the time and when you turn the volume down on one all the way it will kill it for example:

Position 1 Bridge middle
Position 2 Bridge middle neck
position 3 Middle Neck.

So if your in position 1 and turn the bridge volume down it will make the volume go down on the middle just like if you had a 2 pickup guitar on posistion 2 and turned one down all the way.

Framptons goes like this:
position 1 Bridge with the option to blend in the middle or not at all
position 2 Bridge and Neck with the option to blend in the middle or not at all.
position 3 Neck with the option to blend in the middle or not at all.
and if his master volume on the bridge and neck are zero he still has the option for just the middle by itself, because its on a different circuit due to the fact its not wired into the 3 way toggle switch.

AD3THREE's Website

  • macg1
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

it sounds like a humbucker is placed in between the other two humbuckers.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
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7 Reply by xavier (edited by xavier 2012-03-14 13:19:34)

  • From: London, UK
  • Registered: 2011-04-01
  • Posts: 313

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

Thanks for the reply.

Frampton's Les Paul is actually why I brought this up. I haven't seen a Frampton Les Paul in a shop in a very long time, quite before I really got into guitars. So, now I've started getting into Peter Frampton and Humble Pie, I was curious as to what sort of sounds the centre pickup could create.

Thanks everyone.

Guitars:
Epiphone Les Paul Junior Black + Gold Hardware, PRS SE Santana Yellow, Ovation Double-Neck Semi-Acoustic, Ovation Celebrity CC44 Honeyburst, Gibson 2008 Les Paul Standard Heritage Cherry Sunburst (#10), Gibson Robot Les Paul Studio 2012 Limited, Gibson 1976 Les Paul Custom Heritage Cherry Sunburst
  • From: East Lancashire, UK
  • Registered: 2011-06-24
  • Posts: 3,019

Re: Comparing 3 humbuckers on a Les Paul to 2

Amazing that he was leant this guitar, I think on the third night of Humble Pie in San Francisco due to bad feedback from his guitar. He loved it so much he offered to buy it and amazingly the guy insisted he had it for nothing. I do know it is lightened and chambered.

Come on the Blades (sorry Idolbone just had to borrow your line)