The SECRET to '59 Les Paul Tone? | Friday Fretworks

[@downsideup119]

Chris Buck is one of the grooviest guitarists with a totally unique style and insane technical ability. Legend.

[@StringBender]

That Wizz pickup in the bridge sounds incredible. Much more clarity and aggressiveness.

[@THEItchybruddah]

Usually these type of things delve into “cork sniffer” territory but, as I’m folding laundry and have nothing better to do than shut up and listen, after a number of the “both pickup” examples went by I was semi-shocked at the realization that YES the Throbak critters DID complement each other and not “compete” with one another. I’m almost in the same situation as yourself as I have an Edwards example with the Page wiring setup. I’m quite happy with the pickups but, I’m in need of a neck reset and want to replace the bridge, thumbscrews and tailpiece with more period correct components (brass thumbscrews etc) As always, I show up for the “check up from the neck up” for the phrasing reminders. You have a lovely sense of implying breathing, which of course most guitarists are guilty of the “never ending lung capacity” phenomenon. Thanks for the inspiration from Tennessee.

[@yannick2047]

The amount of expression this guy can achieve with his bends and vibrato is just insane!

[@jguitarlton]

Exactly what I was thinking! One of the craziest and most expressive players I’ve seen. I can only hope some of it rubs off onto me! Everything he does sounds inspired. And to me that’s where it’s at

[@zandig666]

Yep christ does a lot of bending where I don't bend so a semi tone I'm going for it

[@57stratkat]

Chris is the best, most expressive guitarist I have heard in a long, long time.

[@GracesGarden80]

Every week, just the intros alone blow me away. The melody, technique, textures, sonics and emotion are superb. I could listen to Chris all day. America may have Vai, Satch, Bonamassa and Mayer but we in the UK however have the humble and soulful Buck and that’s just fine with me 😊 Keep up the great work Chris!

[@greham]

Any love for that fuzzy tone in the intro jam? Best crunch tone I've heard in a while.

[@bldlightpainting]

I liked the sound of your original pickups better than the throbak ones, as they sounded darker and flatter with less character and high frequency transient peaks.

[@FreeSpeechWarrior]

Totally agree.

[@rob3568]

No way, the throbak’s sound so much better

[@Sean0780]

My thoughts exactly! The Wizz in the bridge is a little honey bee! The dry Z has become a legend in its own right for a reason.

[@UltraV13]

The originals sounded better to me, the Throwbacks seem slightly hotter and I didn't like the way the low frequencies interacted; but its hard to tell with the YT audio compression.

[@SIXSTRING63]

I agree! The original pickups had more clarity and chime. The throbaks sounded like the strings had a hair tie back on the strings choking the top end.

[@jasonhemp5747]

I have to say- - while they are both very good - to me I thought the dry-z / whiz setup was a bit better- especially if clarity was what you are after.

[@marshallmattson6549]

agree

[@ibaneztubescreamer]

Dry Z was wizzing all over the competition.

[@samj.6867]

I preferred the brighter tone of the Dry Z and Wizz.

[@kotaibushi940]

I absolutely agree.

[@keyoguitar]

@@kotaibushi940 Me too.

[@lynyrddeville]

The Throbaks sounded plain dull to me. Not woodier, just muddier

[@samj.6867]

@@lynyrddeville Exactly!

[@wmralder]

Back to back, I prefer the Dry Z and the Wizz. They're more projecting. Of course I don't know what the sound is that you're looking for.

[@leetownsend]

Through the entirety of the pickup comparison, I was thinking exactly what you said about there being a definite woody texture to the sound. I completely agree with your summary.

[@gpu213]

I agree that having both the wizz and the dry z do have a sound of fighting each other, but overall i preferred the dry z to the throbaks and would try getting a second dry z if they arent too expensive

[@Guitar5986]

I've been down this road with many early 80's Japanese copy guitars. For the hardware go with the Faber metric ABR-1 bridge w/ the nickel plated brass thumbwheels and the Faber aluminum tailpiece. But, you may not actually need to change your tailpiece if it is already aluminum. If the tailpiece weighs around 25-32 grams & isn't magnetic then you are good to leave it in place. You also need to put a magnet to your tailpiece bushings and studs to make sure they are steel and not zinc or brass. If they are not steel they won't be magnetic & you should definitely change them out for more accurate Faber steel bushings/studs. Another thing that you may or may not want to get into is the bridge posts. Most likely what you have in the guitar are steel, but the originals used nickel plated brass. There are no metric sized brass posts available so you can either plug the holes and retap for imperial sized brass posts or you can buy a metric plain brass rod with the correct threads and cut your own. I did the latter. The post change is extremely subtle though and might not be worth getting into unless you just enjoy tinkering. I've gone back and forth in a few guitars between steel and brass and overall preferred brass BUT it's not a big enough difference to warrant the effort for most people. Nobody makes dead accurate copies of the vintage hardware these days. Faber is the closest but it's still a different ratio of metals and sizes compared to the originals. 8 Bomb Custom is working on recreating the original hardware composition but they aren't going to be done anytime soon. Also, those might not end up being available in metric sizes. Good luck man. In the end, you probably can make some subtle improvements but don't expect it to fully match an original.

[@eddiejr540]

Damn... I thought I was a guitar nerd, but you got me beat!!!!!

[@Guitar5986]

@@eddiejr540 lol yeah...it's pretty bad

[@neve4020]

Have you seen this vid of the guy doing this to his les Paul’s…his guitars sound like real bursts xD

[@Guitar5986]

@@neve4020 The SD Pickups videos? The changes definitely make an improvement. I've done these mods to 4 high end Japanese replicas from the lawsuit era. They all sound great especially with ReWind Pickups or Dry Z's but none of them compare to my '53 Goldtop. A good original is an extra 5-10% that you just can't get elsewhere.

[@jasonjenkins7825]

Nickel-plated brass-- this is a thing with Strats, too, that few people talk about. True vintage Kluson tuners have nickel-plated brass posts and brass internals, and this changes the tone slightly. These are available for Gibsons and Fenders from Montreaux Japan, and the Gotoh 510 unstaggered Klusons have brass posts (but not the washer inside). Also-- and not that it matters much unless you are a total geek-- unlike virtually all modern ones, the Strat jackplate on vintage instruments is chromed brass and not steel, which you can check with a magnet.

[@kotaibushi940]

Dude… the Dry Z and Wizz combo sound SIGNIFICANTLY better. Like, it’s extremely apparent to me, at least via this KZbin video. It’s kind of night and day, to be honest. The Throbacks are less dynamic and have less range, to my ears at least.

[@Old_Sailor85]

Agreed.

[@mikenorman6697]

As far as the sound coming off the KZbin video is concerned - I totally agree with you. The Throbacks sound woolly and uninspiring to my ears. Maybe it sounded different in the room??

[@GeoffSweet]

You are 100% spot on mate!.

[@DMSProduktions]

I'd THRO them bak!

[@shot8unshot8un75]

Agreed! 👍🏼

[@samj.6867]

Love watching the intros. Lots of technique tips there. Excellent hybrid pick technique!

[@denniscullen8528]

Good video!The 500K audio taper pots are the secret sauce that most people don't know about.All the '57s were 5000 turns on each coil,which was one of standards had to have to apply for the patent.From '57 to '60 the coils were wound by machines using timers.When the timer went off,they finished the coil.This is why all these pickups sound slightly different!Throbacks are a good choice they are put together in the same way.

[@Ibanezmusic1]

I just bought a 68 reissue yesterday and you inspired me to go the p90 route! Thanks!

[@paultownsend6043]

That dry Z to my ears was the best by far, I'd be looking for a bridge pickup to complement it if it was my guitar.

[@Brownalebelly]

Your solos are just so fucking brilliant! I can't get enough of them.

[@guyroger4131]

Keep it clean.

[@paulhunter3247]

I never know which hand to look at when watching Chris play! One is as fascinating as the other! Serious talent!!

[@iDominic42]

Hi Chris - love the guitar playing, as always But.... Just looking at those videos comparing the pickup sets. the first thing you probably need to do is measure the string height about the pickups, before you make the swap, and then set the replacement pickups at the same height You have the throbak neck pickup (at least) a lot closer to the strings Look at the clips around about 8mins 50 in . The neck pickup of the original set is almost flush with the pickup surround, the throbak is a couple of mm up from that So perhaps one of the first changes you might have made is - rather than replace the pickups - set the heights of the pickups? Just a thought.....

[@Deliquescentinsight]

The mystique of the fine details. I have found that with recording music, you can attain very interesting and good results from the most surprising sources, using cheap instruments very well for instance you don't always get a guaranteed better result from expense. I like the Wizz PU's

[@medinad001]

Can't wait to see the difference in changing the bridge and tailpiece. I've upgraded the pots and pickups in 2 of my Les Paul's that made incremental improvements. Not sure if the slight improvement in tone was worth the $$$.

[@Mikelennon78]

Love whatever you were playing, in the intro.

[@sarjialdana7098]

Been wanting this for a while now. Thank you, Chris! Cheers to the new Cardinal Black EP! 🎊

[@jimtalbott5218]

No high end on the Throbaks. Didn't sound as good on the clean tones but had a nice tone on the overdrive. The Wizz was super bright but cut through the mix in a way the others didn't. The Dry Z sounded good playing a clean tone or overdriven. Always enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.

[@MRTHUDTV]

Looking forward to the next instalment in this series Chris. PS... fantastic playing. You get my vote for best new (to me anyway!) guitarist.

[@johnmac8084]

For my taste, to be brutally honest, the Throbacks sounded muddy compared to the old ones, which had more bite & clarity to me. Having said that, they all sounded good, especially in your hands Chris.

[@xblinketx]

I agree, but there is nothing brutal about it. The things are as they are, not as we'd like them to be.

[@bensepulveda71]

I perceived the same thing. “Preferred” tone is something very subjective and I can see why Chris would like the more “woodsy” character of the Throbacks, but for my ears, the best tones I heard were coming out of the Wizz. Regardless, Mr. Buck can make a broom handle with a pair of magnets and some chicken wire sound amazing.

[@dobster5819]

Very good description of the Throbacks I agree with muddy.

[@jorgesilva5004]

I agree with John, in particular in the neck with overdrive. The tone comes 99% from the player.

[@Eric_K_Sr]

100% agree.

[@deathorglory7843]

What a intro man, sounds wonderful, i really love it

[@stuartgoodwinart]

As usual your playing is INCREDIBLE. I preferred your old pups because I like a brighter tone. But very close!

[@stickman55100]

So interesting each pickup has its own distinctive sound. The Z’s have a great clarity, but the Throwbaks have a gritty broad frequency sound with more overtones that are so great! If you’re still looking for more choices, try the Cream T Whiskerbucker pickups; totally incredible.

[@fernandes5986]

I loved the Trobacks . Thanks for your superb playing.

[@johnnytopshot2073]

I agree, the Throbaks sound darker, muddier, less defined than the Wizz/Dry Z combination, more so than with the 300k pots in my opinion. Seem to have gone backwards with this sorry Chris.

[@mikenorman6697]

Totally agree!

[@rcameron4091]

Great video and playing . Enjoyed it

[@TweedToneKing]

I was very surprised that the Throbaks didn’t sound brighter. They also seemed slightly quieter, but did have a character that to my ears seemed quite authentic and desirable. I put Pete Thorn, Suhr Thornbucker PAF’s in my 2017 LP Standard with a 21 Tone Jimmy Page wiring kit from Jonesy Blues and it’s sounds incredible! Closest tone I’ve heard to an original Paul from the 50’s-60’s era. Great playing as usual and nice thorough comparison. Thanks Chris.

[@olric63]

I would also recommend the Suhr Thornbuckers. I put them in my 1983 Burny Les Paul, and they sound marvelous.

[@pappyodanial]

Had so many 80's guitars. At the end of the day I found the Tim shaws to be closest to a PAF a lot more so than my DRY Z's and Dry 82s but I found so much depends on the body wood. It has to be old light dry Honduran IMO. It has a clarinet like mid range that no other wood has especially African hog.

[@gbarge4]

Thanks, Chris. I'm a huge fan and always enjoy your comparisons. Impeccably fair. There are always so many variables, even when changing out only one component at a time. I asked Heritage to make a Les Paul style and put in ThroBak KZ115 pickups. It sounds great but probably because it went straight to a brilliant tech who set it up according to his decades of experience. So I guess this is a shout out to great techs, who are truly indispensable. Cheers, Chris.

[@viper2148]

Usually, I just skip past the self-indulgent intros, but this bro' is someone altogether different than the rest.

[@scottmoreau5630]

I am getting excited to hear how you are digging the Pro Reverb as your main amp!

[@allphase]

What amp is Chris’s playing through?

[@sjazzp]

This is the kind of experiment I wanted to see for a while as I always get confused with so many pickups out there, yes, my ears are not so trained but videos like this educates me, so thank you Chris. I miss my Les Paul Special but now I’m getting into guitar again with a nice Revstar.

[@bradleyshuppert3393]

Only Richie Kotzen could play it like this without a pick…. Damn man!! Awesome beautiful phrasing and touch!!! Makes us all want to practice more!! Nice work young man!!

[@jimmccanna]

To my old ears - the Throbaks had a rather large mid-range hump with a bit of thickness compared to the DryZ and Wizz.

[@archstanton3763]

I like your playing a LOT ! I hear many influences including possibly John Squire. Yet you still sound like you, fantastic !

[@MrIzzyStewart]

Hiya Chriss I have a 58 replical Gibson Lp, I have the 50s wiring which puts the tone pots after the volume in the signal and i fitted paper in oil capacitors 0015mf neck and 022mf bridge, transformed the guitar it now blooms like it should. Good luck Ian

[@guitarsandstuffwithstevela1541]

Try some Kinman 59's. Custom maker in Australia. Tim Pierce demonstrates a set on one of his videos about pickups.

[@breadzeppelin2705]

please make a video where you talk about the gear you started with and all the changes you made to your rig to end up with the setup you use today.

[@pablokagioglu2546]

I heard the same thing as you Chris. They sound “woodier” or more “dry” and “papery” (that’s what I call the P90 quality in the mids) however, the top end is rolled off somewhat on the TBs compared to the previous pickups. Maybe you can add it back in the amp.

[@eddiejr540]

Agreed!!!!

[@hellboy6381]

CB is such an unbelieveable guitarplayer. Everytime I listen, I am speachless....

[@williamsimanjuntak5263]

Marvelous video as always, Chris. But I have to say, all the opinions and discussions that your viewers share in the comment section give a very wholesome vibe. Guitar players all around sharing their thoughts and experiences like people would on old internet forums and stuff like that. Lovely little community you've put together here, Chris.

[@douglasstaggs6796]

Beautiful phrasing, and the tone is reminiscent of my having blasted tunes despite hangovers...

[@jltrem]

The Throbaks are significantly softer. I always heard the early Les Paul sound described as a Tele on steroids. Not how I hear the Throbaks.

[@albertmoore5639]

I remember that from the Rickenbacker video. Love it on both the Les Paul and the Rick

[@Buc27blount]

Another great Chris Buck video. He is an amazing player. I have been a subscriber for the past year and he has taught me a lot. That Granger Burst Les Paul is like Stradivarius

[@gernotboesser6901]

What a lovely being this guy is 🙏

[@iDominic42]

To add to my earlier comment about pickups heights, Gibson recommend pressing the string down at the last fret, and then setting the distance from the string to the pickup of 3/32 inch between neck pickup and strings and 1/16 inch between bridge pickup and strings I think Guitarist Magazine, for whom you were asked to play those original '59 bursts use those measurements as a "standard", too

[@iDominic42]

... and Gibson add that those are a good base to start your experiments at...

[@PandaGlass]

Incredible playing!

[@chrishuff1419]

Wait a minute...I've heard that opening solo before

[@AKJordansKids2009]

Very nice. I just picked up a 1980 Tokai LS-80 so I really appreciate the video. Great player playing a great guitar. Cheers!

[@lizojunior2181]

The intro jamm was super good!

[@treetopher9342]

Also Faber makes conversion bridges that sound great and really close to vintage. Warm and clear with plenty of sustain and vibration. Also worth a consideration in my opinion.

[@springboard8558]

Yep--I come to Chris's channel to learn from the master just how important the right hand really is, and he has great content too!

[@WillWorth]

Thanks, as always, for sharing your knowledge.

[@dragan4658]

The comparison of these pickups was informative and gives options to upgrading pickups in an Epi or Gibson Les Paul and definately a noticeable change in to tonality. Thanks for sharing!

[@seabass3373]

Love this series!

[@bnastali]

Love your HUGE tone...different every time you post.

[@ewoe21]

Great video. 3 great sounds. At the end of the day, I’m so glad I put MoJo tone 59’ Clone pickups with the Mojo Tone wiring harness with bumblebee caps.

[@zandig666]

Great playing Chris !!!!!! Thanks !!

[@kenimiller3896]

The Throbaks make it sound like you are playing with really old strings.

[@MichaelMoore-od4jz]

great video it answered a lot of questions i had thanks

[@angusmackay7281]

You can definitely hear that the p'ups that were in the guitar aren't a matched set, as Chris said. However, to my ear at least the guitar had much more character and clarity before the Throbaks were added. It sounds more generic now. Incredible playing, as always.

[@bobdelellis]

I agree with BLD Lightpainting. I was amazed how much like an acoustic the originals sounded in the middle postion. An electric being able to emulate the sound of an acoustic makes a guitar very versatile. That's why my main guitar is a Music Man JP15 with the Fishman transducer pickups. The Dimarzio pickups in the JP15 can not do what the pickups in Chris's Greco can. The Z and Wizz were more open and articulate. The Throbacks had more mids (or less highs) and had that "blanket over the speaker cabinet" sound. For me that was a downgrade and actaully made me go search Reverb for a set of Dry Zs. I'm actually quite shocked. Oh, BTW, amazing playing as always, Chris.

[@kevinbridger2989]

Fwoarrr...lets 'av it Chris! See you and Cardinal Black on the road soon butty!!🤟✌👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

[@Rooster7six]

Great vid! I’ve been wanting to try the throwbaks but Bkp mules are amazing

[@stevestoehr6432]

The Throbaks sounded darker. Personally preferred the Dry Z and Wiz

[@keithhuckabee9859]

I recently purchased a 2004 Epiphone 56 gold top with P90 pickups. This guitar is impressive, killer tone. I won't change a thing on this guitar.

[@psycodelek]

I love the whizz pickup myself. I don`t know if you can turn it back with the tone knob to get the lower end of the sund you were getting with the throbak but the treblhy high end is something I`d want along with the "woody" sound you were I think referring to? The high end on that was killer

[@ESANANIKONE]

Hope you are going to do that for Strat and telly too.

[@rockstarr9000]

Gorgeous playing

[@like2view]

I didn't read all the responses but like many others I also felt the dynamic of the older setup was better... but it's your guitar. You noted the differences, and I agree were "subtle" and I believe "woody" was an adjective... I might say mellow. If you feel you're moving in the right direction for the sound you heard and want to replicate than please keep going. Good luck with the bridge et al mods. Love your playing BTW

[@toadnewt62]

Chris, to my ears it seemed that you are on to a winner with the original pickups - the new ones made some difference, but I preferred the old ones. The bridge and neck sounds contrast more with each other in the old set, but in a good way I think.

[@theryanthiggins]

Great video! From the sound of it, I'd bet you have pot metal bridge saddles. Try a bridge with brass saddles like the vintage ABR-1 has. It will add that bit of sparkle on the top that I'll bet you are looking for. Swapping out the Nashville bridge with pot metal saddles for a Kluson with brass saddles made a noticeable difference on my Les Paul. Kluson is making great bridges and tailpieces now. They probably have one that fits your guitar.

[@martinrhodes1619]

Wow - those different pots are night and day!

[@gitmantube]

Honestly, quite Hard to believe that these were actually genuine Throwback pups - my friend's LP really came alive when he put in a pair, no more muddiness , all the transparency and dynamic response were there, a success across the Board.

[@jedfiekel9809]

The bridge, saddle shape, aluminum tailpiece and the POSTS will make an insane difference towards the burst sound. You need to look into a four uncles bridge 1st choice, or a faber bridge 2nd choice.

[@flyhigh6591]

you no it.

[@anthonycorbett6247]

The ThroBacks are well balanced individually and as a pair. While smoother and not as forward/aggressive sounding as the Dry Z and Wizz, I appreciate the natural response and refined clarity of the ThroBaks.

[@karllongbottomguitars9192]

Sounded to my ears that the amp needed re setting to suit the thro backs

[@ianbrailsford5843]

It's a war of inches but that Wizz bridge pickup seems more like it to me.

[@IamtheActionman]

Greco/Maxon DRY Z for the win

[@ronsummers4090]

I have a 77 custom that I’m very happy with. Thanks for the topic.

[@muse-mech-moda]

So, 99% of people think that the Throwbacks are not the best pickups here today.

[@drayve8590]

Just goes to show that EVERY guitar is different, and what sounds great in one, does not mean it will make the next guitar sound great too. Maybe there’s some marketing shenanigans going on with Throbak!😎😉

[@HotBadBoyMagnifico]

They sounded horrible

[@TheLovewhite]

just gets better every friday xx

[@chrislestermusic]

At the risk of whacking a hornet’s nest, before swapping pickups, a cheaper and very effective way to fine tune pickups is with the volume/tone pots. Try different ones (generally 500k are used for humbuckers but if you want more or less treble you can use different ratings.) Also, 50s wiring will make a huge difference if you’re trying to get a more classic tone. People tend to go straight for a pickup swap but it isn’t always necessary. Plus its much cheaper to change pots and wiring.

[@jonesyfromtheblock9635]

Yes! Great series!!

[@spideymarino]

Great video. I changed the hardware on a couple of Gibson USA standards from the early 2000s to Faber aged nickel parts to look more vintage and was surprised by the improvement in tone. Much brighter, livelier and open sounding. More like vintage LP tones than darker 90s LP tones. They look great too.

[@dannyelam1631]

Always tasty chops!

[@blakespurlock5322]

Ive changed out the tailpiece anchors, studs, bridge posts and bridge on both of my Greco super Reals to vintage correct materials and lengths. I have to say it made a bigger difference than the myriad of pickup swaps I’ve done in both guitars. It took some surgery, but I found it well worth it.

[@Sams911]

I tried those new $1000 Gibson '59 pickup and won't line... they are the best sounding "new" Gibson pickups I've ever heard.

[@RichieSelmo]

Hello, I heard you say that you had a 2001 Les Paul but that you were trying to avoid the the neck pickup because it was so muddy. I have a 2001 and the same thing happens to me, when I have to use it I adjust the amp so that the neck pickup sounds good and then I lower the tone of the bridge one to my liking so that it sounds good in relation to the neck. Have you tried doing that with your 2001? Or did you not do it for some reason that escapes me at the moment? Greetings from Spain

[@animoceria]

Very instructive Video about Sound and Colours. I like the Throbacks a little bit more, they seem to be a little bit softer, but subtile with clear heights. The Dry Z are louder with more upper midrange, sounding a hint more "ordinary".