How to get a GREAT Les Paul Neck Tone!

[@JackFossett]

Check out Les Pauls on Zzounds! www.zzounds.com/a--3985805/prodsearch?q=les+paul&key=q&form=search < thats an affiliate link, and if you shop through it you support my channel at no extra cost to you!

[@simonwhalley1743]

I completely agree about lowering the neck pickup. I had a great guitar tech set up my new Murphy Lab 09 Les Paul. I got the guitar back with the neck pick-up lowered past the surround. It absolutely sang when I played it. Before the setup the neck position sounded far too muddy on the lower strings. Dialling in the amp to the neck pickup also makes a whole lot of sense. The tone knobs on a Les Paul is where the magic happens. I think a lot of people whack them up to 10 and hope for the best. If you watch people like Joe Bonamassa playing live he’s constantly adjusting both tone and volume knobs, maybe dozens of times during a song.

[@LPManic]

Middle is where the magic is on a Les Paul.

[@ConcezioPellegrini]

100 % CORRECT.

[@JE-western-rider]

The middle position shows the skill of the guitarist. Does the person know how to use the two volume and two tone controls. Back in the day, local music stores sold Gibson and Fender guitars. I was taking lessons when I bought my first Gibson, an ES125 double pickup guitar [ and I wish I still had it ]. My teacher spent a lesson showing me how to get diffent sounds by using the toglge switch and the controls.

[@TheHumbuckerboy]

@@JE-western-rider Sounds like you had a knowledgeable teacher.

[@waitaminute7257]

Neck

[@mikedwiles]

I like your idea of dialing in the amp for the neck pickup. While my example is not quite the same, I have an Eastman T386 which is their basic 335 style guitar. Been playing it for awhile, adjusting the pickups, trying various approaches. But never got happy with the neck pickup. Bought a used set of Gibson Burstbucker 1 and 2. Bought the braided wire, pots, and caps and built a new loom and replaced the pickups. Spent the entire day on Friday doing that. The change was dramatic. It is so much brighter and defined. It sounds wonderful. I can actually use the tone control now. I did 50's wiring and can now roll of the volume without it getting muffled.

[@johncooper16]

I also have a T386 and I did much the same. It now has a set of Monty's PAFs and 50's wiring. The difference from the Kent Armstrong stock pups is night and day.

[@peteglase]

I'm stoked to hear this because my Luthier is dropping a 50's wired Throbak pots, switch and input assy into my '03 Les Paul Std. next week.

[@johncooper16]

@@peteglase Nice. It should transform your sound. Good luck.

[@TheHalrobot]

I've been listening to all your videos for years, you're one of the best KZbinrs! And you're the one with the best neck pickup tone! Les Paul, SG, tele, your neck pickup sound is always perfect! You're 100% right about the Les Paul neck pickup, but you forgot the most important thing in my opinion, more important than changing pickups, is simply finding the right pick! I've changed the neck pickup on my SG so many times to find a sound I like, to get rid of the muddyness, and never succeeded. Until the day I changed my pick, another material, another thickness! It's a major change. We don't talk enough about the importance of the pick. And yes, your Les Paul Deluxe with the mini humbuckers sounds so good!

[@johndaugherty4127]

The best guitarist on the tube. And a generous man.

[@temujenbarca1284]

Good advice, Jack. I would only suggest a bit of a complementary advice of my own regarding lowering your neck pickup, which I am also a proponent; once the height of the neck pickup is in the right ballpark for you, you may want to start experimenting with the relative height of the pole screws... it's all a balance between p.u height, the height difference between the treble and bass sides, and the pole screws. Of course, 50's wiring with high quality (accurate...) components, the value of your caps in either position, the taper of your pots, etc...

[@DannyDKNYC]

I liked the opening guitar playing well done!

[@darenanderson1960]

I play on the bridge humbucker 90% of the time, so I prioritize the amp EQ for that pickup to sound its best. This video has lots of good ideas for getting a useable neck humbucker tone. I am curious to know if the Les Paul had been designed with the neck humbucker just a little closer to the bridge if it would have a slightly brighter tone, and help resolve some of these common complaints about being too muddy.

[@JackFossett]

Actually, this is a function of the Gibson SG - its hard to directly compare because the SG also doesn't have the maple top, but the neck pickup is set closer to the bridge than it is on a Les Paul. I've always felt the SG neck tone is a little pluckier and snappier that way, with less bass muffle.

[@darenanderson1960]

@@JackFossett Very interesting! I didn't know that about the SG.

[@thomasmetz3]

Great info! My 1994 LP Classic now has Seth Lover pickups, lowered, ‘50’s wiring. I’ve been using amp settings tuned to neck pickup & guitar volume & tone controls with pickups in middle position for years now. Main amps are Vox AC15-TBX & 6G3 Fender Deluxe (home built).

[@bobhufocm]

I 100% agree with pickup height adjustment.

[@Les537]

Lower the pole pieces. Like right down as far as they can go. It will cause that coil to mostly stop picking up sound. It will remove your mud, but also some volume. Raise the screws back up to taste. I don't know why more people don't know this.

[@mikeyohe4750]

Lee Roy Parnell gets a great Les Paul tone and he lowers his pickup pole pieces dramatically.

[@josephcorcoran8714]

Use Lust for Tone pickups! Sounding great tonight. The Black Magick was a great choice. I did end up getting the reverb model.

[@linheitzig9227]

Excellent topic Jack, thank you. I almost forgot, great looking wood on that Les Paul! I love it.

[@El-Scorcho]

Yes PREACH about that mini humbucker neck! I think it’s the best neck pickup, even though I find the mini humbucker bridge to be terrible

[@Nobody92421]

Perfect timing on this topic! I was just messing with this today after installing 50's wiring. My results were...meh. Trying to avoid going down the pickup swap rabbit hole. (again.)

[@mortonwilson795]

" . . . don't go into the light!" 😅 so many rabbit-holes to explore . . .

[@shooterx9690]

Swap magnets instead. Much easier and makes big difference in tone.

[@coltonhardy4453]

I changed my Les Paul Studio from modern to 50’s wiring and that helped keep the treble from disappearing when I’d back off the volume, especially in the neck!

[@jfiery]

Great advice and that's a beautiful looking and sounding Les Paul you have. My 60s Standard came with the pickups right up against the strings, the 61 Burstbuckers sounded way too sharp and I didn't think they were going to be in it very long. But dropping them as you said corrected it. My bridge is just above the ring and the neck is slightly below the ring and I love how it sounds. Also, it's amazing how many of us forget the tone knobs are there for a reason. Great advice as always.

[@JackFossett]

Epiphones are really bad culprits for that too - they send them out stock with the pickups so ridiculously high, and then players get upset when the sound is overly compressed and muffled. Epi could solve their own problems if they just realized that loud isn't everything.

[@mikeyohe4750]

Lowering the pickup height is definitely the best way to get a good vintage tone.

[@shawnmartin4701]

You can adjust pole screw up to get even more clarity once you lower the pickup. I was about to order another set of pickups because my bridge sounded too muddy even lowered completely until I started experimenting with the pole screws. Sounds fantastic now.

[@Guitarjosii]

50s Wiring and proper pots with higher values are the key. Really love the VIP-pots. Best mod you could do to a Gibson style guitar. A passive bass cut might be a good solution as well.

[@mrkbrn3s]

4:48 this is exactly what i do.. roll back the tone knob on bridge pickup. i always love the sound of neck pickup.. it sounds smooth, i use it all the time.

[@DDWyss]

One thing I like to do in addition to lowering pickups, which I also do, is raising the screws on my humbuckers. So I will have the pickups sitting very low in the rings, but then screw out the screws so they are a bit proud. I really like the bright, clear tone I get by doing that.

[@CarlosDelgado-co1bi]

I just read that unscrewing the neck polepieces a bit in the neck pickup also gives you a bit of brightness in a dark neck pickup. I am going to try it.

[@graemero5532]

😊 Ahhhhh, That Gold Deluxe 😊 What a great clean tone 😊 What a great guitar 😊

[@edwardbristow9331]

Great video, thanks for sharing. At several points I was thinking that I would comment about x or y, and at each time you mentioned exactly that! The only thing I don't remember you talking about us an eq pedal first in the chain. Even a cheap as cheap plastic 7 band will help remove the lower mush. Worth a go before rewiring and pickup swaps.

[@AnnemarieStanton]

Thanks, I'm quite into the les paul and Sg right now ...the les paul is an epiphone trad pro and I've never had trouble because I don't oversaturate the amp with overdrive wich is a very novice habbit ...I liked the tone u started the video with !

[@ConcezioPellegrini]

Excellent Video. Thank You. Subscribed

[@JackFossett]

Welcome!

[@markosimonic]

Just like you say, I agree 100%. Set your LP according to your neck pickup, then adjust the bridge pickups tone. Also middle position gives you a lot of different options.

[@michaelheinz3954]

Great tones from both Les Pauls, beautiful guitars as such. I really dig the neck tones from the Deluxe, pure magic. It's a brilliant idea to dial in the neck humbucker first and adjust the bridge tone accordingly. Imho you need a quality wiring and pickups that deliver an open and clear sound. As my LP is a 56 RI with P90ies, it's easy to find a wonderful neck tone. But I've been fighting with the tones from my ES-335 for the last five years (there was always some kind of woofiness in the tone). I recently did the 4th pickup swap (I'm on the 5th set now, a pair of Monty's PAFs). This time I also replaced the entire wiring loom and now I finally do get the tones I was looking for. Thank you Jack, inspiring video.

[@adamdavis106]

Been looking for the answer to this for awhile that wasn’t “change the pickups” or something else, thanks!!

[@dallastoto3189]

That LP It’s gorgeous

[@stanesposito2664]

Best LP neck tone I've heard in person several times was Warren Haynes with Government Mule.

[@jaydendrennan9567]

Warren has a fabulous tone

[@loiclebrun6519]

With es 335 i put m'y vibro champ AT 7 treble and 3 bass straight into the AMP volume 8... Classic 57 pure magic tone bluesy warmy Woody tone... With télé i swap the treble and bass....perfect !! Simple

[@deanallen927]

Great video! I had the same problem when I was strictly a strat player and did just what you say here, and hooked one tone control up to the bridge pickup. Having become primarily a Gibson player, somehow I forgot this method. Mostly because until recently I wasn't real interested in using the neck pickups on my SG and Les Paul until I began listening to Mark Knopfler on Brothers In Arms; I love that sound. Thanks.

[@igordemoraeslenzi]

Great video. I love lowering the pickups, being in a strat of a Les Paul. The only tip I would add is to start the lowering at the bridge pickup, because it tends to have a higher output than the neck. If you start at the neck it can be difficult to match the volume of both pickups later on. Btw, what’s the model of the Les Paul ulyou used throughout the video? Is that an R8?

[@JackFossett]

Its actually a modified mid 2000s Les Paul Classic

[@J_B72]

Jack. Well done. Here’s your next challenge. Put together a video on how to set up a non-channel switching amp for both a single coil and a dual Humbucker style guitar. Rules: 1) all pickup selector positions need to have a functional tone - you can fiddle with volume / tone pots as much as you want, 2) no fiddling with the amp settings between guitars or pickup selections - 1 amp setting for everything, 3) you get 1 pedal to help. I just solved this equation in order to fill in for a buddy in his blues band for a few months. I’m interested to see how you attack it.

[@mikewithers299]

Jack these are some good tips you gave. I knew about pickup heigth adjustments changing tone, and full size pots and good wire. Ive never tried dialing in the bridge pickup first and setting the amp around that. Going to be awesome to hear how this sounds. ❤️🎸

[@danielc196]

Thanks for another great video Jack. I've been trying to get the right tone out of my Les Paul neck pickup but I've never been totally satisfied with it. I lowered the pickup as much as I could and that certainly helped, but not entirely. I will try some of your other suggestions. One (quite expensive) solution I found was to buy a new Les Paul! I picked up a 50s Standard with P90s and that thing sounds and plays like a dream, the neck pickup tone I've always wanted from a Les Paul, something between a Tele and a humbucker Les Paul. I'm over the moon with it!

[@mortonwilson795]

Great conversation, really enjoyed the insights as usual, thanksalot! Funnily enough I just tried the recent LP '70s De-Luxe Re-Issue and I absolutely loved it . . . first time I have ever played a guitar with Mini-Buckers - sounded a bit like some Page 'bright solo' tracks from Zep days - it really stopped me in my tracks. Thru the '70s my sole rig was my '68 LP Custom, 50w Fender Reverb top w 2 x 12 Cab and a Paul Crowther Hot-Cake for extra drive / lead stuff. (And the obligatory De-Armond Wah, which I would use for some tone modulation beyond just the wah function - and a Phase 90, Leslie, WEM Copicat and Shobud Vol Pedal). I still have the '68 and for the 'art rock / touch of bluesy pop' or whatever I play (I grew up listening to Harrison, Peter Green, Clapton, Page, Steve Hackett, Fripp et all) I would get my Mid position 'perfect' each night depending on the venue / studio - clear, 'chimeyish' and good for cross picking - start at 10 then maybe pull back Neck to 8 or 9, Bridge similar. From there I would check Neck has clarity (amp helps obviously) for 'solo fill lines' and then all good - Bridge could come right up for lead breaks as and when - the Hot-Cake was great (I believe Mark Knopfler used one back in the day) and Paul now has a Double Hot-Cake which is perfect because one side can be edgy and the other side 'Clapton "woman toney") and if you combine both you get a lovely fat rhythm 'wash'. Whatever - this vid got me all excited! 😅 Enjoy your approach, a lot - cheers from Hong Kong!

[@chief6749]

Your exceptional sense of humor is great 🤣🤣🤣

[@JackFossett]

I do the best with what I have to work with

[@TheBigH1975]

Love Song for Sonny Liston. Not at a point where I can play it yet, but I like everything about it.

[@JackFossett]

It's a great song! Mark Knopfler's solo career is amazing, I actually like it better than Dire Straits. He's a gem of a songwriter.

[@ericv7720]

Simply turn the neck pup around so that the polepieces are on the bridge side. It'll open right up!

[@Dang...]

Good tips here. Nice playing too.

[@JackFossett]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Hxrocks22]

Love the tone

[@rockandrollmd541]

Flip the pickup around so that the pole pieces are closer to the bridge.

[@aminahmed2220]

What a fantastic video have a wonderful day Jack also how is the weather today ❤❤❤❤❤❤😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@jasoncolap]

Very helpful

[@AndrewAHayes]

If I cant find what i want with just the tone and volume settings, I have a good old fiddle with an EQ pedal and find some clean tones that suit the part I am playing, I make a note of the settings for each instance and make some user presets on my multi FX unit, I do the same thing for each guitar I have before even thinking of changing the pickups.

[@thebrysmith3]

Going to try this with PRS McCarty 594 SE that I've got strung with a set of Stringjoy Pure Nickel 10's.

[@mikeyohe4750]

Good video and tips! 👍👍

[@Bwiser63]

The neck tone is in the ear of the beholder.

[@cahootspastor7855]

Yes Hardware! When you said wiring I was hoping for a pun and that you would go into different strings, sizes and materials. Vastly different Tones and of course feels can be sound there. And not forget about bridge and tail piece material. Going from a vintage type string to a more modern bright type, adjusting pickup height for clarity and maybe a Aluminium tailpiece instead of a cast iron one -> you can have a completely new sounding and feeling instrument and will start to tell everybody the story about the blanket removed from your sound ;) @Jack great video as always, love your girl next door attitude :)

[@Anthony-qh1xv]

Dude, that thing sounds unbelievable. I had an old Gibson standard 50s, super cool, but now I’ve got a classic with uncovered zebra pick ups, I feel like it might be a little harder for me to get that creamier tone, you know? Of course I can still do it

[@MrDoobie12286]

Wiring and height definitely change tone. Pickups have height adjustment me for a reason. Use the recommended height as a baseline and go from there. You’d be surprised how much of a change you will get

[@malcolmsansom5026]

This is a great vid very helpful cheers Jack 👍🎸

[@JackFossett]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@stanesposito2664]

You can swap the magnet in a pickup also.

[@jltrem]

My Epi LP pickups are as low as the pickup rings and the pole pieces lowered also. I always keep the bridge PU's tone knob at 6 or 6 1/2.

[@garycrant4511]

Simple option for me to enhance Neck Humbuckers is to use a good Rangemaster clone.

[@jaysonlavie603]

How to get a Great Les Paul Neck Tone. 1) plug into great amp 2) select neck pickup

[@jaysonlavie603]

And mind the bass

[@JackFossett]

How far into the video did you watch? Just curious...

[@mboyer68]

I've got an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra with quilted top which has a piezoelectric pickup at the end of the fretboard. It's really confusing because the knobs don't really seem to work like they're supposed to. Been thinking of retiring the piezo and wiring it up normally. But I'm not sure because i can get very good tones from both pickups. It's funny because i have two Gibson guitars, one with 57 classics and the other with 490/498 or whatever numbers are, and i prefer the Epiphone tone.

[@natemccollum3731]

Maybe I’m just lucky or just naturally set my amp in a way that’s great for neck tones (although I doubt that as I use completely different settings to suit my Strat cuz I don’t like my neck pickup on those settings). It may just be my guitar this time, my old Les Paul was a Chibson with whole lotta humbuckers. Now I have a Wildwood Select 50’s Gibson Les Paul and came with their Gibson Tribute ‘59 pickups- I hated the neck pickup on my old guitar, this one is crazy good. One way I saw that worked well from a buddy was a guy who used humbuckers built for coil splitting. They unevenly wind the pickup so you don’t loose as much output as with regular (whole lotta humbuckers SUCK for coil split). I think finding the right humbucker for your tone makes a huge impact

[@1040ecapja]

11:57 Sweet and thick like molasses. 'We were running molasses from Havana when you were a baby. The trucks were owned by your father.'

[@bryangarcia662]

"I don't feel I have to wipe everybody out, Tom. Just my enemies... And bad LP neck tones". 😂

[@RodC14]

Whilst I agree with you generally, it would be more convincing if you demonstrate using a cheaper Epi. Your Gibson with those PAFs (?) would sound great anyhow.

[@smollande]

How do you get rid of the 'hum' that mostly goes away when your right hand rests on the stop tail and bridge? I ask because when you play with a light touch to hear all of the clarity of the pickups, it all sounds crystal clear with no noise. Are you using noise supression?

[@stevestruble2142]

Gary Moore on still got the blues, best neck pickup sound ever. Imo

[@FrankMacDonell]

Thank you. This approach is a forgotten technique. The muddy neck complaint probably comes from those who stay on the bridge all the time.

[@soapboxearth2]

Lower the pickup , wire it 50s style,pick near the bridge and don't hit the strings hard.

[@chief6749]

In your description you mentioned PAF style pickups, I’m just curious but what pickups are you using?

[@JackFossett]

Lust for Tone Skydawgs - they’re inspired by the Duane Allman LP tone

[@chief6749]

Thank you and I love the tone

[@farber2]

High pick ups for finger style.

[@douglascrawford4791]

The heritage one fifty

[@kevinmusso2397]

Own one…..

[@chrisdaviesguitar]

tried the adam jones signature yet?

[@JimMorrisonsBathtub]

I pull the neck pickups out of most of my guitars so I get my neck tones by not playing. I never use neck pickups on my main guitars so I just take them out because for some reason I like the sound of one pickup guitars a bit better.

[@JackFossett]

Less magnetic pull on the strings allowing them to vibrate more and for longer - my Les Paul Jr is one of my new favorite guitars

[@JimMorrisonsBathtub]

That was my guess but I didn't know if that was a real thing or if it was just me being an idiot like usual. Thanks for the confirmation.

[@JackFossett]

I mean, I could be wrong - but I’ve always noticed a deeper resonance from single pickup guitars and I see no other explanation that satisfies

[@JimMorrisonsBathtub]

That's also what I noticed. It was enough of a difference for me to keep my neck pickups out of everything except my Danelectro and Gretsch (which are my only two guitars where I ever used a neck pickup).

[@guymarzello8818]

Can mini humbuckers be put in a Standard?

[@JackFossett]

I think there are adapter pickup rings you can get to make that work

[@christianboddum8783]

Yes, but it looks a little odd on a normal pickup ring, and you'll need some foam or rubber to hide the space. I just did this to a Tokai LP to get the Scott Gorham LP DeLuxe neck tone, it worked perfectly!!

[@gerryloughran1676]

Thicker the strings 10s + ...try tail wrapping

[@JackFossett]

Tail wrapper since 2013!

[@HCrockt]

Tail wrapping vs. stoptail down is playing with extremes. Using tail wrap results in lowering the downward pressure to the bridge posts. Using stoptail down to the bottom increases this pressure. Simple physics. Lowering the pressure means less attack but more sustain. Increasing the pressure means more attack but less sustain. The stoptail posts are height adjustable, with a good reason. Find the sweet spot somewhere in between where attack and sustain suit your taste. After you‘ve found this Sweet Spot, measure the distance and produce yourself a fitting spacer, cut from a pipe. It is so easy.

[@marcospintor1333]

Too many les paul players with muddy neck pickup tone unfortunately. Joe Bonamassa has one of the most ideal neck pickup tone, i try to copy his. He also lowers his pickups so that it’s flush with the pickup rings

[@JackFossett]

It makes sense - particularly at the loud volumes he's playing, if the pickups were set too high, it would lose all articulation

[@JoeWalsh-pm4zf]

Not all pickup rings are the same height..........

[@marcospintor1333]

@@JoeWalsh-pm4zf I’m aware. I’m talking about Les Pauls Joe Bonamassa uses. The ones with the larger rings. So any les paul that’s like a burst reissue. If you have a USA model, then correct, the pickups will not be flush

[@craigtodd8297]

The way to get a good les paul neck tone is to plug it into a nice amp and strum a chord.

[@JackFossett]

Just to gauge your comment, how far into the video did you watch?

[@craigtodd8297]

@@JackFossett Maybe I am lucky I don't know. I wasn't originally a LP kind of person. I bought one purely for the sale price. The guitar blows me away. Good tone is very easy on it. It is a 2016 Studio with 490R/498T pickups. I have watched all the video, but yes I was being a little flippant with my comment. ;-)

[@craigtodd8297]

So how is it gauged?@@JackFossett

[@sempercompellis]

TAKE OUT THE PAF HUMBUCKER- done

[@JackFossett]

Then you have no neck tone…

[@sempercompellis]

Kinda meant "replace it too"- like with say.... filtertron or humbucker sized p90... Humbuckers are too dark for neck purposes imho@@JackFossett

[@michaelbevins2405]

I know how ,Get rid of that sorry pickup ,and put in a dimarzio 36th anniversary.

[@JE-western-rider]

LIke the 36 set, try the 36 - Air Zone combination. Other good choices: DMZ Master Set, SD WLH set, WLH - 59/Custom combination, SD Jazz bridge and the Screamin' Demon and many more. I've got a 36 Ann set in a LP, SG, and a ES-339. The 36 has a full or slightly pushed midrange on my equipment as compared to the SD WLH set. > DMZ Master Set. This pickup set gets very little mention. The neck has an A4 manet and the bridge has an A4 magnet. Ive got this set in a SG. The neck pickup seems to rolls off the very bottom of the bass and it gives me a fantstic woman tone. The bridge almost reminds me of the SD 59/Custom response - flatter with a nice top end. The set is listed as low output and really fun to use.

[@nohero178]

Honestly I cheat. I use a Helix so I just switch amps for my neck tone.

[@xamxamxamxa]

🌚🖤🎶

[@lelandowen8969]

"promosm" 😔