[pickslide]

I have an 82 LP Standard and was looking at getting some Pearly Gates pickups, but then somebody told me about Wagner's.

What do people think about these pups? (Both pearlys and wagners). What about WCR pickups? Anybody ever played these? www.crcoils.com. THey say on the site that their Filmore set do the vintage zz top sound.

Any other suggestions for pickups that may not break my wallet in half? (Like the pearlys).

And yes I know that changing the pickups will not instantly give me tone like the Rev....

 

[Jeff Flowerday]

WCR rule! I have them in 3 guitars.

I'd go with Darkbursts. The give you that PAF tone with slightly hotter output.

 

[pickslide]

Covered or uncovered? Or does it matter?

 

[zdogma]

Try Jon Moore (JSMOORE here on the forum). He's in Hamilton and winds excellent PAF style humbuckers. I've had two sets, both stellar.

Don't start on the covers vs. no covers debate. Suffice it to say, the difference is slight (brighter with covers IMO), go with what looks right for you.

 

[bagpipe]

I got a pair of pickups made by Jeff at highorderpickups.com and am still happy with them after about 1.5 years. These replaced the stock pickups in my Les Paul Classic which I never liked. Jeff will wind you any pickup you want and his prices are very reasonable ie much cheaper than some of these other boutique winders. The only issue is that you'll have to wait approx 2 months as he winds them to order. I described the tones I liked (sounds like it would be similar to yours - early ZZ, Bluesbreaker era Clapton etc) and he delivered. They sound great.

 

[Baconator]

Hey Pickslide, get ready for a huge post!

It's funny - I see you heading down the same path I did not too long ago in trying to chase down the tone of the infamous Reverend Willie G. I phoned up Scott at axeandyoushallreceive.com and we had a great talk about pedals and BFG's tone. There's a lot of things going on there beyond pickups and pedals. Although a pedal like an Expandora with some good PAF's will get you in the ballpark there's a lot of mystery about the complete package. Scott was telling me there's a legend about Mark Knopfler hiring BFG to do the guitar part for Money For Nothing but when Gibbons when in the studio all he did was barrage him with questions about his sound which apparently caused him to leave. Another story about BFG's tone was from someone in Queen's of the Stone Age talking about how excited they were about BFG coming into the studio to see what gear he brought. Apparently he walked in with a Billy Bo guitar and some amp modeller, plugged into the board and just let it rip and it was just 'him'. I've got an M-Audio Black Box and it comes with a setting called 'Sizzle' that definitely has the early ZZ Top vibe, but that's the closest I've managed. Scott seems to think he might use a wah in a fixed position for some sounds, but I think the important think is a tube amp that's cranked up. His live sound is definitely different than what goes on in the studio - apparently he has been known to use a slew of Expandoras in a christmas tree arrangement :confused-smiley-010 . He talks a little bit about his sound in his coffee table book - Billy F Gibbons - Rock n Roll Gearhead - which is a fun read in itself, but there's a lot going on and he likes to generate a lot of mystery. One thing that makes a definite difference is that he uses 8's for strings ever since BB King apparently told him to stop struggling with heavy strings and to let the amp do the work. He also uses a mexican peso for a guitar pick - that probably has something to do with it, but to quote him and countless other guitarists the sound is really in the hands. I certainly with I had his!

 

[evenon]

I have the Darkburst/Goodwood combo in my '02 R8. Great pickups, noticable difference between the stock Burstbuckers in note definition and clarity. Jim Wagner is also a great guy to deal with, I had a problem that he fixed instantly.

Nothing wrong with the Duncan's either, but I would say the WCR pickups are a step up.

 

[Scottone]

WCR rule! I have them in 3 guitars.

I'd go with Darkbursts. The give you that PAF tone with slightly hotter output.

I put a set of Fillmore's in a Les Paul that I used to own and they were fantastic. Still kicking myself for selling that LP (early 90's all-gold LP Classic).

Give Jim a call and discuss the sound that you are looking for.

 

[Tarbender]

I also have Filmores in my Lester - best thing I ever did. The original Gibson Burstbuckers that came stock in my Les Paul just didn't have the dynamics or range the the Filmores do.

 

[Mr. David Severson]

I too have the WCR DarkBursts in my 02 R8 and the upgrade is well worth it. Like everyone else that has them I to have found more clarity and dynamic range:rockon2: