Well I agree that Gibson is making some pretty killer pickups these days (aside from a problem with being microphonic far too often), but why do people change them out? Well this just speaks to how awesome Lollar Imperials are more than anything. I have a blackface set in my strat and it's hands down the most perfectly balanced strat set I've ever played.
Preferred the custom buckers over the Lollar, seems they are too bright and you have to really work to get good tone out of them, The custom bucker tone came natural to your style
Oh wow, I am surprised at how much more definition and clarity the Imperials have over the Custombuckers, it's a much larger difference than I thought. That said, the Custombuckers didn't sound bad.
Thanks, the amp I used in this demo (jtm-1h) has a lot of top end and made the custombuckers sound good in this demo. When playing through a different amp, say victory sheriff 22 or friedmans, lollars sound much nicer. As always, you need to pair the guitar with the right amp :)
Every time I see a review like this and read the comments, I'm always amazed at the many opinions that are voiced. When most people say "classic Gibson Les Paul" sound...it probably isn't the vintage PAF pickup sound that they are referring to. They may think that's what they are referring to , but it probably isn't. Generally speaking a vintage PAF sounds thinner and brighter than what they think of as the "classic Gibson LP" sound. Compare an average vintage '59 LP to a more modern '70's, 80's, 90's or 2000's LP and the modern one will probably sound closer to what they hear in their head as the "classic LP" sound which is higher output, deeper bass, higher highs and thicker midrange than the vintage LP. I think that's why a lot of people who purchase expensive boutique PAF-style pickups are often disappointed with what they get. That being said...nice review!
I have a set of Imperials as stock pickups in my '08 Larrivee RS4 and 3 '57 classics in my '99 Les Paul/SG Custom. I wouldn't say one was 'better' they both have their place. People who say the Lollars suck probably haven't listened past the initial few seconds of the comparison. Those Lollars are really versatile pups that respond incredibly well to volume/tone adjustments and I love the tones available with them.
Yeah working you controls usually gives you what you need I have a set of 97 57 Historic Classics out of a 97 R9 that I'm going to use in my 2019 50's Standard If it had the Custom Buckers I would leave them in but it's got Burst Buckers and feel the 57 Classics will be a little better How do you feel about your 57's ?? Thanks man Cheers
@@paulcowart3174 Hey Paul, glad to hear you agree on the Lollars. 57 Classics have been my bread and butter Gibson pickups for most of my guitar life. I’m an SG nut, ‘61 reissues mainly, and so the 57 Classics have always been there. Later ones I’ve owned seemed a bit harsher on the neck (I never played my 2016 proprietary run with the tone on ten) but I’ve always loved the ‘57s on the bridge, especially clean as I often like a warm jazz tone. How time flies though - I sold both the Larrivee and SG Custom during lockdown and now have the new Gibson Custom Shop SG ‘61 reissue with Custombuckers. I wasn’t sure for a few days, but I’ve really got into them. Like the Lollars, they respond well to dialling in different tones. Very responsive, really well balanced, rich sounding pickups!
I prefer the original custombuckers. Lollar sound very rare. The custombuckers are the classical sound of Gibson, if You love the Gibson Les Paul sound they are the best pickups.
Lollars are far superior for clarity definition balance and sparkle... I have the same set in my 335 and it sounds insanely good!!! And if you want a darker sound just roll off the tone a to taste...
I agree….those Lollars definitely represent the PAF tone better at half volume and tone on 7. I also like the Gibson ‘61 burstbuckers dialed the same way.
The Lollars are most likely to be underwound which allows you to push the amp harder. A hotter pickup will get muddy with more overdrive/distortion in the low end. I wind my neck PAF’s a little cooler and use A3 rough cast magnets (non potted) and with higher gain settings, sounds way clearer and articulate than say a Duncan JB. I use A4 mags in the bridge with a traditional PAF wind and they sound as good as any pickups made today.
Ah you do your own winds Cool Got a question for you about Tele pups ALWAYS to bright for me What's a good set to use to fix that issue Ceramic ???Thank man
Congratulations. You just castrated your Les Paul. Kidding aside, if you want more control and smoothness, you’re on the right path. Personally, I prefer that “wild stallion” vibe from the originals.
Strange, I came here thinking the Imperials will sound better, as my band mate had changed his SG's pups to them and they sound incredible, but I must say, the Custom Buckers here sound bigger, fatter and more vintage than the Lollars.
thanks you just stopped me from replacing my custombuckers with Imperials. My neck P/U is a little muddy but i still like the tone. I think i'll keep the CBs.
Definitely stronger attack with the uncovered. I agree with your tip to turn down the volume and tone. I do the same with mine and it gives that sweet midrange tone. Fully wide open can e a little too much sometimes. But overall I feel like I can hear the strong and the wood a little bit more. Great sound!
I like the Gibson pickups better. Your Les Paul sounds more like a PRS custom 24 now. It's a good sound, but I like the stocks pickups for this Les Paul.
First off, great video. What I'm about to say, I say in jest. You're a great, very tasteful player. But, I've been combing YT for CustomBucker comparisons, and one of the toughest things to find is a great pickup with bit, mid-punch with great articulation , and string definition when playing chords. The irony is that I've literally watched 10 "comparison" videos, and I don't think one chord has been played, and while I'm not a high-gain freak (by today's standards), almost all of the comparisons barely approached "dirty". Amp demo's/comparisons are the EXACT opposite. I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the irony. But, I digress...those Lollars sound really nice. I typically love Custombuckers, and 57's. But, as you stated so well....the inconsistency of how their wound is absolutely horrible. So, it's not like you can just buy a set of either, and expect to hear the tone you're expecting. Which is a shame given what these cost for a set. Thanks again for sharing.
Beautiful LP! Ice Tea and Honey Burst are my two favorite finishes on a Les Paul. I can hear the difference in the two sets of pick ups and I have to say that I prefer the original BurstBuckers. I like the fatter tone and mid range bark of the BurstBuckers. The Lolars are just too thin and bright for my taste. I like the blues licks you played. Great comparison video. Well done!
@@daniwest1370 'S' buckers are the only Gibson pickups that sound better than custumbuckers to me. S buckers were spec'd for CME custom shop R9s that Gibson made for them. Hard to find, but they sound very vintage PAF. More than anything else from modern Gibson IMO. But I like the custombuckers a lot.
Thanks for uploading. Both pickups have their qualities. Personnally, I wouldn't swap the original CustomBuckers in a Gibson R8 orR9, but I can understand the willingness to try something else. I have a pair of Low wind Lollar Imperials in a Collings I-35 LC. My opinion is, if you don't want to have a harsh sounding tone, you have to play with the tone pot. With the '50s wiring, it is particularly perceptible: if you put your volume at ~8 and then you act on your tone pot, the overall volume will change. I found a sweet spot with the vol on ~8 and the tone on 3,5. For soloing, vol on 9 and tone on 2,5 for more funky/twangy tone vol on 7,5 and tone on 4. I never go above 6 with the tone pot as the Alnico V bridge pickup is quite trebly already. As a comparison, on a LP R9 with stock CustomBuckers, I tend to play with vol on 8,5 and tone on 8. For solos, I just push the vol to the desired level (depending on the amp). The Collings/Lollars make a superb couple, but for vintage/nasal typical PAF tones, you can't beat a LP with CustomBuckers (my 2 cents...)
Ha Ha yeah some just don't realize the tonal potential when you work and experiment with your guitar controls Just flabbergasts me That being said most good PAF's will give you what you want if you work with them To a point anyways
I've got an older set of 57 Classics from a 97 Historic R9 Crazy expensive Top was sick Anyways I think they are going in a 2019 50's HCS Standard I picked up this year before I start going down that rabbit hole lol They are sounding fantastic in a Vintage brand Peter Green LP I got several years back when "trying" to replace that exceptional 97 AAA R9 (many tears shed) 😂 back in 08 Ha Ha now that's off my back I'm happy to say the 2019 50's Standard I got is one of the nicest Gibson's I've ever owned Fit and finish perfect Not too bright and shiney Nice wide flame 8.4 pounds I couldn't be happier about it except for a premium set of winds
Owned a bunch of 50s and 60s PAF guitars and the best were clear with bite with the same piano like fundamentals of the Lollars and you needed to use the knobs. You’re right about diming the guitar. The Gibson’s still have that made for the modern era sound and I thought they were much flatter in the highs without the air or presence of the Lollars and less clarity in the lows. Observations were regarding the section after he changed the amp settings, first half of Lollar demo was a bit shrill and I agree with the complaints. Thoughtful and good demo pup covers notwithstanding! Cheers and thanks.
You're right about your classic paf sound. The big players (Page, Gibbons, etc eg) use old treble rich pick-ups with thin string gauges, that with the vintage wiring style (50s wiring) plus pots and caps tributes to the clarity these guitars have. Magnets are also a more thing nowadays they are very powerful which results in 'improved' bass response but muddier tone. Whereas they used to be weaker and really bright like wow. Takes some getting used to. Too bright roll off treble but too dull is troublesome.
The Custombuckers sound more classically "humbuckery" wide open, but I virtually never dime my guitar volume, and for the guitar I have lined up for the Lollar Imperials, the added clarity and harmonic range will be welcome.
These are two different sounding pickups - intentionally. A better apples to apples comparison would be custombuckers vs. antiquities, or lollars vs. another potted pickup similar to the lollars.
with some of these pickups they're so sensitive you need to break the strings in or they sound almost metallic & artificial. btw, i think It's your mic, not the pickups
Same amp settings, same mic, etc.? If so the Stock Custombuckers are more to my liking. I would think that country music players may favor the Lollar sound, but If I spend the money, the Custom Buckers are more likely to sell.
Both sound very good. I think it depends on what you want, what speaks to you and the feeling you want to imprint on your music. Personally I like a lot rock and roll more than blues, so I would go for the Gibson ones. Although these pickups would fit ver well blues music. The Lollars are more clean and defined, with higher output with this guitar. I would use them for more modern music or even some Jazzy tones. Seem to be more versatile.
I just got an '18 with custombuckers, if it's tone can be attributed to the pickups (I'm not ready to even think about trying other pickups to find out)..Then Gibson could mop the floor with all the aftermarket PAF brands. The middle tone is insanely exactly like Jimmy Page's. I speculate Gibson will not sell them aftermarket for a long, long, long time if at all, because they want you to buy the whole guitar.
My 19 Standard has Burst Buckers I'm going with 57's instead Yeah you're probably right....about the CB's yeah cause they would be staying in it Every thing else is damn near perfect It checked all the boxes...not a tomato burst...nice wide flame...8.4 lb's....fit and finish perfect Just doesn't look new and it's not distressed,came out good Just as happy as when I got new a 97 Historic R9 AAA top Top and pick ups the only real difference
These Custombuckers are obviously pretty great at what they do, but the reason I'd go for the Imperials without hesitation is because they offer more versatility. As he said in the video (if you watch past the initial Imperial play through), you don't always need to be wide open on tone and volume -- in fact, its best if you're not. If you bring in the volume and tone knobs a bit, you warm them up to something that to my ear has all of the sweetness of the Custombuckers, but the Imperials still give you the option of getting that level of clarity and attack that simply isn't possible with the Custombuckers. I wouldn't want an amp that I have to run the bass and treble both at 10 all the time -- I'd want the sweet spot somewhere a bit lower on the dial so that I could tweak it depending on my needs in any given situation. Same thing with these pickups. The best thing about a Les Paul (and the biggest difference with most Fender guitars) is that you get so much expression by working the knobs. These Imperials expand your options over the Custombuckers without giving anything up, IMHO.
The only way I’d replace the custombucker in my R8 is to buy some throbaks. I like Lollars don’t get me wrong I have a p90 lollar set in my 335. But I figure if I’m replacing a damn good pup I’m going to one up from damn good to outstanding. That being said those throbaks are 650 a set. 😳
I have a 2019 ES-275 that came with the MHS II Humbuckers. I recently changed them to the Lollar Imperials normal wound. guitar sounds much better, cleaner, and note separation and clarity is great - no muddiness. Best of all, noise and clicking went away.
Lollars are clearer, as the Custombuckers are more of rip your face off, and the if you took the covers of them they would be even more aggressive. I must admit I liked the originals much better, Les Paul's are suppose to be nasty and in your face sound. Check out Tyson pickups out of Seattle, they make some nice pickups, Tim pierce is a big fan of them.
Visually, I prefer the covers on the pups. The zebra pattern distracts from the beautiful finish on the guitar. Tonally, I prefer the clarity of the Lollars.
I too have both Lollar Imperials in my Collings I35 deluxe as well as Wildwood spec Custombuckers in my R9 and your comparison sounds exactly like I thought it would. The Custombuckers have a certain beauty all their own, which I think of as very clear and up front and you can tell they’re unpotted because there’s this more present brightness to them. The Lolllars did get better when you turned them down but regardless they have this sort of middle quack or sort of nasally sound and because they are wax potted, a more mellow tone too. I personally prefer my Custombuckers to my Lollar for the type of Blues playing that you were doing.
What sounds harsh solo in an empty room compared to what sounds deeper solo in the empty room will often translate to sounding stellar with the band while the ones that seemed better solo get lost in the mix. Seen that movie to many times. Video doesn’t do the Lollars justice perhaps (I could tell I still prefer the Lollars and I know first hand but I see many took it the other way) but yet their clarity still shines through.
I highly preferred the Custombuckers. The Lollars were getting too close to Fender territory for my liking. If I were going to go another route than the CB's I'd probably go ThroBak first, and maybe BKP's if I didn't want to spend ThroBak money. This video put me off the Lollars.
You should have just put old strings on the guitar. Much less expensive for the same end result. I just picked up a 2016 R8 and these pickups are absolute best. "Mule" buckers come in 2nd place, yet don't clean up as well as these CBuckers via volume control.
For the money Wizz are the best. Or you can go with Amber spirit of 59 which sound like real 59 PAF's. Rewind Electric are tops. Monty's I like a whole lot. Mojo UK are some of the best Ive heard also. Some Throdak sets I like but not all. I like the Mick Taylor short alnico 2 set. The Koss set, and KZ 115's. My favorite bridge pickup is the Rewind Electric 58. Has a cool midrange chirp.
The Lollars probably are lower wind pickups. They lack the punch that the Custom Buckers have. If you really want to change pickups, put in Amalfitanos or Virgil Arlos.
Honestly, and I’m not a Gibson guy at all, but those custombuckers were the better set by far. I like Lollars, but that Les Paul now sounds like a “Les Paul”, like a lookalike made by another company. Sure, it sounds more versatile now, but it totally lost that LP mojo. Hard to describe but that’s just my opinion 🤷♂️
Yeah, I returned to the original custombuckers. They sound great through trebly Marshalls. Not so great through more compressed sounding amps. Yet another reason to keep so many amps ;-)
Custombuckers sounds immense and very very PAF like. Surprised you didn't like them as much. Totally personal preference I guess. Want to sell me those custombuckers?! :)
They sound good thrugh this particula amp, which has a lot of high end. They sounded very muddy through most other amps. Since the amp is bright, the lollars sound thin through this particular amp, but sound fantastic through the majority of my amps.
@@zelon1983 Its a fair point you make about the amp. It really is a case of finding a guitar your like in a tactile sense then an amp you like for its tone and THEN pickups you like to match the amp .. Also fwiw I think those custombuckers are very very very close to the original 57 PAF tone. Which was definitely darker and richer than subsequent versions of the PAF. It sounds great through a dimed Marshall, almost like a human voice sampled. Super musical and nothing at all like the more brutalist (but equally awesome) 59's and later through the same amp. Thinking of Duane Allman specifically .. I'm glad you are happy with the Lollars. That's really all that mattes. I have some Sheptone Blue Sky's that sound very similar to the Lollars with an A4 magnet and I do dig them.
@@cgavin1 hmm funny you say that I'm actually going with a set of reissue 57 Classics instead of the Burst Buckers in my 19 Standard They came out of a 97 Historic
with no acoustic treatment, you have way too many flat-surface reflections getting into into that room mic! and we've no idea where the cabinet is in relation to the wall or mic; it may make a huge difference in bass response. thanks anyway, at least i can tell the lollars are brighter that's for sure
IN fairness, custombuckers sound better with this amp. However on another amp, Lollars sound better. As always, it's a combination of amp and guitar, that's most important
@@zelon1983 I bought a LP R8 two years ago and I had to change the custombuckers, They were bad, They didn't have mids, I know the custombuckers because I had 2 LP R9 with these pickups. I had to change for 2 Bare Knucle, a Joke of 300€, and it'snt a personal opinion or subjective judgment. Gibson must change these pickups to me but this is a chimera. Best regards my friend
HOly fuck folks those Lollars sound like crap compared to the custom buckers....look i have spend an obscene amount of money on pickups and god knows what else on guitars over the last 30 years and i will say this, Gibson starting with teh 57 classic + to the custom bucker makes the best pickup for that guitar hands down. I have gone through all of them including the SD antiquities and etc etc and had custom ones made....Gibson has got this shit down now....i but as many custom bucker sets i can get my hands on now because they WORK for everything, i have a 1995 ESp horizon i put a set in and and it's breathtaking what that guitar can do now.. Rock/classic rock/metal/blues/ and oh hell yeah JAZZ....
The custombuckers are incredible, i can't understand why folks change them out,! Gibson is making better pickups now than they ever have.
the ones in the 50 year anniversary 59 are unbelievably awesome i heard them and was floored ....
Iron word The Custombuckers are excellent pickups indeed.
Well I agree that Gibson is making some pretty killer pickups these days (aside from a problem with being microphonic far too often), but why do people change them out? Well this just speaks to how awesome Lollar Imperials are more than anything. I have a blackface set in my strat and it's hands down the most perfectly balanced strat set I've ever played.
neck is very muddy snd output is really low. at least on my pair.. But my imperial low winds in my sg are so so killer..
Preferred the custom buckers over the Lollar, seems they are too bright and you have to really work to get good tone out of them,
The custom bucker tone came natural to your style
Oh wow, I am surprised at how much more definition and clarity the Imperials have over the Custombuckers, it's a much larger difference than I thought. That said, the Custombuckers didn't sound bad.
The Custombuckers sound more classic, the Lollars are clearer. I like both.
Thanks, the amp I used in this demo (jtm-1h) has a lot of top end and made the custombuckers sound good in this demo. When playing through a different amp, say victory sheriff 22 or friedmans, lollars sound much nicer. As always, you need to pair the guitar with the right amp :)
They both sound great, but the Lollar pickups are my preferred sound. Thanks for the comparison vid.
Every time I see a review like this and read the comments, I'm always amazed at the many opinions that are voiced. When most people say "classic Gibson Les Paul" sound...it probably isn't the vintage PAF pickup sound that they are referring to. They may think that's what they are referring to , but it probably isn't. Generally speaking a vintage PAF sounds thinner and brighter than what they think of as the "classic Gibson LP" sound. Compare an average vintage '59 LP to a more modern '70's, 80's, 90's or 2000's LP and the modern one will probably sound closer to what they hear in their head as the "classic LP" sound which is higher output, deeper bass, higher highs and thicker midrange than the vintage LP. I think that's why a lot of people who purchase expensive boutique PAF-style pickups are often disappointed with what they get. That being said...nice review!
I have a set of Imperials as stock pickups in my '08 Larrivee RS4 and 3 '57 classics in my '99 Les Paul/SG Custom. I wouldn't say one was 'better' they both have their place. People who say the Lollars suck probably haven't listened past the initial few seconds of the comparison. Those Lollars are really versatile pups that respond incredibly well to volume/tone adjustments and I love the tones available with them.
Yeah working you controls usually gives you what you need I have a set of 97 57 Historic Classics out of a 97 R9 that I'm going to use in my 2019 50's Standard If it had the Custom Buckers I would leave them in but it's got Burst Buckers and feel the 57 Classics will be a little better How do you feel about your 57's ?? Thanks man Cheers
@@paulcowart3174 Hey Paul, glad to hear you agree on the Lollars. 57 Classics have been my bread and butter Gibson pickups for most of my guitar life. I’m an SG nut, ‘61 reissues mainly, and so the 57 Classics have always been there. Later ones I’ve owned seemed a bit harsher on the neck (I never played my 2016 proprietary run with the tone on ten) but I’ve always loved the ‘57s on the bridge, especially clean as I often like a warm jazz tone. How time flies though - I sold both the Larrivee and SG Custom during lockdown and now have the new Gibson Custom Shop SG ‘61 reissue with Custombuckers. I wasn’t sure for a few days, but I’ve really got into them. Like the Lollars, they respond well to dialling in different tones. Very responsive, really well balanced, rich sounding pickups!
Thanks for making this vid, needed to compare these specific 2 sets! Sounds beautiful and creamy man!
I like the Lollar neck pup..........put that with the CB bridge and it's a great combo............thanks for the video zelon.........cheers.
I prefer the original custombuckers. Lollar sound very rare. The custombuckers are the classical sound of Gibson, if You love the Gibson Les Paul sound they are the best pickups.
Custom Bucker for me
Lollars are far superior for clarity definition balance and sparkle... I have the same set in my 335 and it sounds insanely good!!! And if you want a darker sound just roll off the tone a to taste...
All of the Pickups sounded great .
Guitar-gasm! New Pickups sound amazing...truly
You are one of the only demos that does the Imperials justice the other demos especially Nstuff luthier is pants!
lollars sound good but whats that nasty screech?Settings?
I agree….those Lollars definitely represent the PAF tone better at half volume and tone on 7.
I also like the Gibson ‘61 burstbuckers dialed the same way.
The Lollars are most likely to be underwound which allows you to push the amp harder. A hotter pickup will get muddy with more overdrive/distortion in the low end. I wind my neck PAF’s a little cooler and use A3 rough cast magnets (non potted) and with higher gain settings, sounds way clearer and articulate than say a Duncan JB. I use A4 mags in the bridge with a traditional PAF wind and they sound as good as any pickups made today.
Ah you do your own winds Cool Got a question for you about Tele pups ALWAYS to bright for me What's a good set to use to fix that issue Ceramic ???Thank man
Congratulations. You just castrated your Les Paul.
Kidding aside, if you want more control and smoothness, you’re on the right path. Personally, I prefer that “wild stallion” vibe from the originals.
Strange, I came here thinking the Imperials will sound better, as my band mate had changed his SG's pups to them and they sound incredible, but I must say, the Custom Buckers here sound bigger, fatter and more vintage than the Lollars.
I think the CB's are unpotted vs Lollars potted or varnish'd Not sure about magnet's or other stuff 👍
thanks you just stopped me from replacing my custombuckers with Imperials. My neck P/U is a little muddy but i still like the tone. I think i'll keep the CBs.
Good for you I liked them better too I think they are unpotted
Definitely stronger attack with the uncovered. I agree with your tip to turn down the volume and tone. I do the same with mine and it gives that sweet midrange tone. Fully wide open can e a little too much sometimes. But overall I feel like I can hear the strong and the wood a little bit more. Great sound!
Which would sound best through a vintage bluesbreaker?
I like the Gibson pickups better. Your Les Paul sounds more like a PRS custom 24 now. It's a good sound, but I like the stocks pickups for this Les Paul.
Custombucker sound great!
Did you sell the custom buckers and do you want to... those Gibsons are fantastic...
First off, great video. What I'm about to say, I say in jest. You're a great, very tasteful player. But, I've been combing YT for CustomBucker comparisons, and one of the toughest things to find is a great pickup with bit, mid-punch with great articulation , and string definition when playing chords. The irony is that I've literally watched 10 "comparison" videos, and I don't think one chord has been played, and while I'm not a high-gain freak (by today's standards), almost all of the comparisons barely approached "dirty". Amp demo's/comparisons are the EXACT opposite. I couldn't help but laugh to myself about the irony. But, I digress...those Lollars sound really nice. I typically love Custombuckers, and 57's. But, as you stated so well....the inconsistency of how their wound is absolutely horrible. So, it's not like you can just buy a set of either, and expect to hear the tone you're expecting. Which is a shame given what these cost for a set. Thanks again for sharing.
Beautiful LP! Ice Tea and Honey Burst are my two favorite finishes on a Les Paul. I can hear the difference in the two sets of pick ups and I have to say that I prefer the original BurstBuckers. I like the fatter tone and mid range bark of the BurstBuckers. The Lolars are just too thin and bright for my taste. I like the blues licks you played. Great comparison video. Well done!
they are custombuckers, not burstbuckers. Custombucker are the most high end gibson pickups that gibson make.
@@daniwest1370 they are still better than those thin and harsh shrill sounding lollars!
@@daniwest1370 'S' buckers are the only Gibson pickups that sound better than custumbuckers to me. S buckers were spec'd for CME custom shop R9s that Gibson made for them. Hard to find, but they sound very vintage PAF. More than anything else from modern Gibson IMO. But I like the custombuckers a lot.
Great demo! Great tone! Thanks!
Hi were the Lollars low wind ?
Although these aren't fair comparisons because you wore a different shirt in each demo. ;-)
Thanks for uploading. Both pickups have their qualities. Personnally, I wouldn't swap the original CustomBuckers in a Gibson R8 orR9, but I can understand the willingness to try something else. I have a pair of Low wind Lollar Imperials in a Collings I-35 LC. My opinion is, if you don't want to have a harsh sounding tone, you have to play with the tone pot. With the '50s wiring, it is particularly perceptible: if you put your volume at ~8 and then you act on your tone pot, the overall volume will change. I found a sweet spot with the vol on ~8 and the tone on 3,5. For soloing, vol on 9 and tone on 2,5 for more funky/twangy tone vol on 7,5 and tone on 4. I never go above 6 with the tone pot as the Alnico V bridge pickup is quite trebly already. As a comparison, on a LP R9 with stock CustomBuckers, I tend to play with vol on 8,5 and tone on 8. For solos, I just push the vol to the desired level (depending on the amp). The Collings/Lollars make a superb couple, but for vintage/nasal typical PAF tones, you can't beat a LP with CustomBuckers (my 2 cents...)
I also learned to keep the lollars down. They were way too wide open in this video.
Ha Ha yeah some just don't realize the tonal potential when you work and experiment with your guitar controls Just flabbergasts me That being said most good PAF's will give you what you want if you work with them To a point anyways
I've got an older set of 57 Classics from a 97 Historic R9 Crazy expensive Top was sick Anyways I think they are going in a 2019 50's HCS Standard I picked up this year before I start going down that rabbit hole lol They are sounding fantastic in a Vintage brand Peter Green LP I got several years back when "trying" to replace that exceptional 97 AAA R9 (many tears shed) 😂 back in 08 Ha Ha now that's off my back I'm happy to say the 2019 50's Standard I got is one of the nicest Gibson's I've ever owned Fit and finish perfect Not too bright and shiney Nice wide flame 8.4 pounds I couldn't be happier about it except for a premium set of winds
@@paulcowart3174 Have you tried out Righteous Pickups ? These are pretty awesome !
@@frantisca No I haven't but will check the out Thanks
If we accept your premise that all Custombuckers sound different, what is the point of this video?
Your tone quest ends the day you choose Lollar .
Owned a bunch of 50s and 60s PAF guitars and the best were clear with bite with the same piano like fundamentals of the Lollars and you needed to use the knobs. You’re right about diming the guitar. The Gibson’s still have that made for the modern era sound and I thought they were much flatter in the highs without the air or presence of the Lollars and less clarity in the lows. Observations were regarding the section after he changed the amp settings, first half of Lollar demo was a bit shrill and I agree with the complaints. Thoughtful and good demo pup covers notwithstanding! Cheers and thanks.
the Imperials sounded great, however, the Custombuckers sounded like a Gibson to be honest. the Imperials didnt even hav the chirp
Chose pickups sound fantastic !especially turned down
You got them Lollar's cooking around the 8:00 mark in the Vid - they both sound great. That's why you need two R8's. The Lollars are Potted I believe.
Yes Custom Buckers not potted...some winder's use varnish
Nice playing. Both sound great. I bet the Lollars would sound better when playing with a band.
Nic tone! Love the Imperials
You're right about your classic paf sound. The big players (Page, Gibbons, etc eg) use old treble rich pick-ups with thin string gauges, that with the vintage wiring style (50s wiring) plus pots and caps tributes to the clarity these guitars have. Magnets are also a more thing nowadays they are very powerful which results in 'improved' bass response but muddier tone. Whereas they used to be weaker and really bright like wow. Takes some getting used to. Too bright roll off treble but too dull is troublesome.
To me, the ones at the beginning with chrome covers look and sound way better than those Lollars. And I own three sets of Lollar‘s.
yep no contest. absolutely insane to change those beautiful sounding Gibson pups out. oh well, not my guitar.
The Custombuckers sound more classically "humbuckery" wide open, but I virtually never dime my guitar volume, and for the guitar I have lined up for the Lollar Imperials, the added clarity and harmonic range will be welcome.
Wow nice sounds and playing. What kind of Imperials - standard wind, low wind?
Std wind
These are two different sounding pickups - intentionally. A better apples to apples comparison would be custombuckers vs. antiquities, or lollars vs. another potted pickup similar to the lollars.
with some of these pickups they're so sensitive you need to break the strings in or they sound almost metallic & artificial.
btw, i think It's your mic, not the pickups
Same amp settings, same mic, etc.? If so the Stock Custombuckers are more to my liking. I would think that country music players may favor the Lollar sound, but If I spend the money, the Custom Buckers are more likely to sell.
Custombuckers by a wide margin!.
MHS and Custombuckers are amazing pickups
Both sound very good. I think it depends on what you want, what speaks to you and the feeling you want to imprint on your music. Personally I like a lot rock and roll more than blues, so I would go for the Gibson ones. Although these pickups would fit ver well blues music. The Lollars are more clean and defined, with higher output with this guitar. I would use them for more modern music or even some Jazzy tones. Seem to be more versatile.
I just got an '18 with custombuckers, if it's tone can be attributed to the pickups (I'm not ready to even think about trying other pickups to find out)..Then Gibson could mop the floor with all the aftermarket PAF brands. The middle tone is insanely exactly like Jimmy Page's. I speculate Gibson will not sell them aftermarket for a long, long, long time if at all, because they want you to buy the whole guitar.
My 19 Standard has Burst Buckers I'm going with 57's instead Yeah you're probably right....about the CB's yeah cause they would be staying in it Every thing else is damn near perfect It checked all the boxes...not a tomato burst...nice wide flame...8.4 lb's....fit and finish perfect Just doesn't look new and it's not distressed,came out good Just as happy as when I got new a 97 Historic R9 AAA top Top and pick ups the only real difference
These Custombuckers are obviously pretty great at what they do, but the reason I'd go for the Imperials without hesitation is because they offer more versatility. As he said in the video (if you watch past the initial Imperial play through), you don't always need to be wide open on tone and volume -- in fact, its best if you're not. If you bring in the volume and tone knobs a bit, you warm them up to something that to my ear has all of the sweetness of the Custombuckers, but the Imperials still give you the option of getting that level of clarity and attack that simply isn't possible with the Custombuckers. I wouldn't want an amp that I have to run the bass and treble both at 10 all the time -- I'd want the sweet spot somewhere a bit lower on the dial so that I could tweak it depending on my needs in any given situation. Same thing with these pickups. The best thing about a Les Paul (and the biggest difference with most Fender guitars) is that you get so much expression by working the knobs. These Imperials expand your options over the Custombuckers without giving anything up, IMHO.
Sweet playing dude
Custombucker for me. 🙏
Sorry to say the Gibsons have a fuller sound. I have Seymour Joe Bonamassa 1959 PAF in mine
I think you might like those.
Liked Those Lollars!
i think if you have burstbuckers or 490 whatevers these Lollar Imperial are a great upgrade .
Yes indeed... Custom Buckers damn good (unpotted) WCR...Bare Knuckle...Wizz...Onamac Windery....so many premium winder's out there now
In my humble Opinion...the Custombuckers sound MUCH better. Seems the Lollars sucked all of the low end, and most of the mids out of the guitar
The only way I’d replace the custombucker in my R8 is to buy some throbaks. I like Lollars don’t get me wrong I have a p90 lollar set in my 335. But I figure if I’m replacing a damn good pup I’m going to one up from damn good to outstanding. That being said those throbaks are 650 a set. 😳
Huge difference. The Lollar’s sounded much better.
check your hearing.
It lost a lot of mojo when you put in the Lollars
I prefer the original pickup
They’re all meant to be played wide open. I don’t think they were designed for spare room noodling.
génial Cette guitare rétro "Les Paul". 😊.
I have a 2019 ES-275 that came with the MHS II Humbuckers. I recently changed them to the Lollar Imperials normal wound. guitar sounds much better, cleaner, and note separation and clarity is great - no muddiness. Best of all, noise and clicking went away.
Lollars are clearer, as the Custombuckers are more of rip your face off, and the if you took the covers of them they would be even more aggressive. I must admit I liked the originals much better, Les Paul's are suppose to be nasty and in your face sound. Check out Tyson pickups out of Seattle, they make some nice pickups, Tim pierce is a big fan of them.
Raising the pole pieces will have a similar effect.
Amen, I find that the trebly Les Paul are the best
looks worse without the covers. Both sound good, but why change them out? The Gibsons sound great, if not better
The gibsons are back in. They sound fine with trebly marshalls. Not ao great with darker amps. The quest continues ;)
@@zelon1983 lol
@@zelon1983 quests are a good thing lol
lollar sounds pretty good,but custombucker for me,but can't tell why
Visually, I prefer the covers on the pups. The zebra pattern distracts from the beautiful finish on the guitar. Tonally, I prefer the clarity of the Lollars.
I too have both Lollar Imperials in my Collings I35 deluxe as well as Wildwood spec Custombuckers in my R9 and your comparison sounds exactly like I thought it would. The Custombuckers have a certain beauty all their own, which I think of as very clear and up front and you can tell they’re unpotted because there’s this more present brightness to them. The Lolllars did get better when you turned them down but regardless they have this sort of middle quack or sort of nasally sound and because they are wax potted, a more mellow tone too. I personally prefer my Custombuckers to my Lollar for the type of Blues playing that you were doing.
The Lollars sound harsh to me
What sounds harsh solo in an empty room compared to what sounds deeper solo in the empty room will often translate to sounding stellar with the band while the ones that seemed better solo get lost in the mix. Seen that movie to many times.
Video doesn’t do the Lollars justice perhaps (I could tell I still prefer the Lollars and I know first hand but I see many took it the other way) but yet their clarity still shines through.
Can I buy your custom buckers
4:09 You didn't even demo the middle position of the Custombuckers? That's like doing the test acoustically.
A waist of money the Gibson's win hand sdoen
Lollars has more woody , more clear and more precise tone. I prefer Lollar on the neck position and Gibson on the Bridge..
C-buckers all the way👍
Custombuckers for me
Most videos you see of the “better” typically USA made Gibson or fenders vs some boutique replacement PUP the stock one always sounds better LOL
yep!
anyone that says the Lollar's sound better than those Custombuckers is out of their mind.
I highly preferred the Custombuckers. The Lollars were getting too close to Fender territory for my liking. If I were going to go another route than the CB's I'd probably go ThroBak first, and maybe BKP's if I didn't want to spend ThroBak money. This video put me off the Lollars.
You should have just put old strings on the guitar. Much less expensive for the same end result. I just picked up a 2016 R8 and these pickups are absolute best. "Mule" buckers come in 2nd place, yet don't clean up as well as these CBuckers via volume control.
WCR is good too Mule's SO good Some good cheaper guys Onamac Windery for one I'm using 57 Classics instead of Burst Buckers
would have liked to hear the middle position but both sounded good
I think the custombuckers sounded better
For the money Wizz are the best. Or you can go with Amber spirit of 59 which sound like real 59 PAF's. Rewind Electric are tops. Monty's I like a whole lot. Mojo UK are some of the best Ive heard also. Some Throdak sets I like but not all. I like the Mick Taylor short alnico 2 set. The Koss set, and KZ 115's. My favorite bridge pickup is the Rewind Electric 58. Has a cool midrange chirp.
The Lollars probably are lower wind pickups. They lack the punch that the Custom Buckers have. If you really want to change pickups, put in Amalfitanos or Virgil Arlos.
Yeah forgot about them So many winder's
🎉
Personally the Custombuckers did it for me...
Honestly, and I’m not a Gibson guy at all, but those custombuckers were the better set by far. I like Lollars, but that Les Paul now sounds like a “Les Paul”, like a lookalike made by another company. Sure, it sounds more versatile now, but it totally lost that LP mojo. Hard to describe but that’s just my opinion 🤷♂️
Yeah, I returned to the original custombuckers. They sound great through trebly Marshalls. Not so great through more compressed sounding amps. Yet another reason to keep so many amps ;-)
Try a Amber Pickups!
I prefer the custombuckers
Custombuckers sounds immense and very very PAF like. Surprised you didn't like them as much. Totally personal preference I guess. Want to sell me those custombuckers?! :)
They sound good thrugh this particula amp, which has a lot of high end. They sounded very muddy through most other amps. Since the amp is bright, the lollars sound thin through this particular amp, but sound fantastic through the majority of my amps.
@@zelon1983 Its a fair point you make about the amp. It really is a case of finding a guitar your like in a tactile sense then an amp you like for its tone and THEN pickups you like to match the amp ..
Also fwiw I think those custombuckers are very very very close to the original 57 PAF tone. Which was definitely darker and richer than subsequent versions of the PAF. It sounds great through a dimed Marshall, almost like a human voice sampled. Super musical and nothing at all like the more brutalist (but equally awesome) 59's and later through the same amp. Thinking of Duane Allman specifically ..
I'm glad you are happy with the Lollars. That's really all that mattes. I have some Sheptone Blue Sky's that sound very similar to the Lollars with an A4 magnet and I do dig them.
@@cgavin1 hmm funny you say that I'm actually going with a set of reissue 57 Classics instead of the Burst Buckers in my 19 Standard They came out of a 97 Historic
the Lollar sound HARSH
with no acoustic treatment, you have way too many flat-surface reflections getting into into that room mic!
and we've no idea where the cabinet is in relation to the wall or mic; it may make a huge difference in bass response.
thanks anyway, at least i can tell the lollars are brighter that's for sure
"What I want is a thinner sound with some scooped kids and some highs and lows." .....get a fucking Strat then dude :(
Check this out dude ua-cam.com/video/-duj8uNLdjs/v-deo.html
I´m sorry but also I prefer the custombuckers, perhaps it´s true that They don´t have too much air but Lollar are vey cold, I dónt like these Lollar.
IN fairness, custombuckers sound better with this amp. However on another amp, Lollars sound better. As always, it's a combination of amp and guitar, that's most important
@@zelon1983 I bought a LP R8 two years ago and I had to change the custombuckers, They were bad, They didn't have mids, I know the custombuckers because I had 2 LP R9 with these pickups. I had to change for 2 Bare Knucle, a Joke of 300€, and it'snt a personal opinion or subjective judgment. Gibson must change these pickups to me but this is a chimera. Best regards my friend
Custombuckers sounded better to me.
2 diferent animals... more high end lollar more low end custombuckers, but not too much.. very dififcult decision
The custombuckers are far better.
3:16 4:28
HOly fuck folks those Lollars sound like crap compared to the custom buckers....look i have spend an obscene amount of money on pickups and god knows what else on guitars over the last 30 years and i will say this, Gibson starting with teh 57 classic + to the custom bucker makes the best pickup for that guitar hands down. I have gone through all of them including the SD antiquities and etc etc and had custom ones made....Gibson has got this shit down now....i but as many custom bucker sets i can get my hands on now because they WORK for everything, i have a 1995 ESp horizon i put a set in and and it's breathtaking what that guitar can do now.. Rock/classic rock/metal/blues/ and oh hell yeah JAZZ....