My all time favorite les paul player is Duane Allman. His touch with the guitar was unmatched! A good example of him using all the different tones with the paul is in “Dreams.” He goes in between the neck and bridge a lot during his solos and the tone especially comes through when he switches to the glass slide on the second solo. He is one of the most dynamic players that ever existed!
Fun fact: my brother plays sax, he's 19, and listens to a lot of music. Not too long ago I made him listen "Supersession" with Bloomfield playing the Les Paul. He was disgusted by the guitar sound, he said it was piercing to the ears and barely unlistenable. He didn't like the licks too. I like Bloomfield, I really enjoy his playing. I was asking to myself: is it a matter of acquired taste? When I first listened to supersession I was already trained in listening to music and go beyond the first impression. Any opinion guys and gals?
@@CarloCalcaterra92 there is no accounting for taste. Sometimes one’s taste can change with time. Your brother has his taste and nothing you can do about it any more than you can change his mind about his favorite food or color. Sometimes exposure to music will trigger a response later on. I hated certain music that now “I get”. To each his own.
Les Pauls with four knobs are extremely versatile and are so much so that most, if not all of the tones you need are in those four dials. Good tone and volume pots, great pickups, a nice setup, and a great amp are really all you need. Keeping it simple and really knowing how to use your pick and fingers for dynamics is really where it’s at for me anyway. I love your advice and your teaching Jeff. It is really helpful all of the time! Keep up the good work. Also, you are an amazing player and your hard work has paid off. Great stuff!!!
I installed 50's wiring harness into my Gibson les paul, it's been the best advice, it's immediately improved that sound & tonal options. Thankyou mate.
@@SeabeeBuckeye Have to try it out. I have a coil tap on it that does not seem to work yet sounds awesome on my friends SG, wondering if this may wake that up as well.
Love this. I am fascinated by the intricacies of how these controls interact. I’ve taken your approach in two control guitars by disconnecting the tone on the neck and dialing the amp for that. I learned all of this from you man!
Agree 💯% Kieth! Hello buddy...hope u are well...there's darn good reason 5 watt 🌍..and others... regularly feature Jeff and his intros and playing and I'm sure his wisdom bleeds into the short histories...hiss playing sure has helped define them...great to be in the company of such fantastic musicians..what an age we live in...really a new golden era...❤️🤘🤔🎸☮️🌍
Great video Jeff! I'm learning about the idiosyncrasies of LP wiring and the timing of this video couldn't be better. I'd like to add , large pedal chains and long cable runs without buffers, messes up all of the cool tones you can get with the knob settings - it will instantly turn muddy as soon as you turn down. The less stuff between guitar and amp the better. (I learned this the hard way lol)
Thanks man! So happy you liked it. And yes that’s a great tip. I was plugged right into the amp and always use buffers for that reason. I also have learned the hard way…
So true... With a Tele you can get away with a longer pedal chain... A Les Paul for me, is about two or three tops, and then you lose some of the tones.
I've owned my #1 Les Paul Standard since new(33 years now!) It came stock in 1989 with modern wiring and the worst pickups Gibson ever used("The Original" pcb Lawrence pickups) I installed a new RS Guitarworks 50's wiring harness and vintage wired toggle switch, and like you said, it's a night and day difference! I have done a few other mods like Callaham machined stainless steel Nashville conversion posts with an abr-1 and aluminum tailpiece with long steel studs and replaced my pickups (again, for the 3rd time) with Seymour Duncan 59's with nickel covers, I couldn't be happier with a real 1959 Standard! Great video, Keep on Rocking!
Thanks for the video. I am only about 15 months in to my guitar playing. I started playing my daughter’s Strat. About 3 months ago I played every guitar they had in the shop. I picked the 50’s Les Paul because I liked the feel and sound the best. I had no idea about the wiring, but I’m very happy with the tone you can get out of this guitar. I can make it bluesy, dirty, clean, county, etc. thanks for the video.
Great tutorial. The Les Paul has way more tones than many people realise. The fact the tones and volumes are independent give you so many switching options. Plus points for the gold top which looks absolutely amazing!
i was used to a modern 500$ slash epiphone special AFD with 2 knobs and it has this bright amazing sound on high gain and i bought a much more expensive 50s epiphone les paul standard in mettalic gold and it didnt sound the same n not as good so i got it set it up professionally n it still wasnt sounding what i wanted it to but i was looking at it all wrong.. its 50s style wiring it has covered pickups its alot heaviern chunkier and theres 2 extra knobs and so much more diversity it wasnt her it was me!! LOL, now im starting to understand her and how she works and im loving this guitar alot more now, the more i look into the difference between tones on wiring,covered/uncovered pickups, so many things, n i was getting mad because my cheaper guitar was sounding brighter n better when playing high gain metal then this 50s one... and i would have my 50s style LP on the same setting n same amp setting n it was off... id have the bridge on 10 volume n 8 tone n it wasnt bright n clear sounding my my slash lp special 2 on the same setting but i get it now this goldtop is alot more intriqte and it takes alot more effort to dial it in as opposed to:what i was used to: (select bridge,neck,middle, 1 volume 1 tone)... thank u so much
50s wiring is the only way to go period….. the volume and tone knob are interactive. But the value of cap you use, even though it should not be different because of the value, the type of cap can be heard. You should always try caps to “voice” your guitar for the amp and music you play and anything from .01-.047mfd will catch your ear…. And different cap values for the bridge and neck pickup can work too. .022mfd for neck and a .033mfd from bridge can make the middle position sound incredible and articulate….. let your ears decide which cap goes for the ride…… your fingers will even smile when you find it
So true. I lost my old Les Pauls, and eventually have been able to buy new ones. I couldn't get used to the sound of the new pots. I put Emerson wired 50's style in both of my les Pauls and fell in love with playing guitar all over again.
I just bought an R8, this video couldn't have came at a better time! I had no idea the tone and volume pots are so interactive. I can't believe turning them both down actually brightens the guitar! Amazing!
@@JeffMcErlain Hi, please have a word with Teachable. I ordered 2 of your courses, then realised they were too basic for me, so I contacted Teachable straightaway with a view to cancelling them and going for something else. This was on June 8th andf have still not had a refund! They have my money!
I got a Les Paul standard 60s about a month ago and I'm amazed at how useful knobs and how well the burstbuckers respond to everything . Coming from Teles I was used to the tone knob being useful, but Fender's volume pots seem to have a narrow amount of usable travel. Thanks for the tips, Jeff!
Excellent! If you want to go deep you can upgrade the knobs on the tele (unless it’s vintage) to get a better sweep. I use these and they make a big difference in both the LP and Fenders. www.vintageinspiredpickups.com/
The first thing I did when I bought my 2021 LP 50s Standard was change it to 50s wiring. It amazes me that a new LP 50s Standard comes from the factory with modern wiring!!
The les paul was the guitar I ended up keeping over all the others ...I realy appreciate others passing on tricks that can be done on the les paul...another good trck is the volume swell that gary moore would do alot ...you bend a note with the volume knob quite low then you role it up to make this swelling sound ...u tube this technique and try it out !
Jeff talks tone.... , Dave (me) clicks like.... just that simple . So glad I found someone that loves the exact artists, music, and guitar tone that I love..
Thanks for a great video! I recently went to 50s wiring in a 335 copy. In this video, you answered one of my major questions, “why is the volume taper so limited?” Now I know that can be expected and like in all things you take the good with the bad, you get to great tone, but you don’t get as much range on the volume knob. I noticed from 8 to 10. It sounds absolutely killer, but there’s a significant volume drop below 8. I thought something was wrong with the way I wired it, but you obviously described it to a T in this video. Thanks so much!
My Gold top is a ultra light aged Murphy Lab of the first batch. I went to buy a made too measure R9 and after trying tons of Les Paul's got my R7. It was sounding much better than all the others. Best sounding Les Paul I have ever tried. Mind you, I have never tried real Burst. I have changed all wires including pickup hook up wire with proper wire. Way less capacitance and way more tone reaching the amplifier. The funny thing is that I was not in Murphy Lab guitars, and still, I got it because it was best sounding. That elusive hunt for the Les Paul ended that day. Btw mine is light back double gold variant.
Fantastic video. In all my years of playing no one has ever really explained 50's wiring on an LP. I always though I must be doing it wrong because I never used my "Rhythm" pickup to play rhythm. I love what you said about the numbers on the knobs being meaningless...go by what sounds good. Definitely saving this video for future reference.
I just changed the pickups out of my LP#2 and added 50's wiring. It is much brighter than I expected. Still getting used to it. I usually have my tone rolled off to 7, but even there it's bright. Used to be wooly in a marshall, now it's almost thin on the bridge in my JTM50. I keep wondering if it's the right way to go but, like you say it's not intuitive. If anything I will at least keep it in the neck pickup.
Honestly it would be basically the same concept as this video. The one tone does make it a bit different. Let me think if it’s enough info for a separate video!
I am a Stratocaster Telecaster person. I bought a Epiphone 50s Les Paul with Ofcouse 50s wiring to have a guitar with Humbuckers. Could not get a tone I like because I didn't understand 50s wiring until I watched your video. I was going to sell it and keep my strats and Teles. But now I will keep it and experiment with the knobs. I like the woman tone.
To the point, well done. I spent 2 years working on my tone on a 2012 Les Paul Traditional (and amp). I ruined some PU and....bad soldering. But I reviewed soldering videos and practiced. 50’s soldering and buying quality POTS was a game changer. The same POTS don’t always have the same values so I would buy 4-5 and use the favorite. The CAPS didn’t seem to matter as much. The pickups well that’s the hard part...too many to choose, with different magnet values and expensive. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Spend time on the tone and finally get a good guitar setup. And then there is the amp!
Few instructors can make the world of musical creation via electric guitar come alive and hold my attention the way Jeff does. What a gift! (Both, his skills, and what he gives to his students.) If you haven't discovered/explored Jeff's offerings of instructional video, I highly recommend that you take the time. Best investment in my guitar experience so far (time and money). Something there for every level of player. I swear even BB (RIP), Eric, LC or Robben would find some new insights with Jeff. He certainly offers deep insights in to each of their music.
A fun tone with 50s wiring is with both pickups and the treble tone all the way down into something gainy like a boost pedal or fuzz. Kind of a coked wah sound.
50s mod is always the first mod for a Les Paul for me. Most Gibson’s used to come stock with 300k vol pots witch I prefer to replace as well. Great video to show why👌
Interesting and informative video. I've always wanted a LP. I've looked to the stars and hope that I now have the winning loto numbers.. Thank you for the jam track. Digging your courses.. Looking forward to the resumption of your streams.. Best.
I have 2 LPs, none of which have 50's wiring, BUT I have a black 2011 CS-336 which does have the 50's pickups and I assume the 50's wiring, PLUS, its a hollow body!
In both 50's and modern LP, the capacitor and the potentiometer are in series, which results in the same impedance. So they are interchangeable without making any difference.
Are you saying that SONICALLY it won’t make a difference? That’s true when both knobs are on 10, but there’s ABSOLUTELY a difference when you begin to play with the volume and tone knobs.
I had the same experience, I rewired my SG a few years back with quality pots and caps and 50s style and it was like a blanket came off the guitar. Ive since rewired all my two humbucker guitars to 50s style. I don't know why they don't come this way, or I never really understood the logic behind modern wiring.
Hello Jeff, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to make this very informative video. It was/is super helpful, its incredible all that I have been fortunate enough to learn about guitars in the last few years thanks to people like you. Big 50's wiring fan myself, not a big fan of coil splitting etc. Just a quick question out of curiosity if I may, what amp were you using for this video, you sounded fantastic! Thanks again, I'll be checking out more of your catalog.
1. Clarity, warmth and resonance/sustain are the bedrock/foundation of great tone. That has to exist independently and inherently in the guitar. It somehow exists in the combined physics of the wood, wiring/pups and other components of the guitar itself. There is no way to compensate for a foundational deficiency if one of those traits is lacking. The more you have those three independently in the guitar, the greater variation will be available to a player's unique touch (left and right hands). 2. Tactile touch is the next level of tone control/modification. When I listen to accomplished players, they sound nearly identical over a variety of good guitars, including Jeff (absent dramatic signal modification). 3. Then comes post-tactile signal modification. One can use tone modification techniques and gear to modify the signal as Jeff expertly demonstrates. But absent #1, you can only partially compensate, but not eliminate foundational deficiencies.
I will get back to them thanks. I’ve been trying to concentrate more on videos like this one. They take time to put together, and TH-cam treats these videos differently than they do the live streams. But I will get back to them soon. Thanks for asking Michael.
Jeff, there are different caps used in 50’s wiring. Oil filled and mustard(sozo) caps, can you please write me back and let me know what caps sound better?? Thanks, Craig
I honestly don’t know which is better, I usually go with the oil caps. I can’t say I’ve ever spent too much time in that rabbit hole! I feel the 50s wiring and a good set of pots will make a much bigger difference.
Really nice demonstration of the 50s wiring. Especially love that setup on my single P90 guitars. It's amazingly versatile for being so simple. Paper-in-oil caps are my favorite in this situation along with black bourns pots.
Great video Jeff, deep and to the point. I’d seen references to the 50s wiring and never gave it much thought, although I have a 335 that had already been modded to that before I got it and it sounds amazing. Now I will have to modify my LP and see if I can close to that sweet tone. Still working away on lots of pieces from your TF courses and the private lesson material. You’re one of the best educators out there, keep up the good work. Thanks!
Hey Jeff, I don't have a Les Paul but I do have a couple Gibson SGs. I wonder if I would get the same effect if I had one of them changed to 50's wiring. I will have to check into it.
I bought a ‘57 LP Custom 2 pickup reissue last year it has become my #1. Still finding out all the different tones I can get with this amazing all mahogany body guitar.
Great explanation. I dig the tones. How about if you want to clean up the tone all the way to crystal clear with no drive. Would you then have to turn down the amp or can you get that with using just the guitar volume and tone controls. I've tried it on my ES-339 and there still seems to be some grit no matter how I play around with the controls. Thank you, love the video.
For crystal clear, which I don’t end up using actually all that much, I will probably just turn the amp down. Much easier to find that little ground with single coils I find.
BTW how the Volume changes true the pot range depends more on the type of the pot. Vintage taper pots have less drop off. This being that pots are all audio or log pots. Sometimes some people use linear pots and those drop volume like a brick. They follow linear change of resistance but our perception of the volume is not linear. Like smallest difference we hear is a decibel. Though 3 decibels mean twice the power. Hence we do not hear linear as in linear increase of power. Hence audio pots sound liner to our ears but actually change resistance value at logarithmic scale. BTW changing all wire feels like someone took off a blanket off the amplifier. Just more details and bit more volume. Cable that Gibson uses nowadays is single isolation higher capacitance trash cable. It literally sends signal to ground. Proper two isolation layers wire simply allows more signal to reach the amp. Though changing pickups hook up wire means dismantling pickups. Not for everyone. There is a zero need for treble bleed with proper harness. With proper amp you can go tone at 5 in the guitar and still not lose details. That's how it should be. Tons of tones you can dail in with pots.
Hi Jeff, how do you like to have your pickup heights? I'm sure that too plays a big part in achieving a sound you like. Would love to hear more about how to set your pickup height. Thanks for the great content...
Fun video, Jeff! Been a Les Paul guy for many years. Big reason for that was Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow album and some Al DiMeola stuff. Michael Bloomfield and Gary Moore also really influenced me that way. It’s always fascinated me at how it’s possible to get so many different sounds out of a Les Paul and your video illustrates this perfectly!
Emerson out of Oklahoma makes a great 50's wiring kit for the Les Paul if anyone has a more modern wiring for about $120... bumble bee's, great workmanship and he's rumored to be working on a new proprietary 50's style Pot..
Awesome demo, Jeff - thank you. Yet another great demonstration that we should put the hours in exploring our instruments and equipment. It's not all about buying new stuff! Thanks again.
For me Gary Moore is my favorite guitar player of all time. His tone, feel, playing, and overall versatility set him apart from a lot of other players.
I just recently gutted my LP Classic and put in Seymour Duncan Antiquities along with 50s wiring. I’m still getting used to it and figuring things out, but I’m definitely getting more of a Beano and early LZ sound. This video is really helpful.
I love les pauls. But the lack of tuning problems i am used to with strat floating trems gives me nothing to do for hours. Les pauls are the devil mmmmk.
My all time favorite les paul player is Duane Allman. His touch with the guitar was unmatched! A good example of him using all the different tones with the paul is in “Dreams.” He goes in between the neck and bridge a lot during his solos and the tone especially comes through when he switches to the glass slide on the second solo. He is one of the most dynamic players that ever existed!
Duane Allman was incredible. "Layla and other assorted love songs" is one of the great blues/rock albums for my money.
Dickey too!! 🤘
@@mikeneufeld4610I am with you, I love Duane, but Dickey was a beast in his own right, as well as a writer.
Don’t forget Michael Bloomfield. He often gets left out, but worthy of a listen for Les Paul tones. Thanks for the tone tips.
@@BennieTarrMusic an understatement.
He’s using a Bloomfield Drive
Fun fact: my brother plays sax, he's 19, and listens to a lot of music. Not too long ago I made him listen "Supersession" with Bloomfield playing the Les Paul. He was disgusted by the guitar sound, he said it was piercing to the ears and barely unlistenable. He didn't like the licks too. I like Bloomfield, I really enjoy his playing. I was asking to myself: is it a matter of acquired taste? When I first listened to supersession I was already trained in listening to music and go beyond the first impression. Any opinion guys and gals?
@@CarloCalcaterra92 there is no accounting for taste. Sometimes one’s taste can change with time. Your brother has his taste and nothing you can do about it any more than you can change his mind about his favorite food or color. Sometimes exposure to music will trigger a response later on. I hated certain music that now “I get”. To each his own.
@@CarloCalcaterra92 Bloomfield's P-90 Les Paul through a Fender Blackface is not pleasant.
Les Pauls with four knobs are extremely versatile and are so much so that most, if not all of the tones you need are in those four dials. Good tone and volume pots, great pickups, a nice setup, and a great amp are really all you need. Keeping it simple and really knowing how to use your pick and fingers for dynamics is really where it’s at for me anyway. I love your advice and your teaching Jeff. It is really helpful all of the time! Keep up the good work. Also, you are an amazing player and your hard work has paid off. Great stuff!!!
Thanks and thank you for being here!!
I installed 50's wiring harness into my Gibson les paul, it's been the best advice, it's immediately improved that sound & tonal options.
Thankyou mate.
Fantastic!!
50’s wiring on my SG was a game changer. There’s something about it that it’s hard to put in words. It’s really amazing.
Agreed!
No question. I did the same on my SG about a year ago and that 50s wiring just woke it up even more.
@@SeabeeBuckeye Have to try it out. I have a coil tap on it that does not seem to work yet sounds awesome on my friends SG, wondering if this may wake that up as well.
Love this. I am fascinated by the intricacies of how these controls interact. I’ve taken your approach in two control guitars by disconnecting the tone on the neck and dialing the amp for that. I learned all of this from you man!
🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Agree 💯% Kieth! Hello buddy...hope u are well...there's darn good reason 5 watt 🌍..and others... regularly feature Jeff and his intros and playing and I'm sure his wisdom bleeds into the short histories...hiss playing sure has helped define them...great to be in the company of such fantastic musicians..what an age we live in...really a new golden era...❤️🤘🤔🎸☮️🌍
I installed push-pull pots that switch between 50s and modern wiring. Best of both worlds.
Great video Jeff! I'm learning about the idiosyncrasies of LP wiring and the timing of this video couldn't be better. I'd like to add , large pedal chains and long cable runs without buffers, messes up all of the cool tones you can get with the knob settings - it will instantly turn muddy as soon as you turn down. The less stuff between guitar and amp the better. (I learned this the hard way lol)
Thanks man! So happy you liked it. And yes that’s a great tip. I was plugged right into the amp and always use buffers for that reason. I also have learned the hard way…
So true... With a Tele you can get away with a longer pedal chain... A Les Paul for me, is about two or three tops, and then you lose some of the tones.
I've owned my #1 Les Paul Standard since new(33 years now!) It came stock in 1989 with modern wiring and the worst pickups Gibson ever used("The Original" pcb Lawrence pickups) I installed a new RS Guitarworks 50's wiring harness and vintage wired toggle switch, and like you said, it's a night and day difference! I have done a few other mods like Callaham machined stainless steel Nashville conversion posts with an abr-1 and aluminum tailpiece with long steel studs and replaced my pickups (again, for the 3rd time) with Seymour Duncan 59's with nickel covers, I couldn't be happier with a real 1959 Standard! Great video, Keep on Rocking!
Thanks for the video. I am only about 15 months in to my guitar playing. I started playing my daughter’s Strat. About 3 months ago I played every guitar they had in the shop. I picked the 50’s Les Paul because I liked the feel and sound the best. I had no idea about the wiring, but I’m very happy with the tone you can get out of this guitar. I can make it bluesy, dirty, clean, county, etc. thanks for the video.
Great tutorial. The Les Paul has way more tones than many people realise. The fact the tones and volumes are independent give you so many switching options. Plus points for the gold top which looks absolutely amazing!
i was used to a modern 500$ slash epiphone special AFD with 2 knobs and it has this bright amazing sound on high gain and i bought a much more expensive 50s epiphone les paul standard in mettalic gold and it didnt sound the same n not as good so i got it set it up professionally n it still wasnt sounding what i wanted it to but i was looking at it all wrong.. its 50s style wiring it has covered pickups its alot heaviern chunkier and theres 2 extra knobs and so much more diversity it wasnt her it was me!! LOL, now im starting to understand her and how she works and im loving this guitar alot more now, the more i look into the difference between tones on wiring,covered/uncovered pickups, so many things, n i was getting mad because my cheaper guitar was sounding brighter n better when playing high gain metal then this 50s one... and i would have my 50s style LP on the same setting n same amp setting n it was off... id have the bridge on 10 volume n 8 tone n it wasnt bright n clear sounding my my slash lp special 2 on the same setting but i get it now this goldtop is alot more intriqte and it takes alot more effort to dial it in as opposed to:what i was used to: (select bridge,neck,middle, 1 volume 1 tone)...
thank u so much
50s wiring is the only way to go period….. the volume and tone knob are interactive. But the value of cap you use, even though it should not be different because of the value, the type of cap can be heard. You should always try caps to “voice” your guitar for the amp and music you play and anything from .01-.047mfd will catch your ear…. And different cap values for the bridge and neck pickup can work too. .022mfd for neck and a .033mfd from bridge can make the middle position sound incredible and articulate….. let your ears decide which cap goes for the ride…… your fingers will even smile when you find it
I play an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and tend to like the tone knobs at 3 and the bridge coil split pulled up. Clean channel on a H&K Tubemeister 36.
So true. I lost my old Les Pauls, and eventually have been able to buy new ones. I couldn't get used to the sound of the new pots. I put Emerson wired 50's style in both of my les Pauls and fell in love with playing guitar all over again.
Me too ..so many Pauls löst ..
. getting back slow..
I usually start with my neck volume on 7 and my bridge tone on 7. I really appreciate hearing your process and explaining it.
I can see why Robben likes you so much Jeff. You are a very melodic, non-flashy player, and this is what Robben digs!
Thank You!
I love 50s wiring as well.
I just bought an R8, this video couldn't have came at a better time! I had no idea the tone and volume pots are so interactive. I can't believe turning them both down actually brightens the guitar! Amazing!
Huge fan, Jeff. Your TrueFire lessons are espresso shots, constantly re-awakening me to this instrument. Cheers from Kansas City.
Thank you!!!
@@JeffMcErlain Hi, please have a word with Teachable. I ordered 2 of your courses, then realised they were too basic for me, so I contacted Teachable straightaway with a view to cancelling them and going for something else. This was on June 8th andf have still not had a refund! They have my money!
Your explanation was flawless. thank you Jeff.
Well said Jeff. Rolling the volume knob back just a bit really sweetens things up for me. That’s where a lot of the tone is I think. Cheers
🤟🤟
I got a Les Paul standard 60s about a month ago and I'm amazed at how useful knobs and how well the burstbuckers respond to everything . Coming from Teles I was used to the tone knob being useful, but Fender's volume pots seem to have a narrow amount of usable travel. Thanks for the tips, Jeff!
Excellent! If you want to go deep you can upgrade the knobs on the tele (unless it’s vintage) to get a better sweep. I use these and they make a big difference in both the LP and Fenders.
www.vintageinspiredpickups.com/
Thanks for this...I am going to mod my LP's now...but not before I check out the matching Strat video!
Ha!
The first thing I did when I bought my 2021 LP 50s Standard was change it to 50s wiring. It amazes me that a new LP 50s Standard comes from the factory with modern wiring!!
The les paul was the guitar I ended up keeping over all the others ...I realy appreciate others passing on tricks that can be done on the les paul...another good trck is the volume swell that gary moore would do alot ...you bend a note with the volume knob quite low then you role it up to make this swelling sound ...u tube this technique and try it out !
Jeff talks tone.... , Dave (me) clicks like.... just that simple . So glad I found someone that loves the exact artists, music, and guitar tone that I love..
Great minds…
Setting pickup and pole height is still such a mystery to me. You should do a video on that!
Good idea!
I checked both my R9 and R7 because I wanted to be sure. Thx, for shedding light on the differences for this rookie.
My pleasure!
Thanks for a great video! I recently went to 50s wiring in a 335 copy. In this video, you answered one of my major questions, “why is the volume taper so limited?” Now I know that can be expected and like in all things you take the good with the bad, you get to great tone, but you don’t get as much range on the volume knob. I noticed from 8 to 10. It sounds absolutely killer, but there’s a significant volume drop below 8. I thought something was wrong with the way I wired it, but you obviously described it to a T in this video. Thanks so much!
You’re welcome!! Yup imperfect but you get used to it!!
My Gold top is a ultra light aged Murphy Lab of the first batch. I went to buy a made too measure R9 and after trying tons of Les Paul's got my R7. It was sounding much better than all the others. Best sounding Les Paul I have ever tried. Mind you, I have never tried real Burst. I have changed all wires including pickup hook up wire with proper wire. Way less capacitance and way more tone reaching the amplifier. The funny thing is that I was not in Murphy Lab guitars, and still, I got it because it was best sounding. That elusive hunt for the Les Paul ended that day.
Btw mine is light back double gold variant.
Nice ill try it out ..thank-you
Fantastic video. In all my years of playing no one has ever really explained 50's wiring on an LP. I always though I must be doing it wrong because I never used my "Rhythm" pickup to play rhythm. I love what you said about the numbers on the knobs being meaningless...go by what sounds good. Definitely saving this video for future reference.
Thanks!! I’m glad you enjoyed it!!
I did have an FGN Les Paul but I sold it, I will try this with my Aria Pro 2 TA40. Great video, thanks.
Great stuff Jeff! Thanks very much for the insights. Time to start soldering...
Lol ! Thanks Matt. Have at it!
Terrific, thank you Jeff.
You’re welcome.
The best Les Paul video! a Really good job!
Thanks!!
I just changed the pickups out of my LP#2 and added 50's wiring. It is much brighter than I expected. Still getting used to it. I usually have my tone rolled off to 7, but even there it's bright. Used to be wooly in a marshall, now it's almost thin on the bridge in my JTM50. I keep wondering if it's the right way to go but, like you say it's not intuitive. If anything I will at least keep it in the neck pickup.
Super helpful I have a recently purchased a 50’s LP with P90’s I have needed a tutorial like this. Thank you!
Glad it helped!
I wish you would do one of these videos for getting good tones with the PRS DGT.
Honestly it would be basically the same concept as this video. The one tone does make it a bit different. Let me think if it’s enough info for a separate video!
You can also lower pickups and raise pole pieces for more clarity and top end.
You have a very keen ear Jeff, well done
Jeff you're a legend
Ha. In my own mind! 🙌🏻
You’re a great guitar scholar and a gentleman 🙏
I am a Stratocaster Telecaster person. I bought a Epiphone 50s Les Paul with Ofcouse 50s wiring to have a guitar with Humbuckers. Could not get a tone I like because I didn't understand 50s wiring until I watched your video. I was going to sell it and keep my strats and Teles. But now I will keep it and experiment with the knobs. I like the woman tone.
0:13-0:26 soo good!
Thank you!
Very nice! The trick about turning the tone down on the bridge pickup also works on good vintage tele pickups, which can sound like a P90 that way.
Yes it does!!
To the point, well done. I spent 2 years working on my tone on a 2012 Les Paul Traditional (and amp). I ruined some PU and....bad soldering. But I reviewed soldering videos and practiced. 50’s soldering and buying quality POTS was a game changer. The same POTS don’t always have the same values so I would buy 4-5 and use the favorite. The CAPS didn’t seem to matter as much. The pickups well that’s the hard part...too many to choose, with different magnet values and expensive. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Spend time on the tone and finally get a good guitar setup.
And then there is the amp!
Few instructors can make the world of musical creation via electric guitar come alive and hold my attention the way Jeff does. What a gift! (Both, his skills, and what he gives to his students.) If you haven't discovered/explored Jeff's offerings of instructional video, I highly recommend that you take the time. Best investment in my guitar experience so far (time and money). Something there for every level of player. I swear even BB (RIP), Eric, LC or Robben would find some new insights with Jeff. He certainly offers deep insights in to each of their music.
A fun tone with 50s wiring is with both pickups and the treble tone all the way down into something gainy like a boost pedal or fuzz. Kind of a coked wah sound.
Yup!!
Thank you..great playing by the way.
Thank you and you are welcome.
Thank you for this. I have been struggling to get a tone I like. This should be very helpful. I am not sure of how to setup my amps though.
When I heard “dialing in” I was thinking setup. It would be cool to have videos on that too!
Great tones...
Thanks!
50s mod is always the first mod for a Les Paul for me. Most Gibson’s used to come stock with 300k vol pots witch I prefer to replace as well. Great video to show why👌
Interesting and informative video. I've always wanted a LP. I've looked to the stars and hope that I now have the winning loto numbers.. Thank you for the jam track. Digging your courses.. Looking forward to the resumption of your streams.. Best.
Thanks Sam! I’ll be back shortly! Lots going on keeping me busy!
Get yourself a used les paul special - great starter guitar.
Thank you, Jeff! I need to see this 👌
Yes. Yes you do… 😂
Great video, I’ve got an 1984 les paul studio and I also roll back the volume and tone, I’ve got a blues junior amp that I play through.
Wow. I didn't know about that effect the tone knob has. It kind of hollows out the mids
Cool isn’t it! That 50’s wiring!
I have 2 LPs, none of which have 50's wiring, BUT I have a black 2011 CS-336 which does have the 50's pickups and I assume the 50's wiring, PLUS, its a hollow body!
In both 50's and modern LP, the capacitor and the potentiometer are in series, which results in the same impedance. So they are interchangeable without making any difference.
I’m not sure what you are saying?
Are you saying that SONICALLY it won’t make a difference? That’s true when both knobs are on 10, but there’s ABSOLUTELY a difference when you begin to play with the volume and tone knobs.
I had the same experience, I rewired my SG a few years back with quality pots and caps and 50s style and it was like a blanket came off the guitar. Ive since rewired all my two humbucker guitars to 50s style. I don't know why they don't come this way, or I never really understood the logic behind modern wiring.
Hello Jeff, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to make this very informative video. It was/is super helpful, its incredible all that I have been fortunate enough to learn about guitars in the last few years thanks to people like you. Big 50's wiring fan myself, not a big fan of coil splitting etc. Just a quick question out of curiosity if I may, what amp were you using for this video, you sounded fantastic!
Thanks again, I'll be checking out more of your catalog.
Hey! Thank you for this! I really appreciate you letting me know and thank you so much for being here.
1. Clarity, warmth and resonance/sustain are the bedrock/foundation of great tone. That has to exist independently and inherently in the guitar. It somehow exists in the combined physics of the wood, wiring/pups and other components of the guitar itself. There is no way to compensate for a foundational deficiency if one of those traits is lacking. The more you have those three independently in the guitar, the greater variation will be available to a player's unique touch (left and right hands). 2. Tactile touch is the next level of tone control/modification. When I listen to accomplished players, they sound nearly identical over a variety of good guitars, including Jeff (absent dramatic signal modification). 3. Then comes post-tactile signal modification. One can use tone modification techniques and gear to modify the signal as Jeff expertly demonstrates. But absent #1, you can only partially compensate, but not eliminate foundational deficiencies.
Are you going to do your Wednesdays lessons like last year? I loved them. Thanx.
I will get back to them thanks. I’ve been trying to concentrate more on videos like this one. They take time to put together, and TH-cam treats these videos differently than they do the live streams. But I will get back to them soon. Thanks for asking Michael.
Keith from five watt world sent me.
Great demo and explanation.
Thank you!!
Thanks Jeff, good to see you, was looking earlier to see if you had uploaded a video and here it is. Love your tone Jeff.
Thanks David!
Thanks for the tips. They were very helpful.
I’m glad!
Well done! 👍
Thank you.
Jeff, there are different caps used in 50’s wiring. Oil filled and mustard(sozo) caps, can you please write me back and let me know what caps sound better??
Thanks, Craig
I honestly don’t know which is better, I usually go with the oil caps. I can’t say I’ve ever spent too much time in that rabbit hole! I feel the 50s wiring and a good set of pots will make a much bigger difference.
RS Guitarworks Superpots with 50s wiring solves the taper issue while giving you all the advantages.
Thanks! Good into!
Found this video extremely helpful thank you jeff!
You are welcome!
Really nice demonstration of the 50s wiring. Especially love that setup on my single P90 guitars. It's amazingly versatile for being so simple. Paper-in-oil caps are my favorite in this situation along with black bourns pots.
One of the best educators out there. Thanks Jeff.
Great video Jeff, deep and to the point. I’d seen references to the 50s wiring and never gave it much thought, although I have a 335 that had already been modded to that before I got it and it sounds amazing. Now I will have to modify my LP and see if I can close to that sweet tone.
Still working away on lots of pieces from your TF courses and the private lesson material. You’re one of the best educators out there, keep up the good work.
Thanks!
Thanks and I appreciate you being here!
This makes me take my Murphy Lab double gold light back light aged out and play.
Do it!!!
Hey Jeff,
I don't have a Les Paul but I do have a couple Gibson SGs. I wonder if I would get the same effect if I had one of them changed to 50's wiring. I will have to check into it.
I bought a ‘57 LP Custom 2 pickup reissue last year it has become my #1. Still finding out all the different tones I can get with this amazing all mahogany body guitar.
Fantastic!
You've helped me a lot with this video Jeff - superb - thanks a million
I just pulled mine out is storage, perfect timing
Excellent!
Great explanation. I dig the tones. How about if you want to clean up the tone all the way to crystal clear with no drive. Would you then have to turn down the amp or can you get that with using just the guitar volume and tone controls. I've tried it on my ES-339 and there still seems to be some grit no matter how I play around with the controls. Thank you, love the video.
For crystal clear, which I don’t end up using actually all that much, I will probably just turn the amp down. Much easier to find that little ground with single coils I find.
Yes
Jeff, thank you very much for your hard work and excellent Videos.
BTW how the Volume changes true the pot range depends more on the type of the pot. Vintage taper pots have less drop off. This being that pots are all audio or log pots. Sometimes some people use linear pots and those drop volume like a brick. They follow linear change of resistance but our perception of the volume is not linear. Like smallest difference we hear is a decibel. Though 3 decibels mean twice the power. Hence we do not hear linear as in linear increase of power. Hence audio pots sound liner to our ears but actually change resistance value at logarithmic scale. BTW changing all wire feels like someone took off a blanket off the amplifier. Just more details and bit more volume. Cable that Gibson uses nowadays is single isolation higher capacitance trash cable. It literally sends signal to ground. Proper two isolation layers wire simply allows more signal to reach the amp. Though changing pickups hook up wire means dismantling pickups. Not for everyone. There is a zero need for treble bleed with proper harness.
With proper amp you can go tone at 5 in the guitar and still not lose details. That's how it should be. Tons of tones you can dail in with pots.
That's what I call a great video !
Nice no-nonsense stuff Jeff
Thanks Tim!
Hi Jeff, how do you like to have your pickup heights? I'm sure that too plays a big part in achieving a sound you like. Would love to hear more about how to set your pickup height. Thanks for the great content...
Fun video, Jeff! Been a Les Paul guy for many years. Big reason for that was Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow album and some Al DiMeola stuff. Michael Bloomfield and Gary Moore also really influenced me that way. It’s always fascinated me at how it’s possible to get so many different sounds out of a Les Paul and your video illustrates this perfectly!
Thank you for tone/volume control advice, but mostly want to compliment you on the gorgeous tones your getting from that gold top.
Thank you and you are most welcome!
Emerson out of Oklahoma makes a great 50's wiring kit for the Les Paul if anyone has a more modern wiring for about $120... bumble bee's, great workmanship and he's rumored to be working on a new proprietary 50's style Pot..
Awesome demo, Jeff - thank you. Yet another great demonstration that we should put the hours in exploring our instruments and equipment. It's not all about buying new stuff! Thanks again.
Thank you!!
It kind of reminds me of a jumped Plexi, the interactions of the volumes. I can’t wait to try all these tips before my next show. Thanks Jeff!!!!
Excellent comparison! Glad you enjoyed it!!
I can’t figure it out; what’s the reason why they changed the wiring, since the 50’s one worked apparently “better”?
Does 50s wiring change how the middle position works? I quite like the blended pickups option on LPs, but mine has modern wiring.
Great video Jeff! Love listening to you play and chat about guitar ‘nerdy’ stuff! 🔥🎸
Thanks! I can talk about this stuff all day…
So enjoying learning from you -- and your courses are great too. Thanks for walking me through this.
You are more welcome and thank you!
How do I dial in pickup height?
Which one do I start with?
I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50's
For me Gary Moore is my favorite guitar player of all time. His tone, feel, playing, and overall versatility set him apart from a lot of other players.
And my (2019) 50's Les Paul Standard magically appears in my hands. Carry on......
😂
I just recently gutted my LP Classic and put in Seymour Duncan Antiquities along with 50s wiring. I’m still getting used to it and figuring things out, but I’m definitely getting more of a Beano and early LZ sound. This video is really helpful.
I love les pauls. But the lack of tuning problems i am used to with strat floating trems gives me nothing to do for hours.
Les pauls are the devil mmmmk.
great info, as usual! thanks 🙏