Scott was the only person I knew who played the LP with minihumbuckers, and that’s because I STILL have my Live and Dangerous album with all of the band photos.
After years of selling guitars, playing and owning em this is genuinely one of the best, most informative comparisons I've seen in a long while! Thanks Chris!
My boss at a record store I worked at as a teenager had a ~1969 goldtop deluxe. It sounded spectacular even playing through this meh Peavey amp we had kicking around.
@@ericmills9839 It's cool. Their neck pickup sounds kinda strat-y in my opinion. And the bridge is great for anything gain driven. Love those guitars. My was my Dad's growing up and I was able to coble trade bait for it when I was in my 20's and gigged it heavily through the early 2000's. Great guitars. Underrated.
I agree! I've had a custom shop '59 60th anniversary for years then was able to get a '75 deluxe last Fall and honestly I grab it first every time.. can't say why but it's just got it for "classic" rock. Even despite the weight. Also maybe because it came from a friend who's 82 and has played it (along with his 40 other guitars!!) since he got it new.
I’ve only ever played one vintage deluxe, a friend owned it, from what I’ve heard a lot of them were bad, but when you got a good one, they are special
@@jackstraw522 probably true. Might be one of those things where you get so many years out, and eventually there are only good ones left. Everything else becomes firewood lol
Some Thin Lizzy trivia, which may be of interest - Scott Gorham’s Les Paul Deluxe was bought for him by the band when he joined, as he only had a cheap Japanese Les Paul copy at the time (!) He actually wanted a Standard but it was too expensive. Scott never really liked the Deluxe but he used it until around the time of Black Rose. Brian Robertson also had a Les Paul Deluxe, which his tech/roadie converted to a Standard and that has always been his main guitar. Although the black Les Paul Custom is often taken to be the ‘Live & Dangerous’ Les Paul, on most of that album Robbo is playing his converted Deluxe (rather well, it has to be said!).
Two slight corrections there: Scott actually converted his deluxe to full size humbuckers as well and kept on using it until it was stolen at some point. Check it out when he played Dont Believe a Word with Gary Moore on the old grey whistle test! And secondly, I’m fairly certain most of Live and Dangerous was recorded in 1977 on the US tour, and photos from those shows clearly show Brian’s les Paul with the original mini humbuckers!
@@User-jk8wq I hadn’t heard or read that before … have you seen any photos of Scott playing the guitar you mention with Lizzy? On the OGWT, he had a spare on stage, which looks like his original Deluxe (?) Robbo’s pickups were changed on tour, which explains why you’ve seen those photos of his Deluxe with the mini humbuckers :)
I’ve been playing a ‘66 Riviera for years and nearly always choose it over guitars with regular humbuckers. It also shares a live setup much nicer with single coil guitars. Thanks for doing this one!!
Steve Lukather used it a lot back jn the days. Robben Ford’s ephiphone has this mini humbucker as well which sounds amazing. And of course, again, any guitar with any pickup in Chris’ hands sounds incredible as always. :)
Chris, My God, I'm only 2 minutes into the video and you have already blown me away with the intro jam! You're playing is always sensational! I don't know if you have done a video on this already or something, but could you do a video going over how you learned to play, your influences, etc.? You are one of my personal guitar heroes, and I wanna be able to say to people "yeah, that's an old Chris Buck lick from 2023" haha, but for real, lovely as always, Cheers! -Ev :)
I was amazed at how dark the P-90 was in comparison. Stark differences, that I'm sure can be altered with amp amd pedal settings. I always liked Minis. ... this is a great video. Thanks Chris. Then... there's Firebird pickups, mini sized, but different.
Thin Lizzy ( specifically Scott Gorham) from 'Night Life' up to 'Bad Reputation' are awesome examples of mini humbucker greatness. The tone/playing on the solo's in "Downtown Sundown'" and "Old Flame" are amazing.
Crikey! That I did not expect! Those MINI HB sound way more single coil than even the P90s. I could hear a much more Tele like tone from them than anything related to a humbucker! What a GREAT comparison . :D
Had a Les Paul deluxe but it was because I loved Lizzy and Gibson availability wasn't great here back then. It's great to hear it being played by a master such as you or the Lizzy Lads, in the right hands it's an awesome guitar 😎❤️
I've got some vintage correct Firebird pickups in a SG and the high notes sound more like prime Cream Clapton than anything else I've ever tried...love them
best kept secret. hot take but for those of us more at home with single coils, the mini in it's original construction is often a better option than a paf-style.
Liking the bit of chime and smidge more clarity of the minihumbucker. Many thanks. Another option is aftermarket minhumbuckers in a parts guitar project.
As a proud owner of a 74 Goldtop deluxe I can confirm they sound great. I especially love the neck pick-up, due to the fact that it has juts a little bit of a bite. That to me, is the perfect sound. The fullness of the neck but with a bit of an attitude. And the bridge pick is amazingly agressive and percussive without being to harsh.
That extra upper-mid bite and reduced lows of the mini-humbucker is most welcome. I have always looked for guitars with full-size humbuckers that are brighter than usual for their similar tone. Of course mini-humbuckers are not the same as regular humbuckers, they have their own sound and feel. There is a focused upper-mid sound caused, I suppose by the narrower span of the strings that they "read" much like a Strat or Tele pickup. BTW, the close similarity of the sound of a P-90 (but with the P-90's signature mid boost) and a low-wound PAF HB (my fave HBs) is not accidental. The HB was originally designed to sound like and to replace the P-90, but, of course, minus the 60 cycle hum. It was only later (after the T-tops, roughly 1965-75) that HBs used magnets and were wound in such a fashion as to produce a very much darker, louder sound. Listening to "Beano" yet gain as a reference (and for that incredible music) with Eric's PAF humbuckers in full play, we hear a very bright, almost single-coil tone on most of the tracks. Usually much brighter than we remember. Of course, studio processing including in-board EQ and compression has a lot to do with this, but, based on 'Bursts I have played and the PAFS I own that are installed a later LP, I think that Eric's guitar sounded much like what we hear on that recording before it was nudged in that direction. Thank you for your usually excellent presentation and tasteful. musical playing. This one was especially good.
I have an all original 1970 Goldtop deluxe. I love it, so much vintage vibe and right amount of gold “ aging” of green where your arm rests. Tone is awesome, takes preamp OD pedals well and just perfect for blues.
I came to this video mainly because I recently saw Scott Gorham used them and wasn't familiar with the sound. Great to see him get a mention and really good vid!
I bought a nice '56 reissue Epiphone LP from a musicians estate a year ago that has an added Bigsby and Gibson mini humbuckers installed in it in lieu of P-90's. I intended to put soap bars back in it, but after listening to this heads up comparison, I think I just need to buy a couple more LP's- one with PAF's and one with P-90's. Rather than "better" or "worse," each of the 3 pickup designs has it's own very unique voicing and it's own place in history and into the future. Thank you, Chris.
I loved this video Chris. My Grandfather owned one of these from new and I never got to meet him, but the guitar gives me a connection to him that without it I wouldn't have! It's a 70(?) we think, like you said these things are hard to date! All the best and can't wait for Cardinal Black to come to Canada!
I had been saying this about the mini humbuckers since the early 2000s when I installed a set on my Les Paul Studio and many people made fun of me. Yet they didn't see the versatile combination of a single coil crisp and sting with a humbucker punch. Now after nearly 20 years I had always been right and finally the rest of the world finally somewhat caught up to my ideas about its tone
Another (sadly) not so famous user was Barry Bailey - Atlanta Rhythm Section. She blended well with J.R. Cobb's Strat be it live or in the studio. Jeff Carlisi from .38 Special played one too. The solo (and a lot of other stuff) in "Hold On Loosely" is a 69 LP Deluxe.
For me Barry Bailey is the first that comes to mind with the mini humbucker no doubt for me. Barry was very underrated IMO. Great solo on "Hold On Loosly" that you mentioned for .38 Special as well.
My first LP was a '69 !we Paul Deluxe. The neck pickup quit working so I had it converted to a Standard. My son recently got Epi that has mini-humbuckers and it screams! Perfect for his Southern Rock band. I loved the tone Barry Bailey got with Atlanta Rhythm Section.
I had a 1977 super heavy LP Deluxe which had great clarity through an AC30. It was interesting to compare the same pickups installed in a lighter Revelation les Paul which sounded so much warmer in comparison. The minihumbuckers do sound great in band context. They really cut through. Great demo as always !
I've always loved mini humbuckers. These, the ones used in Firebirds, but even pickups like the Seymour Duncan Little '59. They all have their own charm and appeal. The 'problem' is hardly ever the pickups, there's nothing wrong with them. The problem is always the many guitarists who keep comparing them with full sized humbuckers. These guitarists often say that mini humbuckers sound too bright, or too harsh, or too this, or too that. Guess what people, if you have a guitar with mini humbuckers, you most probably have an amp (or two) as well. If you look at these amps closely, you may notice the existence of tone controls. USE THEM!!!
Had a mid 70s deluxe with them as a18 year old looking at pictures of all my heroes playing standards I soon traded it in for a LP Custom. Many years later I found they sound great in teles built a Thinline with one in the neck and one in the middle and standard tele bridge.
I bough my 76 deluxe gold top over 20 years ago.. so heavy.. I had no idea what mini hum buckers were at the time, as I was trying to be in a hard core/punk band.. Turns out there were not great for that sound.. so I bought different Les Paul.. The 76 sat for many years before my music taste grew and now I love this amazing sound the guitar it’s makes.. Thanks for having a take on mini hum buckers..
I wasn't too sure about the isolated tones of the mini's, dare I say in a live mix the mid range would really cut through. Lovely investigation as always Chris.
The AJ sig. I just took delivery of weighs in at 9lbs. 14ozs. Because of the limited availability I wasn't able to pick from the batch. The biggest surprise is the neck carve, which I'd describe as a medium C to U shape. Anyhow, it's excellent in every way, and has very good balance. I'd wrongly assumed it'd be a dead pig. Never thought I'd keep a 10lb guitar. Chris can make even a dead pig scream.
Great video as always, even though Brian Robertson’s Black Beauty is heavy photographed especially on live and Dangerous, all the studio albums and a percentage of live and Dangerous was recorded using his Deluxe still with the mini humbuckers intact, he did how have them boosted via his copy cat pre amp section. If you listen carefully on live and Dangerous you can pick out the tracks with the deluxe
Tasty ripping on that intro brother! First mini-hum I seen was Pete watching The Kids are Alright doing My Generation (blues) at the Silver dome in Michigan, it's obvious it's painfully loud and sounds fantastic just how I like it!
Very good video & points. I just have to comment on this mans touch. It's astoundingly well done & is a great part of his feel & tone. He plays like a much more experienced player at his age & it just blows me away!
Absolutely fantastic sound. I got a vintage lp copy year's ago and could never get it to sound great. And have since tried harder to get better playing on better guitars. But gave my nephew it to have some fun with , it needed some tlc to get it playing nicely again, and I couldn't believe how good and different it sounded to my other guitar. I want it back. Its definitely my playing that has improved. And Pete Townshend playing a wine Red lp deluxe is where my mind takes me. Fantastic.
Some people do desire some of the specs I love volutes I have a Gibson with one and also three from Ibanez (2 guitars, 1 bass) My Norlin era Gibson still has a mahogany neck, but maple necks are good too Yes they had some QC issues back then, but if it survived until now it was one of good ones, or modded or both
just to say,wonderful playing and stunning improvisation,hope great songs will come to you!i d like to have a guitarist like you to play with and explore things!cheers my friend!peace,love and freedom!
Great comparison. Played a 70’s Deluxe once. Been gassing since then. It is a great addition to a ‘normal’ LP. Am converting a LP kit to mini humbuckers. Epiphone made a Deluxe too. They used different style mountingrings.
just got an epiphone riviera with mini humbuckers and its killer. i have a 1969 custom shop ES335 and it rivals that. ive just ordered some vintage seymour duncan classic minis to go into the Riviera. love the mini humbucker sound
Great video ! I played a 70s Deluxe a while ago and didn’t take to it but when handed a beat-up Custom from the same era it totally blew it away . A great exponent of the Deluxe was Dicky Betts of The Allman Brothers and Barry Bailley of The Atlanta Rhythm Section , both going for a sweeter sound than a custom . Chris’s Revstar looks like neck pickup angled toward the brighter strings ???
Don't forget the pickups in the PRS Pauls Guitar which could clearly be characterized as mini humbuckers, and BTW sound phenomenal. I prefer them over any other PRS pickup ever made.
My first gibson was a 1963 Cherry Red Melody Maker single PU, second one with dual PUs and finally the third was the 1969 Cherry Suburst Deluxe. Wish I still had them.
Particularly good comparison, and very easy to hear the differences between the pickups. I really like the sound of Mini Humbuckers, and interesting enough, Firebirds. The clarity and note separation when playing more than one string at a time is something I really liked. Full size Humbuckers tend to sound too bassy and wooly for my playing style.
I swapped out the p90s in an LP Special for Peg City minihumbuckers and kept the brilliance and dropped the hum. This video showcased the difference in tone very well, thank you
Well done on the video. Big fan of Scott Gorham here, always been so underrated. Loved it when Robbo and Gorham both played Deluxes at the same time. There are really only two guys I think of regarding the Deluxe, Townshend and Gorham. The Deluxe and those mini humbuckers are awesome and overlooked IMO. Especially the 70's Deluxe bridge pickup. Runt that thing through a JMP and it sounds like it could cut through barbed wire.
I own a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe.. I love the brighter tone.. the standard sounded a little muddy to me, and when I needed a heavy sound it didn’t disappoint.
I inherited my uncle's '71 LP Deluxe cherry burst...what you just played there in the opening jam was so good I can't even believe it. Mini hums sound so good it's crazy when you dial them in right. Great vid.
Recently put Mr. Fabulous (D'Urbano) pickups in a new Riviera. It's really something and is taking a lot of time away from other, quality guitars. Certainly my semi-hollow of choice!
Just a tip: I have a 90's era ES135 with P100's. I recently replaced them with new Gibson Mini Humbuckers, fantastic upgrade and the mounting plates are already in the guitar. I've had a series of pickups in the guitar since buying it new in 1995, including several P90s. The mini's Gibson is making now are really good, and no hum at all.
the mini bucker is my favorite gibson product. i had a 60-61 Silvertone (chris isaak) with the patent number sticker mini's. you make a great vid man. I guess my well-worn LP deluxe was older than i thought. It had the big headstock, sandwich body, and a 3 piece mahogany neck, but no volute, and factory P90's. Everybody wanted that thing in guitar school.
At first, i only liked full sized humbuckers, but a good friend of mine introduced me to mini-humbuckers and p90s, and he changed my mind about both pickups, as i thought that they would have sounded between a Strat and a regular humbucker, but i found that the earlier ones, made between 1959 and 1968, sounded very much like a full sized humbucker but without the low mid mushiness that PAFs have, then later became the LP Deluxe that had a re-design on the minis to sound more like a typical Tele pickup, that is not a bad thing per se, but the twang is not really my thing, but otherwise, i love Rivieras, Sheratons, Zephyrs and Crestwoods/Wilshires with minis, the same friend reminded me of a brand that in the 60's-70's was the direct competitor of Gibson/Epiphone as they were making guitars with very similar designs, but with their own thing going on, it is called Guild and i really love their guitars, especially the ones with humbuckers, both minis and full sized, that are quite different from their Gibson counterparts, as they are bigger in size, but also i find them more fuller and fatter in sound, yet at the same time, much clearer than the typical PAF, that's why i bought a black Guild Jetstar with the minis (that they called "Little Buckers") and i love it, beautiful sound, great quality guitar overall.
Picked up an Epiphone riviera a few months ago and I love these mini humbuckers' sound. I only used humbucker before that and I was agreeably surprised.
Interestingly this comparison made me appreciate the revstar p90s I already have. Thanks for the comparison! I would also maybe check out the st Vincent guitar, they are surprisingly ergonomic. I'm not sure how stratty they sounds, but seems like a fun twist on the 3-pickup guitar
Last time I went to Baht they were shut & I thought they'd closed down. I'd like to know the asking price of that LP. Sensational playing Chris. The pure clarity & zero mud on the outrow track said it all.
Yes, spot on! The configuration on my Tele for years.Until the lead pickup died. Now paired with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail for Tele, coils paralel for low Z, very close to Tele-sounding minus the hum. Mid position, both pickup, is lovely as well. A fantastic match in my opinion.
I've owned my 1973 Les Paul Deluxe (Wine Red) since 1980. Bought it used for $x00 and also bought a silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb amp along with it. Two of the most weighty musical instruments possible. :)
What a demo! Mini-hums sound great out of phase too. I got Tim at Bare Knuckle to reverse the bridge p/u magnet on my 72 Deluxe (expert job - don't try it yourself because mini-hums are very difficult to put back together).
I bought a couple of 1979 Les Paul deluxes back in 1980, I sold a yucky ice picky strat to put towards them, and been gigging them ever since, latest gig being on Sunday 1st September, I never looked back ! I have never even had cause to take the truss rod covers off ! ( Three piece neck with volute ) Those mini humbuckers are just ace in fact fit one on the bridge position on a strat and you would possibly have a reasonable guitar, a few manufacturers make mini humbuckers but, Gibson mini humbuckers are ones to have, the weight of my deluxes over the years have probably contributed to my shoulder and back problems but for me those probs are almost a pleasure to put up with, surprisingly quite a few people over the years hadn't discovered the magic of those pups on the deluxes, glad I did from 1980, the pleasure my deluxes have given me over the years is almost indescribable.
@wooburnmusic - me too… adjusted my ‘77’s truss rod for the first time this year. But I moved from a very dry climate to a very damp one, so it’s understandable.
During the open A string test jam w/ harmonies, Minis sounded articulate and clearest - esp. at harmony part. Oddly, less so on bridge pup (more OD?). In a way, they seemed the thinnest sounding, but do beef up on OD. Bad ass playing, great demo. ♫
In the 1980's one of my high school friends had a Les Paul with minis in it. It really was a fabulous guitar. I was a self-taught guitarist with idiosyncratic ideas. He came up the right way with lessons and blew my mind with amazing pro licks. I wouldn't mind getting one of those guitars now! I have a 1974 Custom that isn't not supposed to be a good guitar with all the flaws you mention but surprisingly it's a wonderful guitar. As primarily a Strat player I can see how I would gravitate toward the mini humbuckers. But with what you're playing in this video I prefer the PAF's and P90's.
Mr. Buck, i put your playing abilities in the top of the world's best guitarists. You are right up there with the greats, such a Joe Bonamassa. I truly hope for the very best for you, and thank you so much for taking the time to make your videos!
@fred freddy ‘Sell albums’. What decade are you living in? Nobody _sells_ records anymore. If you’re looking for a metric to rate people by, look at the gigs they’re getting. Last time I saw Chris, he was playing the Royal Albert Hall to 5000+ people.
Great to see Thin Lizzy getting a little love and Scott Gorham was a beautiful and tasteful guitarist ....thanks Chris
Was?
@@rsmallfield sorry "is"
@@seoirse68 :-)
Scott was the only person I knew who played the LP with minihumbuckers, and that’s because I STILL have my Live and Dangerous album with all of the band photos.
Still is! :) He still rips it up.
After years of selling guitars, playing and owning em this is genuinely one of the best, most informative comparisons I've seen in a long while! Thanks Chris!
I own a 78 deluxe and it's my favorite guitar of all time. Glad to see the model getting a little love on here!
My boss at a record store I worked at as a teenager had a ~1969 goldtop deluxe. It sounded spectacular even playing through this meh Peavey amp we had kicking around.
@@ericmills9839 It's cool. Their neck pickup sounds kinda strat-y in my opinion. And the bridge is great for anything gain driven. Love those guitars. My was my Dad's growing up and I was able to coble trade bait for it when I was in my 20's and gigged it heavily through the early 2000's. Great guitars. Underrated.
I agree! I've had a custom shop '59 60th anniversary for years then was able to get a '75 deluxe last Fall and honestly I grab it first every time.. can't say why but it's just got it for "classic" rock. Even despite the weight. Also maybe because it came from a friend who's 82 and has played it (along with his 40 other guitars!!) since he got it new.
I’ve only ever played one vintage deluxe, a friend owned it, from what I’ve heard a lot of them were bad, but when you got a good one, they are special
@@jackstraw522 probably true. Might be one of those things where you get so many years out, and eventually there are only good ones left. Everything else becomes firewood lol
That intro solo is preposterous
The ability for clean repeatability is awesome. Chris definitely has skilled hands and ears!
Some Thin Lizzy trivia, which may be of interest - Scott Gorham’s Les Paul Deluxe was bought for him by the band when he joined, as he only had a cheap Japanese Les Paul copy at the time (!) He actually wanted a Standard but it was too expensive. Scott never really liked the Deluxe but he used it until around the time of Black Rose. Brian Robertson also had a Les Paul Deluxe, which his tech/roadie converted to a Standard and that has always been his main guitar. Although the black Les Paul Custom is often taken to be the ‘Live & Dangerous’ Les Paul, on most of that album Robbo is playing his converted Deluxe (rather well, it has to be said!).
Two slight corrections there: Scott actually converted his deluxe to full size humbuckers as well and kept on using it until it was stolen at some point. Check it out when he played Dont Believe a Word with Gary Moore on the old grey whistle test! And secondly, I’m fairly certain most of Live and Dangerous was recorded in 1977 on the US tour, and photos from those shows clearly show Brian’s les Paul with the original mini humbuckers!
@@User-jk8wq I hadn’t heard or read that before … have you seen any photos of Scott playing the guitar you mention with Lizzy? On the OGWT, he had a spare on stage, which looks like his original Deluxe (?) Robbo’s pickups were changed on tour, which explains why you’ve seen those photos of his Deluxe with the mini humbuckers :)
I’ve been playing a ‘66 Riviera for years and nearly always choose it over guitars with regular humbuckers. It also shares a live setup much nicer with single coil guitars. Thanks for doing this one!!
Minibucker definitely HAS a clarity to it other 'buckers do NOT have! Nicely illustrated Bucky! \m/
@ChrisBucks22 STOP SCAMMING LOSER! REPORTED!
Great topic and playing. I will always prefer P-90s. Love the Revstar. My gosh what a magnificent instrument.
Rare looking though
Steve Lukather used it a lot back jn the days. Robben Ford’s ephiphone has this mini humbucker as well which sounds amazing. And of course, again, any guitar with any pickup in Chris’ hands sounds incredible as always. :)
Scott Goreham's Les Paul Deluxe on Live and Dangerous was a beautiful sound !
When I got my '76 Deluxe a few years ago, the chiming musicality of the mini humbuckers blew me away. They deserve the recognition.
I was at that Who show in the thumbnail. ☺Philadelphia Spectrum Arena, 1973. Beautiful playing as usual, Chris!
The Minis sound great! ... just different (perfect in some situations)
Chris, My God, I'm only 2 minutes into the video and you have already blown me away with the intro jam! You're playing is always sensational! I don't know if you have done a video on this already or something, but could you do a video going over how you learned to play, your influences, etc.? You are one of my personal guitar heroes, and I wanna be able to say to people "yeah, that's an old Chris Buck lick from 2023" haha, but for real, lovely as always, Cheers! -Ev :)
I was amazed at how dark the P-90 was in comparison.
Stark differences, that I'm sure can be altered with amp amd pedal settings.
I always liked Minis. ... this is a great video. Thanks Chris.
Then... there's Firebird pickups, mini sized, but different.
Thin Lizzy ( specifically Scott Gorham) from 'Night Life' up to 'Bad Reputation' are awesome examples of mini humbucker greatness. The tone/playing on the solo's in "Downtown Sundown'" and "Old Flame" are amazing.
It's hard to tell the difference when all that comes out of your playing is magic 👌
Crikey! That I did not expect! Those MINI HB sound way more single coil than even the P90s. I could hear a much more Tele like tone from them than anything related to a humbucker! What a GREAT comparison . :D
Yep, you can get a Tele thing with the mini buckers.
Had a Les Paul deluxe but it was because I loved Lizzy and Gibson availability wasn't great here back then.
It's great to hear it being played by a master such as you or the Lizzy Lads, in the right hands it's an awesome guitar 😎❤️
I have a 1972, (date stamped on the back of the pots)gold top, love it ! Nice one Chris , great to see the deluxe getting air time
Great guitar demos !!!
And YES Scott Gorham (Thinn Lizzy) occasionaly used a Deluxe.
I've got some vintage correct Firebird pickups in a SG and the high notes sound more like prime Cream Clapton than anything else I've ever tried...love them
best kept secret. hot take but for those of us more at home with single coils, the mini in it's original construction is often a better option than a paf-style.
Liking the bit of chime and smidge more clarity of the minihumbucker. Many thanks. Another option is aftermarket minhumbuckers in a parts guitar project.
As a proud owner of a 74 Goldtop deluxe I can confirm they sound great. I especially love the neck pick-up, due to the fact that it has juts a little bit of a bite. That to me, is the perfect sound. The fullness of the neck but with a bit of an attitude. And the bridge pick is amazingly agressive and percussive without being to harsh.
Can I ask, what is a fair prize for one of these nowadays? I'm looking for one. Thx!
I recall reading many years ago that the Les Paul Deluxe was Gibson’s solution to having a lot of left-over Epiphone mini humbuckers.
I've heard that too, but l'm not sure that it's ever been verified as being true.
@@Aja-nt I think it was when Gibson bought out Epiphone 🤔
All pickups serve a purpose--it just matters if it the purpose you are looking for. But as is always agreed upon, nothing sounds bad under your hands.
That extra upper-mid bite and reduced lows of the mini-humbucker is most welcome. I have always looked for guitars with full-size humbuckers that are brighter than usual for their similar tone. Of course mini-humbuckers are not the same as regular humbuckers, they have their own sound and feel. There is a focused upper-mid sound caused, I suppose by the narrower span of the strings that they "read" much like a Strat or Tele pickup.
BTW, the close similarity of the sound of a P-90 (but with the P-90's signature mid boost) and a low-wound PAF HB (my fave HBs) is not accidental. The HB was originally designed to sound like and to replace the P-90, but, of course, minus the 60 cycle hum. It was only later (after the T-tops, roughly 1965-75) that HBs used magnets and were wound in such a fashion as to produce a very much darker, louder sound.
Listening to "Beano" yet gain as a reference (and for that incredible music) with Eric's PAF humbuckers in full play, we hear a very bright, almost single-coil tone on most of the tracks. Usually much brighter than we remember. Of course, studio processing including in-board EQ and compression has a lot to do with this, but, based on 'Bursts I have played and the PAFS I own that are installed a later LP, I think that Eric's guitar sounded much like what we hear on that recording before it was nudged in that direction.
Thank you for your usually excellent presentation and tasteful. musical playing. This one was especially good.
I have an all original 1970 Goldtop deluxe. I love it, so much vintage vibe and right amount of gold “ aging” of green where your arm rests. Tone is awesome, takes preamp OD pedals well and just perfect for blues.
That intro solo is one of the best solos Ive heard in....30 years I guess. Good good what a great sense of melody!
I came to this video mainly because I recently saw Scott Gorham used them and wasn't familiar with the sound. Great to see him get a mention and really good vid!
I bought a nice '56 reissue Epiphone LP from a musicians estate a year ago that has an added Bigsby and Gibson mini humbuckers installed in it in lieu of P-90's. I intended to put soap bars back in it, but after listening to this heads up comparison, I think I just need to buy a couple more LP's- one with PAF's and one with P-90's. Rather than "better" or "worse," each of the 3 pickup designs has it's own very unique voicing and it's own place in history and into the future. Thank you, Chris.
I loved this video Chris. My Grandfather owned one of these from new and I never got to meet him, but the guitar gives me a connection to him that without it I wouldn't have! It's a 70(?) we think, like you said these things are hard to date! All the best and can't wait for Cardinal Black to come to Canada!
I had been saying this about the mini humbuckers since the early 2000s when I installed a set on my Les Paul Studio and many people made fun of me. Yet they didn't see the versatile combination of a single coil crisp and sting with a humbucker punch. Now after nearly 20 years I had always been right and finally the rest of the world finally somewhat caught up to my ideas about its tone
Another (sadly) not so famous user was Barry Bailey - Atlanta Rhythm Section. She blended well with J.R. Cobb's Strat be it live or in the studio. Jeff Carlisi from .38 Special played one too. The solo (and a lot of other stuff) in "Hold On Loosely" is a 69 LP Deluxe.
For me Barry Bailey is the first that comes to mind with the mini humbucker no doubt for me. Barry was very underrated IMO. Great solo on "Hold On Loosly" that you mentioned for .38 Special as well.
My first LP was a '69 !we Paul Deluxe. The neck pickup quit working so I had it converted to a Standard. My son recently got Epi that has mini-humbuckers and it screams! Perfect for his Southern Rock band. I loved the tone Barry Bailey got with Atlanta Rhythm Section.
I have a 71 deluxe gold top that I record with and play a ton. Great guitars and great pick ups
I had a 1977 super heavy LP Deluxe which had great clarity through an AC30. It was interesting to compare the same pickups installed in a lighter Revelation les Paul which sounded so much warmer in comparison. The minihumbuckers do sound great in band context. They really cut through. Great demo as always !
That outro solo was simply sublime! Magnificent!
The best demo that I have ever heard of the deluxe.
I've always loved mini humbuckers. These, the ones used in Firebirds, but even pickups like the Seymour Duncan Little '59. They all have their own charm and appeal.
The 'problem' is hardly ever the pickups, there's nothing wrong with them. The problem is always the many guitarists who keep comparing them with full sized humbuckers. These guitarists often say that mini humbuckers sound too bright, or too harsh, or too this, or too that. Guess what people, if you have a guitar with mini humbuckers, you most probably have an amp (or two) as well. If you look at these amps closely, you may notice the existence of tone controls. USE THEM!!!
Had a mid 70s deluxe with them as a18 year old looking at pictures of all my heroes playing standards I soon traded it in for a LP Custom. Many years later I found they sound great in teles built a Thinline with one in the neck and one in the middle and standard tele bridge.
I bough my 76 deluxe gold top over 20 years ago.. so heavy..
I had no idea what mini hum buckers were at the time, as I was trying to be in a hard core/punk band..
Turns out there were not great for that sound.. so I bought different Les Paul..
The 76 sat for many years before my music taste grew and now I love this amazing sound the guitar it’s makes..
Thanks for having a take on mini hum buckers..
Been playing since the 80s. Never cared for p90s but like us said. Tastes change and now are my favorite sound
My first guitar player used a Les Paul deluxe and it sounded incredible, been in love with that sound ever since
I wasn't too sure about the isolated tones of the mini's, dare I say in a live mix the mid range would really cut through.
Lovely investigation as always Chris.
The AJ sig. I just took delivery of weighs in at 9lbs. 14ozs. Because of the limited availability I wasn't able to pick from the batch. The biggest surprise is the neck carve, which I'd describe as a medium C to U shape. Anyhow, it's excellent in every way, and has very good balance. I'd wrongly assumed it'd be a dead pig. Never thought I'd keep a 10lb guitar. Chris can make even a dead pig scream.
Much needed setting the record straight Chris- great demo as ever!!
My 94 Nighthawk has a mini in the neck position. It’s by far my favorite pu in that guitar.
What an inspired choice to use "Don't believe a word" for the comparison. I'm sold, I want minis!
Great video as always, even though Brian Robertson’s Black Beauty is heavy photographed especially on live and Dangerous, all the studio albums and a percentage of live and Dangerous was recorded using his Deluxe still with the mini humbuckers intact, he did how have them boosted via his copy cat pre amp section. If you listen carefully on live and Dangerous you can pick out the tracks with the deluxe
Tasty ripping on that intro brother! First mini-hum I seen was Pete watching The Kids are Alright doing My Generation (blues) at the Silver dome in Michigan, it's obvious it's painfully loud and sounds fantastic just how I like it!
CB on a Friday always a joy - love the Gibsons but is it only me hankering after Chris’s gold Revstar 😊
Very good video & points. I just have to comment on this mans touch. It's astoundingly well done & is a great part of his feel & tone. He plays like a much more experienced player at his age & it just blows me away!
I'm dropping the pick for the next practice:-) thanks Chris!!
Absolutely fantastic sound. I got a vintage lp copy year's ago and could never get it to sound great. And have since tried harder to get better playing on better guitars. But gave my nephew it to have some fun with , it needed some tlc to get it playing nicely again, and I couldn't believe how good and different it sounded to my other guitar. I want it back. Its definitely my playing that has improved.
And Pete Townshend playing a wine Red lp deluxe is where my mind takes me.
Fantastic.
8:39 is where minihumbuckers start to shine. They are unrivalled imho. Absolutely stellar sound from minis.
Sounds great!
Some people do desire some of the specs
I love volutes
I have a Gibson with one and also three from Ibanez (2 guitars, 1 bass)
My Norlin era Gibson still has a mahogany neck, but maple necks are good too
Yes they had some QC issues back then, but if it survived until now it was one of good ones, or modded or both
Interesting, I liked the Mini in the neck, full 'bucker in the bridge and maybe the P90s more than either. Great comparison!
just to say,wonderful playing and stunning improvisation,hope great songs will come to you!i d like to have a guitarist like you to play with and explore things!cheers my friend!peace,love and freedom!
please somebody tell me where i can buy that Backing track from the beginning
Great comparison. Played a 70’s Deluxe once. Been gassing since then. It is a great addition to a ‘normal’ LP.
Am converting a LP kit to mini humbuckers.
Epiphone made a Deluxe too. They used different style mountingrings.
just got an epiphone riviera with mini humbuckers and its killer. i have a 1969 custom shop ES335 and it rivals that. ive just ordered some vintage seymour duncan classic minis to go into the Riviera. love the mini humbucker sound
My first Les Paul was a 69 gold top deluxe- I cut grass for 2 summers to pay for it - loved that guitar- wish I had held on to it
Great video ! I played a 70s Deluxe a while ago and didn’t take to it but when handed a beat-up Custom from the same era it totally blew it away . A great exponent of the Deluxe was Dicky Betts of The Allman Brothers and Barry Bailley of The Atlanta Rhythm Section , both going for a sweeter sound than a custom . Chris’s Revstar looks like neck pickup angled toward the brighter strings ???
Don't forget the pickups in the PRS Pauls Guitar which could clearly be characterized as mini humbuckers, and BTW sound phenomenal. I prefer them over any other PRS pickup ever made.
My first gibson was a 1963 Cherry Red Melody Maker single PU, second one with dual PUs and finally the third was the 1969 Cherry Suburst Deluxe. Wish I still had them.
Particularly good comparison, and very easy to hear the differences between the pickups. I really like the sound of Mini Humbuckers, and interesting enough, Firebirds. The clarity and note separation when playing more than one string at a time is something I really liked. Full size Humbuckers tend to sound too bassy and wooly for my playing style.
I swapped out the p90s in an LP Special for Peg City minihumbuckers and kept the brilliance and dropped the hum. This video showcased the difference in tone very well, thank you
My Epiphone Firebird has 2 mini's, and I absolutely love them. Great sound, different from humbuckers and P90s, and a nice sparkle to your tone.
I believe Firebird pickups have a different magnet arrangement from a mini humbucker so, sound different.
I own a 77 LP Deluxe and by far it is the favourite of my guitars. I like to use it for strat and les paul sounds just by changing the tone level.
Well done on the video. Big fan of Scott Gorham here, always been so underrated. Loved it when Robbo and Gorham both played Deluxes at the same time. There are really only two guys I think of regarding the Deluxe, Townshend and Gorham. The Deluxe and those mini humbuckers are awesome and overlooked IMO. Especially the 70's Deluxe bridge pickup. Runt that thing through a JMP and it sounds like it could cut through barbed wire.
I own a 1976 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe.. I love the brighter tone.. the standard sounded a little muddy to me, and when I needed a heavy sound it didn’t disappoint.
Great pickups. Kinda in between humbuckers and single coils. And quiet. Had a 74 gold top with them. I'd give a body part to have it back.
I inherited my uncle's '71 LP Deluxe cherry burst...what you just played there in the opening jam was so good I can't even believe it. Mini hums sound so good it's crazy when you dial them in right. Great vid.
Recently put Mr. Fabulous (D'Urbano) pickups in a new Riviera. It's really something and is taking a lot of time away from other, quality guitars.
Certainly my semi-hollow of choice!
You created great sounds from those machines.
Just a tip: I have a 90's era ES135 with P100's. I recently replaced them with new Gibson Mini Humbuckers, fantastic upgrade and the mounting plates are already in the guitar. I've had a series of pickups in the guitar since buying it new in 1995, including several P90s. The mini's Gibson is making now are really good, and no hum at all.
the mini bucker is my favorite gibson product. i had a 60-61 Silvertone (chris isaak) with the patent number sticker mini's. you make a great vid man. I guess my well-worn LP deluxe was older than i thought. It had the big headstock, sandwich body, and a 3 piece mahogany neck, but no volute, and factory P90's. Everybody wanted that thing in guitar school.
At first, i only liked full sized humbuckers, but a good friend of mine introduced me to mini-humbuckers and p90s, and he changed my mind about both pickups, as i thought that they would have sounded between a Strat and a regular humbucker, but i found that the earlier ones, made between 1959 and 1968, sounded very much like a full sized humbucker but without the low mid mushiness that PAFs have, then later became the LP Deluxe that had a re-design on the minis to sound more like a typical Tele pickup, that is not a bad thing per se, but the twang is not really my thing, but otherwise, i love Rivieras, Sheratons, Zephyrs and Crestwoods/Wilshires with minis, the same friend reminded me of a brand that in the 60's-70's was the direct competitor of Gibson/Epiphone as they were making guitars with very similar designs, but with their own thing going on, it is called Guild and i really love their guitars, especially the ones with humbuckers, both minis and full sized, that are quite different from their Gibson counterparts, as they are bigger in size, but also i find them more fuller and fatter in sound, yet at the same time, much clearer than the typical PAF, that's why i bought a black Guild Jetstar with the minis (that they called "Little Buckers") and i love it, beautiful sound, great quality guitar overall.
I have a ´62 125TC, ´73 Deluxe and ´79 335 Gibsons with P90, humbuckers and mini hums and my favorite sound wise is the ´73 Deluxe.
Picked up an Epiphone riviera a few months ago and I love these mini humbuckers' sound.
I only used humbucker before that and I was agreeably surprised.
Interestingly this comparison made me appreciate the revstar p90s I already have. Thanks for the comparison!
I would also maybe check out the st Vincent guitar, they are surprisingly ergonomic. I'm not sure how stratty they sounds, but seems like a fun twist on the 3-pickup guitar
I have one. If you have the original pots, you go by those, they’re sage stamped.
Damn that intro gave me King Crimson vibes. Bravo! Loved it.
I love that playing.
Thanks Chris! That outro was stunningly beautiful.
that was the slickest solo i have heard from this dude! I wish the minis in my LesPaul had this top end sparkle!
Last time I went to Baht they were shut & I thought they'd closed down. I'd like to know the asking price of that LP. Sensational playing Chris. The pure clarity & zero mud on the outrow track said it all.
A mini humbucker is at its best in the neck position of a Telecaster with the stock single coil in the bridge, imho. The demo here is stunning!
Yes, spot on! The configuration on my Tele for years.Until the lead pickup died.
Now paired with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rail for Tele, coils paralel for low Z, very close to Tele-sounding minus the hum. Mid position, both pickup, is lovely as well. A fantastic match in my opinion.
I've owned my 1973 Les Paul Deluxe (Wine Red) since 1980. Bought it used for $x00 and also bought a silverface Fender Deluxe Reverb amp along with it. Two of the most weighty musical instruments possible. :)
What a demo! Mini-hums sound great out of phase too. I got Tim at Bare Knuckle to reverse the bridge p/u magnet on my 72 Deluxe (expert job - don't try it yourself because mini-hums are very difficult to put back together).
Love my 1976 gibson deluxe mini humbucker!keep rockin buck!
The real heyday was the mid 60s when Magic Sam and Otis Rush played Epiphone Rivieras. Just riled Chicago blues for a while
I bought a couple of 1979 Les Paul deluxes back in 1980, I sold a yucky ice picky strat to put towards them, and been gigging them ever since, latest gig being on Sunday 1st September, I never looked back ! I have never even had cause to take the truss rod covers off ! ( Three piece neck with volute ) Those mini humbuckers are just ace in fact fit one on the bridge position on a strat and you would possibly have a reasonable guitar, a few manufacturers make mini humbuckers but, Gibson mini humbuckers are ones to have, the weight of my deluxes over the years have probably contributed to my shoulder and back problems but for me those probs are almost a pleasure to put up with, surprisingly quite a few people over the years hadn't discovered the magic of those pups on the deluxes, glad I did from 1980, the pleasure my deluxes have given me over the years is almost indescribable.
@wooburnmusic - me too… adjusted my ‘77’s truss rod for the first time this year. But I moved from a very dry climate to a very damp one, so it’s understandable.
During the open A string test jam w/ harmonies, Minis sounded articulate and clearest - esp. at harmony part. Oddly, less so on bridge pup (more OD?). In a way, they seemed the thinnest sounding, but do beef up on OD. Bad ass playing, great demo. ♫
One of my favorite tones ever, Mike Stroud from Ratatat uses a 68 Epiphone Wilshire
That Jam was crazy! Is there an extended version??
In the 1980's one of my high school friends had a Les Paul with minis in it. It really was a fabulous guitar. I was a self-taught guitarist with idiosyncratic ideas. He came up the right way with lessons and blew my mind with amazing pro licks. I wouldn't mind getting one of those guitars now!
I have a 1974 Custom that isn't not supposed to be a good guitar with all the flaws you mention but surprisingly it's a wonderful guitar.
As primarily a Strat player I can see how I would gravitate toward the mini humbuckers. But with what you're playing in this video I prefer the PAF's and P90's.
Mr. Buck, i put your playing abilities in the top of the world's best guitarists. You are right up there with the greats, such a Joe Bonamassa. I truly hope for the very best for you, and thank you so much for taking the time to make your videos!
Chris is way better than Joe imo. But, I get what you're saying.
@fred freddy I'm not talking any metric but skill in which case Chris has more of in his pinky than Joe Bonamassa (IMO).
@fred freddy ‘Sell albums’. What decade are you living in? Nobody _sells_ records anymore. If you’re looking for a metric to rate people by, look at the gigs they’re getting. Last time I saw Chris, he was playing the Royal Albert Hall to 5000+ people.