Usually these type of things delve into “cork sniffer” territory but, as I’m folding laundry and have nothing better to do than shut up and listen, after a number of the “both pickup” examples went by I was semi-shocked at the realization that YES the Throbak critters DID complement each other and not “compete” with one another. I’m almost in the same situation as yourself as I have an Edwards example with the Page wiring setup. I’m quite happy with the pickups but, I’m in need of a neck reset and want to replace the bridge, thumbscrews and tailpiece with more period correct components (brass thumbscrews etc) As always, I show up for the “check up from the neck up” for the phrasing reminders. You have a lovely sense of implying breathing, which of course most guitarists are guilty of the “never ending lung capacity” phenomenon. Thanks for the inspiration from Tennessee.
Exactly what I was thinking! One of the craziest and most expressive players I’ve seen. I can only hope some of it rubs off onto me! Everything he does sounds inspired. And to me that’s where it’s at
I liked the sound of your original pickups better than the throbak ones, as they sounded darker and flatter with less character and high frequency transient peaks.
The originals sounded better to me, the Throwbacks seem slightly hotter and I didn't like the way the low frequencies interacted; but its hard to tell with the YT audio compression.
I agree! The original pickups had more clarity and chime. The throbaks sounded like the strings had a hair tie back on the strings choking the top end.
Every week, just the intros alone blow me away. The melody, technique, textures, sonics and emotion are superb. I could listen to Chris all day. America may have Vai, Satch, Bonamassa and Mayer but we in the UK however have the humble and soulful Buck and that’s just fine with me 😊 Keep up the great work Chris!
For my taste, to be brutally honest, the Throbacks sounded muddy compared to the old ones, which had more bite & clarity to me. Having said that, they all sounded good, especially in your hands Chris.
I perceived the same thing. “Preferred” tone is something very subjective and I can see why Chris would like the more “woodsy” character of the Throbacks, but for my ears, the best tones I heard were coming out of the Wizz. Regardless, Mr. Buck can make a broom handle with a pair of magnets and some chicken wire sound amazing.
I've been down this road with many early 80's Japanese copy guitars. For the hardware go with the Faber metric ABR-1 bridge w/ the nickel plated brass thumbwheels and the Faber aluminum tailpiece. But, you may not actually need to change your tailpiece if it is already aluminum. If the tailpiece weighs around 25-32 grams & isn't magnetic then you are good to leave it in place. You also need to put a magnet to your tailpiece bushings and studs to make sure they are steel and not zinc or brass. If they are not steel they won't be magnetic & you should definitely change them out for more accurate Faber steel bushings/studs. Another thing that you may or may not want to get into is the bridge posts. Most likely what you have in the guitar are steel, but the originals used nickel plated brass. There are no metric sized brass posts available so you can either plug the holes and retap for imperial sized brass posts or you can buy a metric plain brass rod with the correct threads and cut your own. I did the latter. The post change is extremely subtle though and might not be worth getting into unless you just enjoy tinkering. I've gone back and forth in a few guitars between steel and brass and overall preferred brass BUT it's not a big enough difference to warrant the effort for most people. Nobody makes dead accurate copies of the vintage hardware these days. Faber is the closest but it's still a different ratio of metals and sizes compared to the originals. 8 Bomb Custom is working on recreating the original hardware composition but they aren't going to be done anytime soon. Also, those might not end up being available in metric sizes. Good luck man. In the end, you probably can make some subtle improvements but don't expect it to fully match an original.
@@neve4020 The SD Pickups videos? The changes definitely make an improvement. I've done these mods to 4 high end Japanese replicas from the lawsuit era. They all sound great especially with ReWind Pickups or Dry Z's but none of them compare to my '53 Goldtop. A good original is an extra 5-10% that you just can't get elsewhere.
Nickel-plated brass-- this is a thing with Strats, too, that few people talk about. True vintage Kluson tuners have nickel-plated brass posts and brass internals, and this changes the tone slightly. These are available for Gibsons and Fenders from Montreaux Japan, and the Gotoh 510 unstaggered Klusons have brass posts (but not the washer inside). Also-- and not that it matters much unless you are a total geek-- unlike virtually all modern ones, the Strat jackplate on vintage instruments is chromed brass and not steel, which you can check with a magnet.
Dude… the Dry Z and Wizz combo sound SIGNIFICANTLY better. Like, it’s extremely apparent to me, at least via this TH-cam video. It’s kind of night and day, to be honest. The Throbacks are less dynamic and have less range, to my ears at least.
As far as the sound coming off the TH-cam video is concerned - I totally agree with you. The Throbacks sound woolly and uninspiring to my ears. Maybe it sounded different in the room??
I have to say- - while they are both very good - to me I thought the dry-z / whiz setup was a bit better- especially if clarity was what you are after.
No high end on the Throbaks. Didn't sound as good on the clean tones but had a nice tone on the overdrive. The Wizz was super bright but cut through the mix in a way the others didn't. The Dry Z sounded good playing a clean tone or overdriven. Always enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.
I agree that having both the wizz and the dry z do have a sound of fighting each other, but overall i preferred the dry z to the throbaks and would try getting a second dry z if they arent too expensive
The mystique of the fine details. I have found that with recording music, you can attain very interesting and good results from the most surprising sources, using cheap instruments very well for instance you don't always get a guaranteed better result from expense. I like the Wizz PU's
Hi Chris - love the guitar playing, as always But.... Just looking at those videos comparing the pickup sets. the first thing you probably need to do is measure the string height about the pickups, before you make the swap, and then set the replacement pickups at the same height You have the throbak neck pickup (at least) a lot closer to the strings Look at the clips around about 8mins 50 in . The neck pickup of the original set is almost flush with the pickup surround, the throbak is a couple of mm up from that So perhaps one of the first changes you might have made is - rather than replace the pickups - set the heights of the pickups? Just a thought.....
So interesting each pickup has its own distinctive sound. The Z’s have a great clarity, but the Throwbaks have a gritty broad frequency sound with more overtones that are so great! If you’re still looking for more choices, try the Cream T Whiskerbucker pickups; totally incredible.
I agree, the Throbaks sound darker, muddier, less defined than the Wizz/Dry Z combination, more so than with the 300k pots in my opinion. Seem to have gone backwards with this sorry Chris.
Good video!The 500K audio taper pots are the secret sauce that most people don't know about.All the '57s were 5000 turns on each coil,which was one of standards had to have to apply for the patent.From '57 to '60 the coils were wound by machines using timers.When the timer went off,they finished the coil.This is why all these pickups sound slightly different!Throbacks are a good choice they are put together in the same way.
I was very surprised that the Throbaks didn’t sound brighter. They also seemed slightly quieter, but did have a character that to my ears seemed quite authentic and desirable. I put Pete Thorn, Suhr Thornbucker PAF’s in my 2017 LP Standard with a 21 Tone Jimmy Page wiring kit from Jonesy Blues and it’s sounds incredible! Closest tone I’ve heard to an original Paul from the 50’s-60’s era. Great playing as usual and nice thorough comparison. Thanks Chris.
Had so many 80's guitars. At the end of the day I found the Tim shaws to be closest to a PAF a lot more so than my DRY Z's and Dry 82s but I found so much depends on the body wood. It has to be old light dry Honduran IMO. It has a clarinet like mid range that no other wood has especially African hog.
Can't wait to see the difference in changing the bridge and tailpiece. I've upgraded the pots and pickups in 2 of my Les Paul's that made incremental improvements. Not sure if the slight improvement in tone was worth the $$$.
At the risk of whacking a hornet’s nest, before swapping pickups, a cheaper and very effective way to fine tune pickups is with the volume/tone pots. Try different ones (generally 500k are used for humbuckers but if you want more or less treble you can use different ratings.) Also, 50s wiring will make a huge difference if you’re trying to get a more classic tone. People tend to go straight for a pickup swap but it isn’t always necessary. Plus its much cheaper to change pots and wiring.
To add to my earlier comment about pickups heights, Gibson recommend pressing the string down at the last fret, and then setting the distance from the string to the pickup of 3/32 inch between neck pickup and strings and 1/16 inch between bridge pickup and strings I think Guitarist Magazine, for whom you were asked to play those original '59 bursts use those measurements as a "standard", too
Only Richie Kotzen could play it like this without a pick…. Damn man!! Awesome beautiful phrasing and touch!!! Makes us all want to practice more!! Nice work young man!!
This is the kind of experiment I wanted to see for a while as I always get confused with so many pickups out there, yes, my ears are not so trained but videos like this educates me, so thank you Chris. I miss my Les Paul Special but now I’m getting into guitar again with a nice Revstar.
Thanks, Chris. I'm a huge fan and always enjoy your comparisons. Impeccably fair. There are always so many variables, even when changing out only one component at a time. I asked Heritage to make a Les Paul style and put in ThroBak KZ115 pickups. It sounds great but probably because it went straight to a brilliant tech who set it up according to his decades of experience. So I guess this is a shout out to great techs, who are truly indispensable. Cheers, Chris.
Also Faber makes conversion bridges that sound great and really close to vintage. Warm and clear with plenty of sustain and vibration. Also worth a consideration in my opinion.
The bridge, saddle shape, aluminum tailpiece and the POSTS will make an insane difference towards the burst sound. You need to look into a four uncles bridge 1st choice, or a faber bridge 2nd choice.
I agree with BLD Lightpainting. I was amazed how much like an acoustic the originals sounded in the middle postion. An electric being able to emulate the sound of an acoustic makes a guitar very versatile. That's why my main guitar is a Music Man JP15 with the Fishman transducer pickups. The Dimarzio pickups in the JP15 can not do what the pickups in Chris's Greco can. The Z and Wizz were more open and articulate. The Throbacks had more mids (or less highs) and had that "blanket over the speaker cabinet" sound. For me that was a downgrade and actaully made me go search Reverb for a set of Dry Zs. I'm actually quite shocked. Oh, BTW, amazing playing as always, Chris.
Hiya Chriss I have a 58 replical Gibson Lp, I have the 50s wiring which puts the tone pots after the volume in the signal and i fitted paper in oil capacitors 0015mf neck and 022mf bridge, transformed the guitar it now blooms like it should. Good luck Ian
Easily. He's the most unique player with so much damn feel it's amazing. I see some of these videos of guys doing nothing but fast sweeps and whatnot. My god. My opinion there's no skill involved there. Just muscle memory. But Chris is one of the most talented I've ever seen.
The Greco is the sleeper... I have a 1980 as well and it's mind blowingly amazing. I love the dry z. The 1980 Tokai's are also absolute tone beasts, cheaper that the Super Real's and lovely in their own right, highly recommend. 1980 is a phenomenal year for Tokai and Greco.
Through the entirety of the pickup comparison, I was thinking exactly what you said about there being a definite woody texture to the sound. I completely agree with your summary.
Marvelous video as always, Chris. But I have to say, all the opinions and discussions that your viewers share in the comment section give a very wholesome vibe. Guitar players all around sharing their thoughts and experiences like people would on old internet forums and stuff like that. Lovely little community you've put together here, Chris.
Chris, to my ears it seemed that you are on to a winner with the original pickups - the new ones made some difference, but I preferred the old ones. The bridge and neck sounds contrast more with each other in the old set, but in a good way I think.
Ive had a pair of dry z and the u1000, back in the late 2000's. The u1000 were installed on some grecos guitars and they had alnico-8 magnets. the z's had alnico-3, when i swapped the alnico 8 on the u1000 for alnico 3, i couldn't hear much difference pickup to pickup after the swap. So just imagine what a magnet change can do to a pickup. The dry z are really expensive almost 1500 $ while a pair of u1000's are just maybe 100-150$. The vintage market is just crazy. I was glad that you bought the greco and showed the world that those late 70's, early 80's that were made in japan are really great guitars. I had a tokai ls200 from 1981 and it was a real pleasure to play.
I heard the same thing as you Chris. They sound “woodier” or more “dry” and “papery” (that’s what I call the P90 quality in the mids) however, the top end is rolled off somewhat on the TBs compared to the previous pickups. Maybe you can add it back in the amp.
The comparison of these pickups was informative and gives options to upgrading pickups in an Epi or Gibson Les Paul and definately a noticeable change in to tonality. Thanks for sharing!
I am still blown away with how good the Mojotone 59 Clones PAF’s sound. I have the Hot bridge set in my 60th Anniversary R9. Absolutely killed the stock Custombuckers. They’re also relatively inexpensive compared to the boutique brands out there.
I love mine too! Im shocked at how they fly under the radar. No shootouts on youtube either. Im guessing they’d compete well with any other PAF replicas.
While living in Tokyo for 20 years, I met the guy who designed those Z pickups. He had a large boxful of original PAFs in various stages of disrepair. He knew more about Gibson Lester lore than almost anyone except for Kunio-san at Nancy Guitars. Kunio-san knows all of it... -L-
You can definitely hear that the p'ups that were in the guitar aren't a matched set, as Chris said. However, to my ear at least the guitar had much more character and clarity before the Throbaks were added. It sounds more generic now. Incredible playing, as always.
Another great Chris Buck video. He is an amazing player. I have been a subscriber for the past year and he has taught me a lot. That Granger Burst Les Paul is like Stradivarius
Honestly, quite Hard to believe that these were actually genuine Throwback pups - my friend's LP really came alive when he put in a pair, no more muddiness , all the transparency and dynamic response were there, a success across the Board.
I didn't read all the responses but like many others I also felt the dynamic of the older setup was better... but it's your guitar. You noted the differences, and I agree were "subtle" and I believe "woody" was an adjective... I might say mellow. If you feel you're moving in the right direction for the sound you heard and want to replicate than please keep going. Good luck with the bridge et al mods. Love your playing BTW
The ThroBacks are well balanced individually and as a pair. While smoother and not as forward/aggressive sounding as the Dry Z and Wizz, I appreciate the natural response and refined clarity of the ThroBaks.
I take the view that everything we've heard about the tonal advantages to using higher-resistance volume pots for humbuckers is true... *provided one always leaves the volume up full* . Once one starts frittering around with volume levels every ohm of pot resistance we take away, by turning down, is *added* to the impedance of the pickup/s, and loads the pickup down. This only-at-max-volume effect/advantage strikes me as precisely why Fender began using compensating caps on the volume pot, so that the nice treble preservation that occurred at full volume would be mostly preserved as one turned down.
Hi Mark - would a "treble-bleed" network (resistor & cap in parallel) across the vol pots do the same in a LP as the Fender? Assuming appropriate values... besides, if the vol pot is maxed (ie minimum to none resistance) what difference does the rated value of the pot make anyway? TIA
@@fredstevens799 Hi Fred - Yes and no. The treble bleed conserves top end as one turns the volume down and loads down the pickups. But what sort of top end does one start out with that merits conserving? HBs tend to have less of it. Maxing the volume pot provides least loading of the pickups, especially when used with longer cables. Think of the volume pot and cable capacitance as functioning like a lowpass filter. At max volume-pot setting, the "rolloff" of series-load+cable-capacitance is high enough that we normally don't hear it. As the cable-capacitance increases (longer cable or poorer-quality cable) and/or as the series load increases, that rolloff moves downward in frequency. We tend to notice it less with humbuckers than with single-coils because the latter start out with so much more top-end. As he saying goes: you can't miss what you never had. For those unfamiliar with the effects of cable capacitance, I always recommend the following experiment. Take the longest cables you have. If you have any true-bypass pedals, heck, connect a few in series, such that you're playing through a VERY long cable. Plug your guitar into the amp through that and strum. Now, take the shortest cable you have, that lets you physically accomplish this (e.g., a 6" patch cable), and plug your guitar straight into the amp through that. If one's hearing is intact, the difference should be quite audible. And that's with all guitar controls set to max. Naturally, it will be far more audible with SC pickups than with HBs. I've used an "over-value" compensating cap on bridge-pickup volume pots for a HB-based guitar. The larger value retains not only whatever top-end is there, as you turn down, but also mids. The result is that turning down to around 6 yields a sort of bass-cut, that makes a bridge HB sound perfectly appropriate for "chicken-pickin", even though by all rights it shouldn't be. If anyone wants to experiment, try a 1500-2200pf cap between the input lug and wiper of a volume pot. As for whether the pot value matters, when dimed, it does. I like having a glassy tone available on SC-equipped guitars, and a 1meg volume pot will do that, moreso than the 250k one typically sees on Fenders. Moreover, even if one uses a large-value tone pot, there is still an audible difference between having it in and out of circuit. We might think there is no treble loss with the Tone up full, but it's *always* bleeding just a little top-end. (This led to development and use of "no load" Tone pots, that effectively disconnect when turned up all the way.) Fender went with the 250k value because some folks found the preserved top-end sounded too brittle or harsh. Top-end harshness is also why Fender amps acquired Presence controls. These were initially intended to dial *down* the extra harmonic content coming from the power stage and output transformer. Remember, the goal in the '50s was "cleaner" sound. The goal of more sizzle is a more contemporary thing. Does this make sense?
@@markhammer643 Wow! Thanks for the robust reply! - I feel like I’m getting a (deep) private lesson - but I’ll try to keep this generally relevant… It DOES make sense (THANKS!) mostly, but I admit there is much about electrons and tone that I really don’t “get” at any fundamental level. Ironic since my dad was an EE, but never shared any of that (or much else…) with me. This is slowly dissipating with help from Chris, Josh, Rhett, yourself and many others, but the essential medium is still opaque and quasi-magical to me. Starting with electro-magnetism - one of the four fundamental forces in the universe... I remember the awe I felt as a child manipulating magnets in my hands and feeling this totally mysterious, invisible “force at a distance”. Using iron filings on paper to visualize the magnetic field lines… interrupt the field lines with wires (or guitar strings…) and induce a current… Contemplating this being the genesis of the micro-voltage signal emanating from my guitar that ultimately generates such (occasionally) beautiful sounds is believable, but not really conceivable to me in a deep way (kinda like how I approached algebra…) . I am just really glad folks figured that part out and dialed it in so I can (attempt to) play an electric guitar. Not to mention crystals… new age? No, piezo-electric transducers/pickups! I mean, really? Squeeze a crystal and generate electric current? I’ve seen the cig lighters that generate a spark when the crystal is squeezed (pretty neat!), but the sounds coming from the piezo bridge on my PRS SE Hollowbody are like from heaven! Next, despite my long association with the devices, I have NEVER had a clue how an amplifier (or a tube or transistor) works. Or why one needs caps etc. It occurred to me how exquisitely sensitive these devices are designed in their original ability to recognize and amplify the invisible and utterly miniscule radio waves we are marinating in and rendering them into beautiful (loud!) music recorded by others, beamed at us from many miles away. Thankfully, this is being addressed in a humane and reasonably accessible manner in the current Premier Guitar mag focusing on tube-amp basics. I have already studied class D (pulse-width modulation) amps a bit (I have two GK mb-200 - it can fit in my guitar case… 200 watts…) and I am beginning to get a glimmer of understanding. There is hope yet! Regarding tone as such, I am convinced many people, including myself (and most audiences) cannot really consciously perceive much of what this thread is about - obviously, the comments show there are very widely varying perceptions of the qualities of these sounds, even among the knowledgeable. This is kind of depressing in general for me, but I keep trying anyway! (just got the TC “shaker” vibrato pedal LOL!). Thanks again for the detailed, helpful explanations!
@@fredstevens799 As always, my pleasure and honour. I always enjoy assisting people to become more insightful about things they had taken for granted, allowing them to become more independent. Too many of us are forced to rely on ad copy and what passes for "explanation" by music store staff or interviews with our guitar heroes. I'm a regular listener to a midday Monday radio call-in show co-hosted by a highly experienced and reknowned master gardener who's been at it for well over 4 decades. People phone in with their plant and gardening issues. His analyses and responses are always of the sort that make you smack your forehead and mutter "Well of COURSE!". It starts to feel like "common sense" in hindsight, and really IS as simple as he depicts it. But boy oh boy, it took years of dedicated study on his part for all that knowledge to come together in a way that can *make* things become simple and common sense. Give it time. Envious of that TC Shaker pedal. The Toneprint software is a marvel.
Great video. 3 great sounds. At the end of the day, I’m so glad I put MoJo tone 59’ Clone pickups with the Mojo Tone wiring harness with bumblebee caps.
Ive changed out the tailpiece anchors, studs, bridge posts and bridge on both of my Greco super Reals to vintage correct materials and lengths. I have to say it made a bigger difference than the myriad of pickup swaps I’ve done in both guitars. It took some surgery, but I found it well worth it.
It's the DryZ and Wizz for me. The Throbaks would have me messing with the amp for a bit more clarity. Some things in life need no messing with at all. Your playing is so stellar and intoxicating that any slight change in tone is not noticed. (We're both watching and listening.) And while we're at it ... someone needs to get on Yamaha's ass, I (need) a gold top revstar with p90's. Your guitar needs to be available to all.
Just playing devil's advocate here but: Different wood from different trees, Wide variety of windings on the PAFs, Different amounts of glue on the neck joint and fretboard, Different rosewood from different trees, etc. Point is, there are a wide variety of factors going in to make the '59 Les Paul "sound". There can be a general idea of the '59 Les Paul "sound" but really because of the variables can there ever be an agreed upon standard?
The pots were the cause of the large discrepancies. The tolerance values were + -20%. That could lead to a 40% difference in actual measured specifications.
The Dry Zs, hands down, were the best replication of the original PAF tone (and apparently are priced accordingly), but the combination of the Dry Z and the Wizz was interesting, because the Wizz has a lot more “bite” to it 🙂.
By far one of my top favorites. This guy is just awesome. Just killer. I really like Sean Mann and Matthew Scott as well. They pretty much play what I call pentatonic blues which is my all time favorite but wow, this guy just stuns me every Freaking time after time after time.
Man, I wish I would have understood how big of an impact pots had on tone when I was a young touring/recording guitarist in the early 2000s. I was always frustrated with the fact that anything but the bridge position in a band setting sounded muddy on my Les Paul and other double-hum guitars. It was only after I slowed down, got a real job, a little extra money (and a lot of extra responsibilities), and started experimenting with wiring harnesses and configurations (after nerding-out on TH-cam) that I discovered how the pots and wiring configuration were having a large part of the impact on tone that I had always solely attributed to the pickups.
I agree somewhat with most of the below comments that the throbaks sound softer and warmer, but I think there was some sort of richer harmonic content and a bit airier and a bit better definition between different strings when strummed. But I was surprised there wasn't a bigger difference. I have a late 60s Univox LP copy with original pickups (Maxon?) which I imagine the Dry Z were trying to mimic. Those are my favorite pickups and wish I had more of them.
Great video. I changed the hardware on a couple of Gibson USA standards from the early 2000s to Faber aged nickel parts to look more vintage and was surprised by the improvement in tone. Much brighter, livelier and open sounding. More like vintage LP tones than darker 90s LP tones. They look great too.
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Chris Buck is one of the grooviest guitarists with a totally unique style and insane technical ability. Legend.
That Wizz pickup in the bridge sounds incredible. Much more clarity and aggressiveness.
Usually these type of things delve into “cork sniffer” territory but, as I’m folding laundry and have nothing better to do than shut up and listen, after a number of the “both pickup” examples went by I was semi-shocked at the realization that YES the Throbak critters DID complement each other and not “compete” with one another.
I’m almost in the same situation as yourself as I have an Edwards example with the Page wiring setup. I’m quite happy with the pickups but, I’m in need of a neck reset and want to replace the bridge, thumbscrews and tailpiece with more period correct components (brass thumbscrews etc)
As always, I show up for the “check up from the neck up” for the phrasing reminders. You have a lovely sense of implying breathing, which of course most guitarists are guilty of the “never ending lung capacity” phenomenon.
Thanks for the inspiration from Tennessee.
The amount of expression this guy can achieve with his
bends and vibrato is just insane!
Exactly what I was thinking! One of the craziest and most expressive players I’ve seen. I can only hope some of it rubs off onto me! Everything he does sounds inspired. And to me that’s where it’s at
Yep christ does a lot of bending where I don't bend so a semi tone I'm going for it
I preferred the brighter tone of the Dry Z and Wizz.
I absolutely agree.
@@kotaibushi940 Me too.
The Throbaks sounded plain dull to me. Not woodier, just muddier
@@lynyrddeville Exactly!
Back to back, I prefer the Dry Z and the Wizz. They're more projecting. Of course I don't know what the sound is that you're looking for.
I liked the sound of your original pickups better than the throbak ones, as they sounded darker and flatter with less character and high frequency transient peaks.
Totally agree.
No way, the throbak’s sound so much better
My thoughts exactly! The Wizz in the bridge is a little honey bee! The dry Z has become a legend in its own right for a reason.
The originals sounded better to me, the Throwbacks seem slightly hotter and I didn't like the way the low frequencies interacted; but its hard to tell with the YT audio compression.
I agree! The original pickups had more clarity and chime. The throbaks sounded like the strings had a hair tie back on the strings choking the top end.
Chris is the best, most expressive guitarist I have heard in a long, long time.
Every week, just the intros alone blow me away. The melody, technique, textures, sonics and emotion are superb. I could listen to Chris all day. America may have Vai, Satch, Bonamassa and Mayer but we in the UK however have the humble and soulful Buck and that’s just fine with me 😊 Keep up the great work Chris!
Dry Z was wizzing all over the competition.
For my taste, to be brutally honest, the Throbacks sounded muddy compared to the old ones, which had more bite & clarity to me. Having said that, they all sounded good, especially in your hands Chris.
I agree, but there is nothing brutal about it. The things are as they are, not as we'd like them to be.
I perceived the same thing. “Preferred” tone is something very subjective and I can see why Chris would like the more “woodsy” character of the Throbacks, but for my ears, the best tones I heard were coming out of the Wizz. Regardless, Mr. Buck can make a broom handle with a pair of magnets and some chicken wire sound amazing.
Very good description of the Throbacks I agree with muddy.
I agree with John, in particular in the neck with overdrive. The tone comes 99% from the player.
100% agree.
I've been down this road with many early 80's Japanese copy guitars. For the hardware go with the Faber metric ABR-1 bridge w/ the nickel plated brass thumbwheels and the Faber aluminum tailpiece. But, you may not actually need to change your tailpiece if it is already aluminum. If the tailpiece weighs around 25-32 grams & isn't magnetic then you are good to leave it in place. You also need to put a magnet to your tailpiece bushings and studs to make sure they are steel and not zinc or brass. If they are not steel they won't be magnetic & you should definitely change them out for more accurate Faber steel bushings/studs. Another thing that you may or may not want to get into is the bridge posts. Most likely what you have in the guitar are steel, but the originals used nickel plated brass. There are no metric sized brass posts available so you can either plug the holes and retap for imperial sized brass posts or you can buy a metric plain brass rod with the correct threads and cut your own. I did the latter. The post change is extremely subtle though and might not be worth getting into unless you just enjoy tinkering. I've gone back and forth in a few guitars between steel and brass and overall preferred brass BUT it's not a big enough difference to warrant the effort for most people.
Nobody makes dead accurate copies of the vintage hardware these days. Faber is the closest but it's still a different ratio of metals and sizes compared to the originals. 8 Bomb Custom is working on recreating the original hardware composition but they aren't going to be done anytime soon. Also, those might not end up being available in metric sizes. Good luck man. In the end, you probably can make some subtle improvements but don't expect it to fully match an original.
Damn... I thought I was a guitar nerd, but you got me beat!!!!!
@@eddiejr540 lol yeah...it's pretty bad
Have you seen this vid of the guy doing this to his les Paul’s…his guitars sound like real bursts xD
@@neve4020 The SD Pickups videos? The changes definitely make an improvement. I've done these mods to 4 high end Japanese replicas from the lawsuit era. They all sound great especially with ReWind Pickups or Dry Z's but none of them compare to my '53 Goldtop. A good original is an extra 5-10% that you just can't get elsewhere.
Nickel-plated brass-- this is a thing with Strats, too, that few people talk about. True vintage Kluson tuners have nickel-plated brass posts and brass internals, and this changes the tone slightly. These are available for Gibsons and Fenders from Montreaux Japan, and the Gotoh 510 unstaggered Klusons have brass posts (but not the washer inside). Also-- and not that it matters much unless you are a total geek-- unlike virtually all modern ones, the Strat jackplate on vintage instruments is chromed brass and not steel, which you can check with a magnet.
Dude… the Dry Z and Wizz combo sound SIGNIFICANTLY better. Like, it’s extremely apparent to me, at least via this TH-cam video. It’s kind of night and day, to be honest. The Throbacks are less dynamic and have less range, to my ears at least.
Agreed.
As far as the sound coming off the TH-cam video is concerned - I totally agree with you. The Throbacks sound woolly and uninspiring to my ears. Maybe it sounded different in the room??
You are 100% spot on mate!.
I'd THRO them bak!
Agreed! 👍🏼
Your solos are just so fucking brilliant! I can't get enough of them.
Keep it clean.
I have to say- - while they are both very good - to me I thought the dry-z / whiz setup was a bit better- especially if clarity was what you are after.
agree
That dry Z to my ears was the best by far, I'd be looking for a bridge pickup to complement it if it was my guitar.
No high end on the Throbaks. Didn't sound as good on the clean tones but had a nice tone on the overdrive. The Wizz was super bright but cut through the mix in a way the others didn't. The Dry Z sounded good playing a clean tone or overdriven. Always enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work.
I agree that having both the wizz and the dry z do have a sound of fighting each other, but overall i preferred the dry z to the throbaks and would try getting a second dry z if they arent too expensive
The mystique of the fine details. I have found that with recording music, you can attain very interesting and good results from the most surprising sources, using cheap instruments very well for instance you don't always get a guaranteed better result from expense. I like the Wizz PU's
I never know which hand to look at when watching Chris play! One is as fascinating as the other! Serious talent!!
Hi Chris - love the guitar playing, as always
But....
Just looking at those videos comparing the pickup sets. the first thing you probably need to do is measure the string height about the pickups, before you make the swap, and then set the replacement pickups at the same height
You have the throbak neck pickup (at least) a lot closer to the strings
Look at the clips around about 8mins 50 in . The neck pickup of the original set is almost flush with the pickup surround, the throbak is a couple of mm up from that
So perhaps one of the first changes you might have made is - rather than replace the pickups - set the heights of the pickups?
Just a thought.....
So interesting each pickup has its own distinctive sound. The Z’s have a great clarity, but the Throwbaks have a gritty broad frequency sound with more overtones that are so great! If you’re still looking for more choices, try the Cream T Whiskerbucker pickups; totally incredible.
Love watching the intros. Lots of technique tips there. Excellent hybrid pick technique!
I agree, the Throbaks sound darker, muddier, less defined than the Wizz/Dry Z combination, more so than with the 300k pots in my opinion. Seem to have gone backwards with this sorry Chris.
Totally agree!
I just bought a 68 reissue yesterday and you inspired me to go the p90 route! Thanks!
The Throbaks are significantly softer. I always heard the early Les Paul sound described as a Tele on steroids. Not how I hear the Throbaks.
What a intro man, sounds wonderful, i really love it
Good video!The 500K audio taper pots are the secret sauce that most people don't know about.All the '57s were 5000 turns on each coil,which was one of standards had to have to apply for the patent.From '57 to '60 the coils were wound by machines using timers.When the timer went off,they finished the coil.This is why all these pickups sound slightly different!Throbacks are a good choice they are put together in the same way.
Been wanting this for a while now. Thank you, Chris! Cheers to the new Cardinal Black EP! 🎊
I loved the Trobacks . Thanks for your superb playing.
I was very surprised that the Throbaks didn’t sound brighter. They also seemed slightly quieter, but did have a character that to my ears seemed quite authentic and desirable. I put Pete Thorn, Suhr Thornbucker PAF’s in my 2017 LP Standard with a 21 Tone Jimmy Page wiring kit from Jonesy Blues and it’s sounds incredible!
Closest tone I’ve heard to an original Paul from the 50’s-60’s era. Great playing as usual and nice thorough comparison. Thanks Chris.
I would also recommend the Suhr Thornbuckers. I put them in my 1983 Burny Les Paul, and they sound marvelous.
Had so many 80's guitars. At the end of the day I found the Tim shaws to be closest to a PAF a lot more so than my DRY Z's and Dry 82s but I found so much depends on the body wood. It has to be old light dry Honduran IMO. It has a clarinet like mid range that no other wood has especially African hog.
Can't wait to see the difference in changing the bridge and tailpiece. I've upgraded the pots and pickups in 2 of my Les Paul's that made incremental improvements. Not sure if the slight improvement in tone was worth the $$$.
Wait a minute...I've heard that opening solo before
To my old ears - the Throbaks had a rather large mid-range hump with a bit of thickness compared to the DryZ and Wizz.
The Throbaks make it sound like you are playing with really old strings.
At the risk of whacking a hornet’s nest, before swapping pickups, a cheaper and very effective way to fine tune pickups is with the volume/tone pots. Try different ones (generally 500k are used for humbuckers but if you want more or less treble you can use different ratings.) Also, 50s wiring will make a huge difference if you’re trying to get a more classic tone. People tend to go straight for a pickup swap but it isn’t always necessary. Plus its much cheaper to change pots and wiring.
Any love for that fuzzy tone in the intro jam? Best crunch tone I've heard in a while.
To add to my earlier comment about pickups heights, Gibson recommend pressing the string down at the last fret, and then setting the distance from the string to the pickup
of 3/32 inch between neck pickup and strings and 1/16 inch between bridge pickup and strings
I think Guitarist Magazine, for whom you were asked to play those original '59 bursts use those measurements as a "standard", too
... and Gibson add that those are a good base to start your experiments at...
Only Richie Kotzen could play it like this without a pick…. Damn man!! Awesome beautiful phrasing and touch!!! Makes us all want to practice more!! Nice work young man!!
Love whatever you were playing, in the intro.
This is the kind of experiment I wanted to see for a while as I always get confused with so many pickups out there, yes, my ears are not so trained but videos like this educates me, so thank you Chris. I miss my Les Paul Special but now I’m getting into guitar again with a nice Revstar.
Wow - those different pots are night and day!
Thanks, Chris. I'm a huge fan and always enjoy your comparisons. Impeccably fair. There are always so many variables, even when changing out only one component at a time. I asked Heritage to make a Les Paul style and put in ThroBak KZ115 pickups. It sounds great but probably because it went straight to a brilliant tech who set it up according to his decades of experience. So I guess this is a shout out to great techs, who are truly indispensable. Cheers, Chris.
CB is such an unbelieveable guitarplayer. Everytime I listen, I am speachless....
I remember that from the Rickenbacker video. Love it on both the Les Paul and the Rick
Also Faber makes conversion bridges that sound great and really close to vintage. Warm and clear with plenty of sustain and vibration. Also worth a consideration in my opinion.
The bridge, saddle shape, aluminum tailpiece and the POSTS will make an insane difference towards the burst sound. You need to look into a four uncles bridge 1st choice, or a faber bridge 2nd choice.
you no it.
I agree with BLD Lightpainting. I was amazed how much like an acoustic the originals sounded in the middle postion. An electric being able to emulate the sound of an acoustic makes a guitar very versatile. That's why my main guitar is a Music Man JP15 with the Fishman transducer pickups. The Dimarzio pickups in the JP15 can not do what the pickups in Chris's Greco can. The Z and Wizz were more open and articulate. The Throbacks had more mids (or less highs) and had that "blanket over the speaker cabinet" sound. For me that was a downgrade and actaully made me go search Reverb for a set of Dry Zs. I'm actually quite shocked.
Oh, BTW, amazing playing as always, Chris.
It's a war of inches but that Wizz bridge pickup seems more like it to me.
Hiya Chriss I have a 58 replical Gibson Lp, I have the 50s wiring which puts the tone pots after the volume in the signal and i fitted paper in oil capacitors 0015mf neck and 022mf bridge, transformed the guitar it now blooms like it should. Good luck Ian
I like your playing a LOT ! I hear many influences including possibly John Squire. Yet you still sound like you, fantastic !
Throbaks sound darker and muddier, i won't be buying a set after this comparison : (
Agreed. One thing a humbucker doesn’t need to be is darker.
Took the words off my keyboard.
If you follow Duane Flowers and the absurd les paul fetish club, you'll know that the wizz pickups are the most faithful you can buy.
I left them alone after the contention that brass pot covers have a warmer tone than normal ones!
Throbak bridge sounded almost like dead strings.
I’m a guitarist.
I think...Chris Buck may be my favorite guitarist in the world.
Gorgeous, flow, interest, surprise, space, emotion. Boom.
indeed! boom! 🎇🍒
Easily. He's the most unique player with so much damn feel it's amazing. I see some of these videos of guys doing nothing but fast sweeps and whatnot. My god. My opinion there's no skill involved there. Just muscle memory. But Chris is one of the most talented I've ever seen.
As usual your playing is INCREDIBLE. I preferred your old pups because I like a brighter tone. But very close!
I am getting excited to hear how you are digging the Pro Reverb as your main amp!
What amp is Chris’s playing through?
Yep--I come to Chris's channel to learn from the master just how important the right hand really is, and he has great content too!
The Greco is the sleeper... I have a 1980 as well and it's mind blowingly amazing. I love the dry z. The 1980 Tokai's are also absolute tone beasts, cheaper that the Super Real's and lovely in their own right, highly recommend. 1980 is a phenomenal year for Tokai and Greco.
Can you tell me what your 1200 weighs? Mine is beautiful but weighs 10lb-11oz 😢
@@allphase my 1800 is just over 9 pounds, the wood is different from the 1200 from what I have read.
Edit from my past reply: My beautiful 1980 Greco EGF 1200 weighs 10lb -3ounces
@@thefrankly Right on @Frankly!
I’m looking to purchase an 1800! Please remember me if you know where I can get one or if you want or need to sell?
Through the entirety of the pickup comparison, I was thinking exactly what you said about there being a definite woody texture to the sound. I completely agree with your summary.
Perhaps it's just TH-cam audio, but I liked the old set. 🤔🤔🤔
Same. By a pretty wide margin, too.
I recently purchased a 2004 Epiphone 56 gold top with P90 pickups. This guitar is impressive, killer tone. I won't change a thing on this guitar.
I spec’d ALL my hardware and electronics. My guitar is quite bright, big and sounds exactly as I wanted it to be. Very happy with the results.
Marvelous video as always, Chris. But I have to say, all the opinions and discussions that your viewers share in the comment section give a very wholesome vibe. Guitar players all around sharing their thoughts and experiences like people would on old internet forums and stuff like that. Lovely little community you've put together here, Chris.
Fwoarrr...lets 'av it Chris! See you and Cardinal Black on the road soon butty!!🤟✌👊🏴
please make a video where you talk about the gear you started with and all the changes you made to your rig to end up with the setup you use today.
Chris, to my ears it seemed that you are on to a winner with the original pickups - the new ones made some difference, but I preferred the old ones. The bridge and neck sounds contrast more with each other in the old set, but in a good way I think.
Ive had a pair of dry z and the u1000, back in the late 2000's. The u1000 were installed on some grecos guitars and they had alnico-8 magnets. the z's had alnico-3, when i swapped the alnico 8 on the u1000 for alnico 3, i couldn't hear much difference pickup to pickup after the swap. So just imagine what a magnet change can do to a pickup. The dry z are really expensive almost 1500 $ while a pair of u1000's are just maybe 100-150$. The vintage market is just crazy. I was glad that you bought the greco and showed the world that those late 70's, early 80's that were made in japan are really great guitars. I had a tokai ls200 from 1981 and it was a real pleasure to play.
What a lovely being this guy is 🙏
I heard the same thing as you Chris. They sound “woodier” or more “dry” and “papery” (that’s what I call the P90 quality in the mids) however, the top end is rolled off somewhat on the TBs compared to the previous pickups. Maybe you can add it back in the amp.
Agreed!!!!
The comparison of these pickups was informative and gives options to upgrading pickups in an Epi or Gibson Les Paul and definately a noticeable change in to tonality. Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful phrasing, and the tone is reminiscent of my having blasted tunes despite hangovers...
just gets better every friday xx
I am still blown away with how good the Mojotone 59 Clones PAF’s sound. I have the Hot bridge set in my 60th Anniversary R9. Absolutely killed the stock Custombuckers. They’re also relatively inexpensive compared to the boutique brands out there.
I love mine too! Im shocked at how they fly under the radar. No shootouts on youtube either. Im guessing they’d compete well with any other PAF replicas.
While living in Tokyo for 20 years, I met the guy who designed those Z pickups. He had a large boxful of original PAFs in various stages of disrepair. He knew more about Gibson Lester lore than almost anyone except for Kunio-san at Nancy Guitars. Kunio-san knows all of it... -L-
You can definitely hear that the p'ups that were in the guitar aren't a matched set, as Chris said. However, to my ear at least the guitar had much more character and clarity before the Throbaks were added. It sounds more generic now. Incredible playing, as always.
Another great Chris Buck video. He is an amazing player. I have been a subscriber for the past year and he has taught me a lot. That Granger Burst Les Paul is like Stradivarius
Sounded to my ears that the amp needed re setting to suit the thro backs
Honestly, quite Hard to believe that these were actually genuine Throwback pups - my friend's LP really came alive when he put in a pair, no more muddiness , all the transparency and dynamic response were there, a success across the Board.
I didn't read all the responses but like many others I also felt the dynamic of the older setup was better... but it's your guitar. You noted the differences, and I agree were "subtle" and I believe "woody" was an adjective... I might say mellow. If you feel you're moving in the right direction for the sound you heard and want to replicate than please keep going. Good luck with the bridge et al mods. Love your playing BTW
Thanks, as always, for sharing your knowledge.
The ThroBacks are well balanced individually and as a pair. While smoother and not as forward/aggressive sounding as the Dry Z and Wizz, I appreciate the natural response and refined clarity of the ThroBaks.
I take the view that everything we've heard about the tonal advantages to using higher-resistance volume pots for humbuckers is true... *provided one always leaves the volume up full* . Once one starts frittering around with volume levels every ohm of pot resistance we take away, by turning down, is *added* to the impedance of the pickup/s, and loads the pickup down. This only-at-max-volume effect/advantage strikes me as precisely why Fender began using compensating caps on the volume pot, so that the nice treble preservation that occurred at full volume would be mostly preserved as one turned down.
Hi Mark - would a "treble-bleed" network (resistor & cap in parallel) across the vol pots do the same in a LP as the Fender? Assuming appropriate values... besides, if the vol pot is maxed (ie minimum to none resistance) what difference does the rated value of the pot make anyway? TIA
@@fredstevens799 Hi Fred - Yes and no. The treble bleed conserves top end as one turns the volume down and loads down the pickups. But what sort of top end does one start out with that merits conserving? HBs tend to have less of it.
Maxing the volume pot provides least loading of the pickups, especially when used with longer cables. Think of the volume pot and cable capacitance as functioning like a lowpass filter. At max volume-pot setting, the "rolloff" of series-load+cable-capacitance is high enough that we normally don't hear it. As the cable-capacitance increases (longer cable or poorer-quality cable) and/or as the series load increases, that rolloff moves downward in frequency. We tend to notice it less with humbuckers than with single-coils because the latter start out with so much more top-end. As he saying goes: you can't miss what you never had.
For those unfamiliar with the effects of cable capacitance, I always recommend the following experiment. Take the longest cables you have. If you have any true-bypass pedals, heck, connect a few in series, such that you're playing through a VERY long cable. Plug your guitar into the amp through that and strum. Now, take the shortest cable you have, that lets you physically accomplish this (e.g., a 6" patch cable), and plug your guitar straight into the amp through that. If one's hearing is intact, the difference should be quite audible. And that's with all guitar controls set to max. Naturally, it will be far more audible with SC pickups than with HBs.
I've used an "over-value" compensating cap on bridge-pickup volume pots for a HB-based guitar. The larger value retains not only whatever top-end is there, as you turn down, but also mids. The result is that turning down to around 6 yields a sort of bass-cut, that makes a bridge HB sound perfectly appropriate for "chicken-pickin", even though by all rights it shouldn't be. If anyone wants to experiment, try a 1500-2200pf cap between the input lug and wiper of a volume pot.
As for whether the pot value matters, when dimed, it does. I like having a glassy tone available on SC-equipped guitars, and a 1meg volume pot will do that, moreso than the 250k one typically sees on Fenders. Moreover, even if one uses a large-value tone pot, there is still an audible difference between having it in and out of circuit. We might think there is no treble loss with the Tone up full, but it's *always* bleeding just a little top-end. (This led to development and use of "no load" Tone pots, that effectively disconnect when turned up all the way.) Fender went with the 250k value because some folks found the preserved top-end sounded too brittle or harsh. Top-end harshness is also why Fender amps acquired Presence controls. These were initially intended to dial *down* the extra harmonic content coming from the power stage and output transformer. Remember, the goal in the '50s was "cleaner" sound. The goal of more sizzle is a more contemporary thing.
Does this make sense?
@@markhammer643 Wow! Thanks for the robust reply! - I feel like I’m getting a (deep) private lesson - but I’ll try to keep this generally relevant…
It DOES make sense (THANKS!) mostly, but I admit there is much about electrons and tone that I really don’t “get” at any fundamental level. Ironic since my dad was an EE, but never shared any of that (or much else…) with me. This is slowly dissipating with help from Chris, Josh, Rhett, yourself and many others, but the essential medium is still opaque and quasi-magical to me.
Starting with electro-magnetism - one of the four fundamental forces in the universe... I remember the awe I felt as a child manipulating magnets in my hands and feeling this totally mysterious, invisible “force at a distance”. Using iron filings on paper to visualize the magnetic field lines… interrupt the field lines with wires (or guitar strings…) and induce a current… Contemplating this being the genesis of the micro-voltage signal emanating from my guitar that ultimately generates such (occasionally) beautiful sounds is believable, but not really conceivable to me in a deep way (kinda like how I approached algebra…) . I am just really glad folks figured that part out and dialed it in so I can (attempt to) play an electric guitar. Not to mention crystals… new age? No, piezo-electric transducers/pickups! I mean, really? Squeeze a crystal and generate electric current? I’ve seen the cig lighters that generate a spark when the crystal is squeezed (pretty neat!), but the sounds coming from the piezo bridge on my PRS SE Hollowbody are like from heaven!
Next, despite my long association with the devices, I have NEVER had a clue how an amplifier (or a tube or transistor) works. Or why one needs caps etc. It occurred to me how exquisitely sensitive these devices are designed in their original ability to recognize and amplify the invisible and utterly miniscule radio waves we are marinating in and rendering them into beautiful (loud!) music recorded by others, beamed at us from many miles away. Thankfully, this is being addressed in a humane and reasonably accessible manner in the current Premier Guitar mag focusing on tube-amp basics. I have already studied class D (pulse-width modulation) amps a bit (I have two GK mb-200 - it can fit in my guitar case… 200 watts…) and I am beginning to get a glimmer of understanding. There is hope yet!
Regarding tone as such, I am convinced many people, including myself (and most audiences) cannot really consciously perceive much of what this thread is about - obviously, the comments show there are very widely varying perceptions of the qualities of these sounds, even among the knowledgeable. This is kind of depressing in general for me, but I keep trying anyway! (just got the TC “shaker” vibrato pedal LOL!). Thanks again for the detailed, helpful explanations!
@@fredstevens799 As always, my pleasure and honour. I always enjoy assisting people to become more insightful about things they had taken for granted, allowing them to become more independent. Too many of us are forced to rely on ad copy and what passes for "explanation" by music store staff or interviews with our guitar heroes.
I'm a regular listener to a midday Monday radio call-in show co-hosted by a highly experienced and reknowned master gardener who's been at it for well over 4 decades. People phone in with their plant and gardening issues. His analyses and responses are always of the sort that make you smack your forehead and mutter "Well of COURSE!". It starts to feel like "common sense" in hindsight, and really IS as simple as he depicts it. But boy oh boy, it took years of dedicated study on his part for all that knowledge to come together in a way that can *make* things become simple and common sense. Give it time.
Envious of that TC Shaker pedal. The Toneprint software is a marvel.
Great video. 3 great sounds. At the end of the day, I’m so glad I put MoJo tone 59’ Clone pickups with the Mojo Tone wiring harness with bumblebee caps.
Ive changed out the tailpiece anchors, studs, bridge posts and bridge on both of my Greco super Reals to vintage correct materials and lengths. I have to say it made a bigger difference than the myriad of pickup swaps I’ve done in both guitars.
It took some surgery, but I found it well worth it.
It's the DryZ and Wizz for me. The Throbaks would have me messing with the amp for a bit more clarity. Some things in life need no messing with at all. Your playing is so stellar and intoxicating that any slight change in tone is not noticed. (We're both watching and listening.) And while we're at it ... someone needs to get on Yamaha's ass, I (need) a gold top revstar with p90's. Your guitar needs to be available to all.
Just playing devil's advocate here but:
Different wood from different trees,
Wide variety of windings on the PAFs,
Different amounts of glue on the neck joint and fretboard,
Different rosewood from different trees,
etc.
Point is, there are a wide variety of factors going in to make the '59 Les Paul "sound". There can be a general idea of the '59 Les Paul "sound" but really because of the variables can there ever be an agreed upon standard?
Yep.
But that makes 'stuff' hard to sell.
The pots were the cause of the large discrepancies. The tolerance values were + -20%. That could lead to a 40% difference in actual measured specifications.
The Dry Zs, hands down, were the best replication of the original PAF tone (and apparently are priced accordingly), but the combination of the Dry Z and the Wizz was interesting, because the Wizz has a lot more “bite” to it 🙂.
Looking forward to the next instalment in this series Chris. PS... fantastic playing. You get my vote for best new (to me anyway!) guitarist.
Wow, that LP sounds killer!
I like how you play often with the tone muted. I notice you jacking the tone here and there and it's nice.
I too believe you perceived the throwback as an upgrade.i liked the brightness of the original wizz and dry z😅
We love this type of geekery!
By far one of my top favorites. This guy is just awesome. Just killer. I really like Sean Mann and Matthew Scott as well. They pretty much play what I call pentatonic blues which is my all time favorite but wow, this guy just stuns me every Freaking time after time after time.
Love your HUGE tone...different every time you post.
I have a 77 custom that I’m very happy with. Thanks for the topic.
Man, I wish I would have understood how big of an impact pots had on tone when I was a young touring/recording guitarist in the early 2000s. I was always frustrated with the fact that anything but the bridge position in a band setting sounded muddy on my Les Paul and other double-hum guitars. It was only after I slowed down, got a real job, a little extra money (and a lot of extra responsibilities), and started experimenting with wiring harnesses and configurations (after nerding-out on TH-cam) that I discovered how the pots and wiring configuration were having a large part of the impact on tone that I had always solely attributed to the pickups.
The intro jamm was super good!
Try some Kinman 59's. Custom maker in Australia. Tim Pierce demonstrates a set on one of his videos about pickups.
I agree somewhat with most of the below comments that the throbaks sound softer and warmer, but I think there was some sort of richer harmonic content and a bit airier and a bit better definition between different strings when strummed. But I was surprised there wasn't a bigger difference. I have a late 60s Univox LP copy with original pickups (Maxon?) which I imagine the Dry Z were trying to mimic. Those are my favorite pickups and wish I had more of them.
Great video. I changed the hardware on a couple of Gibson USA standards from the early 2000s to Faber aged nickel parts to look more vintage and was surprised by the improvement in tone. Much brighter, livelier and open sounding. More like vintage LP tones than darker 90s LP tones. They look great too.
Very nice. I just picked up a 1980 Tokai LS-80 so I really appreciate the video. Great player playing a great guitar. Cheers!