Dialing in Your Les Paul 

Don’t forget Michael Bloomfield. He often gets left out, but worthy of a listen for Les Paul tones. Thanks for the tone tips.

Great video Jeff! I'm learning about the idiosyncrasies of LP wiring and the timing of this video couldn't be better. I'd like to add , large pedal chains and long cable runs without buffers, messes up all of the cool tones you can get with the knob settings - it will instantly turn muddy as soon as you turn down. The less stuff between guitar and amp the better. (I learned this the hard way lol)

Great stuff Jeff! Thanks very much for the insights. Time to start soldering...

Awesome demo, Jeff - thank you. Yet another great demonstration that we should put the hours in exploring our instruments and equipment. It's not all about buying new stuff! Thanks again.

Love this. I am fascinated by the intricacies of how these controls interact. I’ve taken your approach in two control guitars by disconnecting the tone on the neck and dialing the amp for that. I learned all of this from you man!

My all time favorite les paul player is Duane Allman. His touch with the guitar was unmatched! A good example of him using all the different tones with the paul is in “Dreams.” He goes in between the neck and bridge a lot during his solos and the tone especially comes through when he switches to the glass slide on the second solo. He is one of the most dynamic players that ever existed!

You can also lower pickups and raise pole pieces for more clarity and top end.

Very useful video, sounds great!!! Thank you!!!

50s wiring is the only way to go period….. the volume and tone knob are interactive. But the value of cap you use, even though it should not be different because of the value, the type of cap can be heard. You should always try caps to “voice” your guitar for the amp and music you play and anything from .01-.047mfd will catch your ear…. And different cap values for the bridge and neck pickup can work too. .022mfd for neck and a .033mfd from bridge can make the middle position sound incredible and articulate….. let your ears decide which cap goes for the ride…… your fingers will even smile when you find it

This is awesome Jeff! I had my R9 on my lap watching this and there were a few tricks I hadn't yet discovered and it was another light bulb moment. Thanks for this one!!

Huge fan, Jeff. Your TrueFire lessons are espresso shots, constantly re-awakening me to this instrument. Cheers from Kansas City.

And then you play with a band and all these subtle nuances will come down to being able to hear yourself 😂 nice video of course, that said.

Les Pauls with four knobs are extremely versatile and are so much so that most, if not all of the tones you need are in those four dials. Good tone and volume pots, great pickups, a nice setup, and a great amp are really all you need. Keeping it simple and really knowing how to use your pick and fingers for dynamics is really where it’s at for me anyway. I love your advice and your teaching Jeff. It is really helpful all of the time! Keep up the good work. Also, you are an amazing player and your hard work has paid off. Great stuff!!!

More greatness!

50’s wiring on my SG was a game changer. There’s something about it that it’s hard to put in words. It’s really amazing.

i was used to a modern 500$ slash epiphone special AFD with 2 knobs and it has this bright amazing sound on high gain and i bought a much more expensive 50s epiphone les paul standard in mettalic gold and it didnt sound the same n not as good so i got it set it up professionally n it still wasnt sounding what i wanted it to but i was looking at it all wrong.. its 50s style wiring it has covered pickups its alot heaviern chunkier and theres 2 extra knobs and so much more diversity it wasnt her it was me!! LOL, now im starting to understand her and how she works and im loving this guitar alot more now, the more i look into the difference between tones on wiring,covered/uncovered pickups, so many things, n i was getting mad because my cheaper guitar was sounding brighter n better when playing high gain metal then this 50s one... and i would have my 50s style LP on the same setting n same amp setting n it was off... id have the bridge on 10 volume n 8 tone n it wasnt bright n clear sounding my my slash lp special 2 on the same setting but i get it now this goldtop is alot more intriqte and it takes alot more effort to dial it in as opposed to:what i was used to: (select bridge,neck,middle, 1 volume 1 tone)... thank u so much

Well said Jeff. Rolling the volume knob back just a bit really sweetens things up for me. That’s where a lot of the tone is I think. Cheers

Sounds great...guess I'll be getting out the soldering iron. Have a beautiful Satin Black LP and and it needs something different, hope this is it.

I installed push-pull pots that switch between 50s and modern wiring. Best of both worlds.

Emerson out of Oklahoma makes a great 50's wiring kit for the Les Paul if anyone has a more modern wiring for about $120... bumble bee's, great workmanship and he's rumored to be working on a new proprietary 50's style Pot..

Really nice demonstration of the 50s wiring. Especially love that setup on my single P90 guitars. It's amazingly versatile for being so simple. Paper-in-oil caps are my favorite in this situation along with black bourns pots.

Interesting and informative video. I've always wanted a LP. I've looked to the stars and hope that I now have the winning loto numbers.. Thank you for the jam track. Digging your courses.. Looking forward to the resumption of your streams.. Best.

I have 2 LPs, none of which have 50's wiring, BUT I have a black 2011 CS-336 which does have the 50's pickups and I assume the 50's wiring, PLUS, its a hollow body!

Thanks for this great video Jeff; you've probably saved me from buying new pickups (and still not being satisfied)!

I got a Les Paul standard 60s about a month ago and I'm amazed at how useful knobs and how well the burstbuckers respond to everything . Coming from Teles I was used to the tone knob being useful, but Fender's volume pots seem to have a narrow amount of usable travel. Thanks for the tips, Jeff!

If you want a wider sweep, meaning if you want your guitar to sound different on every nuber from 1 - 10 you might concider ballancing your pots to about the same output and using linear tappered pots. If you want to hear a bigger difference sa from 1- 4 ,4 7, and 7- 10 so you wont really hear that big of a difference untill you hit those 4, 7 and 10 marks , again always make sure you ballance the output but use an autio taper pot. Peopke say that caps make no difference but i whole heatily disagree exspecailly if your not always playing full out gain. Im a on the edge of breakup guy and so i prefer paper and oil for that. Now in my sg ,which i dub as my rock and roll mechine i like orange drops as i beleive they sound more agressive.

Fantastic video. In all my years of playing no one has ever really explained 50's wiring on an LP. I always though I must be doing it wrong because I never used my "Rhythm" pickup to play rhythm. I love what you said about the numbers on the knobs being meaningless...go by what sounds good. Definitely saving this video for future reference.

Always my aim is to have the guitar setup so I don't have a pedal. All controlled from the LP. I think Ed King said 10 on the guitar was for wimps!

BTW how the Volume changes true the pot range depends more on the type of the pot. Vintage taper pots have less drop off. This being that pots are all audio or log pots. Sometimes some people use linear pots and those drop volume like a brick. They follow linear change of resistance but our perception of the volume is not linear. Like smallest difference we hear is a decibel. Though 3 decibels mean twice the power. Hence we do not hear linear as in linear increase of power. Hence audio pots sound liner to our ears but actually change resistance value at logarithmic scale. BTW changing all wire feels like someone took off a blanket off the amplifier. Just more details and bit more volume. Cable that Gibson uses nowadays is single isolation higher capacitance trash cable. It literally sends signal to ground. Proper two isolation layers wire simply allows more signal to reach the amp. Though changing pickups hook up wire means dismantling pickups. Not for everyone. There is a zero need for treble bleed with proper harness. With proper amp you can go tone at 5 in the guitar and still not lose details. That's how it should be. Tons of tones you can dail in with pots.

How do I dial in pickup height? Which one do I start with? I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard 50's

Does 50s wiring change how the middle position works? I quite like the blended pickups option on LPs, but mine has modern wiring.

I can’t figure it out; what’s the reason why they changed the wiring, since the 50’s one worked apparently “better”?

Is it a safe bet that a 78' LP custom does not come stock with 50's wiring? Also a Tokai 57' - 59' LP copy?

To the point, well done. I spent 2 years working on my tone on a 2012 Les Paul Traditional (and amp). I ruined some PU and....bad soldering. But I reviewed soldering videos and practiced. 50’s soldering and buying quality POTS was a game changer. The same POTS don’t always have the same values so I would buy 4-5 and use the favorite. The CAPS didn’t seem to matter as much. The pickups well that’s the hard part...too many to choose, with different magnet values and expensive. DO YOUR RESEARCH! Spend time on the tone and finally get a good guitar setup. And then there is the amp!

I prefer 50s too. I put coil-split on my LP, which is fun.

Perhaps you could also do a video about how the tone of an LP with ‘50s wiring is affected by whether the player is wearing a black custom-tailored dragon suit or a white custom-tailored dragon suit. I’d watch. ;)

The first thing I did when I bought my 2021 LP 50s Standard was change it to 50s wiring. It amazes me that a new LP 50s Standard comes from the factory with modern wiring!!

So I can turn modern wiring into 50's by welding the pieces right?

I usually start with my neck volume on 7 and my bridge tone on 7. I really appreciate hearing your process and explaining it.

For sound goodness need a good sounding Les Paul like yours. Pickup a bad one and let’s see you getting a good tone ;)

Wonder if all this applies to slashbuckers

Are you going to do your Wednesdays lessons like last year? I loved them. Thanx.

I love 50s wiring as well.

Same 50s wiring for the split coils ?

I wish I could play the guitar :(

Like you, I love 50's wiring, and don't really like a treble bleed. But unlike you, the taper of the typical 500k audio taper volume pot does annoy me. So on several of my guitars, I have changed the volume pot to 500k linear (even 550k linear). I still get the clarity of the 50's wiring, but with the added benefit of a more even roll of of the volume control.

Good thing I've got two Epiphone Les Pauls. I'll wire one of them with a 50's wiring, and see what the fuss is about. ☺️

What strings are you using and what gauge?

So true. I lost my old Les Pauls, and eventually have been able to buy new ones. I couldn't get used to the sound of the new pots. I put Emerson wired 50's style in both of my les Pauls and fell in love with playing guitar all over again.

Thanks for a great video! I recently went to 50s wiring in a 335 copy. In this video, you answered one of my major questions, “why is the volume taper so limited?” Now I know that can be expected and like in all things you take the good with the bad, you get to great tone, but you don’t get as much range on the volume knob. I noticed from 8 to 10. It sounds absolutely killer, but there’s a significant volume drop below 8. I thought something was wrong with the way I wired it, but you obviously described it to a T in this video. Thanks so much!

Thanks for this...I am going to mod my LP's now...but not before I check out the matching Strat video!

Very nice! The trick about turning the tone down on the bridge pickup also works on good vintage tele pickups, which can sound like a P90 that way.

Hello Jeff, just wanted to thank you for taking the time to make this very informative video. It was/is super helpful, its incredible all that I have been fortunate enough to learn about guitars in the last few years thanks to people like you. Big 50's wiring fan myself, not a big fan of coil splitting etc. Just a quick question out of curiosity if I may, what amp were you using for this video, you sounded fantastic! Thanks again, I'll be checking out more of your catalog.

Jeff, there are different caps used in 50’s wiring. Oil filled and mustard(sozo) caps, can you please write me back and let me know what caps sound better?? Thanks, Craig

Keith brought me here, via 5 watt…

So, Jeff when I do this I end up with the neck at 10/10 and the bridge at 10/2.5 (tone). Does 2.5 seem too low? That's where it doesn't hurt on the top end and sounds really great.

W9man tone isshitdaddy

mick taylor was a les paul guy too

After many years of playing I only touched a few les pauls that I vibed with. Not sure what it is, but most just don't feel right! What do you think are among the better more budget friendly traditional les paul style guitars out there? Something that doesn't go higher than 2000$ or so

Great explanation. I dig the tones. How about if you want to clean up the tone all the way to crystal clear with no drive. Would you then have to turn down the amp or can you get that with using just the guitar volume and tone controls. I've tried it on my ES-339 and there still seems to be some grit no matter how I play around with the controls. Thank you, love the video.

Hi, please have a word with Teachable. I ordered 2 of your courses, then realised they were too basic for me, so I contacted Teachable straightaway with a view to cancelling them and going for something else. This was on June 8th andf have still not had a refund! They have my money!

I need a Les Paul first 😔

Setting pickup and pole height is still such a mystery to me. You should do a video on that!

As gratifying as dialing in your Porsche 911 targa.

+1 for Gary Moore...

My Gold top is a ultra light aged Murphy Lab of the first batch. I went to buy a made too measure R9 and after trying tons of Les Paul's got my R7. It was sounding much better than all the others. Best sounding Les Paul I have ever tried. Mind you, I have never tried real Burst. I have changed all wires including pickup hook up wire with proper wire. Way less capacitance and way more tone reaching the amplifier. The funny thing is that I was not in Murphy Lab guitars, and still, I got it because it was best sounding. That elusive hunt for the Les Paul ended that day. Btw mine is light back double gold variant.

I just changed the pickups out of my LP#2 and added 50's wiring. It is much brighter than I expected. Still getting used to it. I usually have my tone rolled off to 7, but even there it's bright. Used to be wooly in a marshall, now it's almost thin on the bridge in my JTM50. I keep wondering if it's the right way to go but, like you say it's not intuitive. If anything I will at least keep it in the neck pickup.

Great video Jeff, deep and to the point. I’d seen references to the 50s wiring and never gave it much thought, although I have a 335 that had already been modded to that before I got it and it sounds amazing. Now I will have to modify my LP and see if I can close to that sweet tone. Still working away on lots of pieces from your TF courses and the private lesson material. You’re one of the best educators out there, keep up the good work. Thanks!

I am a Stratocaster Telecaster person. I bought a Epiphone 50s Les Paul with Ofcouse 50s wiring to have a guitar with Humbuckers. Could not get a tone I like because I didn't understand 50s wiring until I watched your video. I was going to sell it and keep my strats and Teles. But now I will keep it and experiment with the knobs. I like the woman tone.

1. Clarity, warmth and resonance/sustain are the bedrock/foundation of great tone. That has to exist independently and inherently in the guitar. It somehow exists in the combined physics of the wood, wiring/pups and other components of the guitar itself. There is no way to compensate for a foundational deficiency if one of those traits is lacking. The more you have those three independently in the guitar, the greater variation will be available to a player's unique touch (left and right hands). 2. Tactile touch is the next level of tone control/modification. When I listen to accomplished players, they sound nearly identical over a variety of good guitars, including Jeff (absent dramatic signal modification). 3. Then comes post-tactile signal modification. One can use tone modification techniques and gear to modify the signal as Jeff expertly demonstrates. But absent #1, you can only partially compensate, but not eliminate foundational deficiencies.

This is an art that seems to have been lost on the more modern generation of guitar players where everything gets turned up to 10. It is a nuisance to fiddle with tone and volume knobs while playing especially if I'm covering sounds made on a studio recording where overdubs were recorded with differing guitar sounds. To cover those sounds I use a programmable pedalboard and program presets with each sound I want. It's not the same, but it is another method of dialing in sounds I desire. At least kits are available that get us as close to 50's pickups and wiring for a price that's not 6 figures! Thanks for the educational video. It's great to hear creativity using only the "natural" characteristics of the guitar.

Great video Jeff! Love listening to you play and chat about guitar ‘nerdy’ stuff! 🔥🎸

I had the same experience, I rewired my SG a few years back with quality pots and caps and 50s style and it was like a blanket came off the guitar. Ive since rewired all my two humbucker guitars to 50s style. I don't know why they don't come this way, or I never really understood the logic behind modern wiring.

Thanks for the video. I am only about 15 months in to my guitar playing. I started playing my daughter’s Strat. About 3 months ago I played every guitar they had in the shop. I picked the 50’s Les Paul because I liked the feel and sound the best. I had no idea about the wiring, but I’m very happy with the tone you can get out of this guitar. I can make it bluesy, dirty, clean, county, etc. thanks for the video.

I've owned my #1 Les Paul Standard since new(33 years now!) It came stock in 1989 with modern wiring and the worst pickups Gibson ever used("The Original" pcb Lawrence pickups) I installed a new RS Guitarworks 50's wiring harness and vintage wired toggle switch, and like you said, it's a night and day difference! I have done a few other mods like Callaham machined stainless steel Nashville conversion posts with an abr-1 and aluminum tailpiece with long steel studs and replaced my pickups (again, for the 3rd time) with Seymour Duncan 59's with nickel covers, I couldn't be happier with a real 1959 Standard! Great video, Keep on Rocking!

Here is the thing. The Les Paul with 50's wiring and reissue neck heel, yes it's a bit quirky and clunky but, the tones you get from that are worth it. Especially if you're not using an amp that acts basically as on/off switch for the guitar. There's a tonal magic to be had there that makes the non intuitiveness and clunkiness worth it.

The taper of the pots affect how quickly the volume changes. The Historic pots are a repro of the Centralab pots that were in 50’s Les Pauls, they have a 10% taper. They are great as tone controls, but the volume pot changes volume very fast. I use to have the pickup selector in the middle position and increase the volume of the pickup I wanted to hear. The other option is to roll the tone control down a bit, turning the volume down causes the tone control not to work as effectively giving a brighter clean tone and the tone thickens up when you increase volume. I don’t think 50’s wiring lends itself to blending the levels of the two pickups, I think Danelectro wiring does a far better job of mixing pickup volumes. Another option that works best on an SG is to have the bridge volume up full, and adjust the neck volume to get a rhythm volume. If balanced properly you get clean, rhythm and lead tone via the pickup selector.

Hey Jeff, I don't have a Les Paul but I do have a couple Gibson SGs. I wonder if I would get the same effect if I had one of them changed to 50's wiring. I will have to check into it.

For me Gary Moore is my favorite guitar player of all time. His tone, feel, playing, and overall versatility set him apart from a lot of other players.

Hi Jeff, how do you like to have your pickup heights? I'm sure that too plays a big part in achieving a sound you like. Would love to hear more about how to set your pickup height. Thanks for the great content...

Wow. I didn't know about that effect the tone knob has. It kind of hollows out the mids

The les paul was the guitar I ended up keeping over all the others ...I realy appreciate others passing on tricks that can be done on the les paul...another good trck is the volume swell that gary moore would do alot ...you bend a note with the volume knob quite low then you role it up to make this swelling sound ...u tube this technique and try it out !

Buy a PRS or Suhr , Far Superior Instrument

Great tutorial. The Les Paul has way more tones than many people realise. The fact the tones and volumes are independent give you so many switching options. Plus points for the gold top which looks absolutely amazing!

You know how I know Jeff is a badass? He co-hosted clinics with Robben Ford. Rarified air.

Fun video, Jeff! Been a Les Paul guy for many years. Big reason for that was Jeff Beck’s Blow by Blow album and some Al DiMeola stuff. Michael Bloomfield and Gary Moore also really influenced me that way. It’s always fascinated me at how it’s possible to get so many different sounds out of a Les Paul and your video illustrates this perfectly!

I play an Epiphone Les Paul Studio and tend to like the tone knobs at 3 and the bridge coil split pulled up. Clean channel on a H&K Tubemeister 36.

Few instructors can make the world of musical creation via electric guitar come alive and hold my attention the way Jeff does. What a gift! (Both, his skills, and what he gives to his students.) If you haven't discovered/explored Jeff's offerings of instructional video, I highly recommend that you take the time. Best investment in my guitar experience so far (time and money). Something there for every level of player. I swear even BB (RIP), Eric, LC or Robben would find some new insights with Jeff. He certainly offers deep insights in to each of their music.

Came here for the boomer bends. Not disappointed.

What do you think of those pre-wired harnesses that are sold for les pauls?

I did have an FGN Les Paul but I sold it, I will try this with my Aria Pro 2 TA40. Great video, thanks.

Thank you for this. I have been struggling to get a tone I like. This should be very helpful. I am not sure of how to setup my amps though.

50s mod is always the first mod for a Les Paul for me. Most Gibson’s used to come stock with 300k vol pots witch I prefer to replace as well. Great video to show why👌

Sold any LP I had due to constant tuning issues.

Awesome video!! I’ve had many modern Les Pauls. But recently got one with 50’s wiring. Seems like a completely different animal in a good way. Feels like I have 3 guitars in one now. Re kindled my love for the Les Paul. From clean to filthy dirty with the Right Amp. Green tips!

I was under the impression that Jimmy Page modified the wiring in his Les Paul.

Great video, thank you, Jeff. Much appreciated. And amazing sounds. Thats what we love Les Pauls for. Especially this rich high-end and the dynamics amaze me. I wonder what mics and cab you are using with the OX Box. Sounds like the UK Vintage 30 with Condenser and Ribbon to me. Really awesome and organic.

Thanks for the 50's wiring "schooling". I believe now that's exactly what I'm going to use with my Pearly Gates pups. Really dig your tones on that gold top! Subbed.

Hey Jeff, been really enjoying your Dialing In vids. It took me years to get my head round my Les Paul until I got a Tele and realised that I want my LP to be a beefy version of that. I converted all my Gibsons (and my Tele) to 50s wiring years ago and never looked back. It's now time to replace a few worn bits and a few questions occur - wonder if you have any experience of/opinion on.. 550k vs 500k pots? No Load pots Log or Linear taper for tone controls Take care and thanks.

Nice. Just a Epi LP Std + but i love it. this is '06. Like the 6 or 7th one i demoed. Gotta open the doors.