The SECRET to '59 Les Paul Tone? | Friday Fretworks 

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.

Dry Z was wizzing all over the competition.

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!

Love watching the intros. Lots of technique tips there. Excellent hybrid pick technique!

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.

I preferred the brighter tone of the Dry Z and Wizz.

Been wanting this for a while now. Thank you, Chris! Cheers to the new Cardinal Black EP! 🎊

The amount of expression this guy can achieve with his bends and vibrato is just insane!

Chris is the best, most expressive guitarist I have heard in a long, long time.

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.

Your solos are just so fucking brilliant! I can't get enough of them.

I never know which hand to look at when watching Chris play! One is as fascinating as the other! Serious talent!!

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.

Love whatever you were playing, in the intro.

Dude… the Dry Z and Wizz combo sound SIGNIFICANTLY better. Like, it’s extremely apparent to me, at least via this RU-vid 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.

I loved the Trobacks . Thanks for your superb playing.

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.

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.

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

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.

As usual your playing is INCREDIBLE. I preferred your old pups because I like a brighter tone. But very close!

I just bought a 68 reissue yesterday and you inspired me to go the p90 route! Thanks!

Love this series!

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.

Incredible playing!

Yes! Great series!!

Thanks, as always, for sharing your knowledge.

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.

Great playing Chris !!!!!! Thanks !!

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.

What a lovely being this guy is 🙏

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 your HUGE tone...different every time you post.

Fwoarrr...lets 'av it Chris! See you and Cardinal Black on the road soon butty!!🤟✌👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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.

CB is such an unbelieveable guitarplayer. Everytime I listen, I am speachless....

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.

great video it answered a lot of questions i had thanks

Beautiful phrasing, and the tone is reminiscent of my having blasted tunes despite hangovers...

The intro jamm was super good!

That sounds amazing!

Gorgeous playing

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

Always tasty chops!

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!

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.

Very nice. I just picked up a 1980 Tokai LS-80 so I really appreciate the video. Great player playing a great guitar. Cheers!

I am getting excited to hear how you are digging the Pro Reverb as your main amp!

Looking forward to the next instalment in this series Chris. PS... fantastic playing. You get my vote for best new (to me anyway!) guitarist.

Love yer style bruh!!!👍🏼

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.

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.

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.

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

Wow - those different pots are night and day!

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 $$$.

I like your playing a LOT ! I hear many influences including possibly John Squire. Yet you still sound like you, fantastic !

I remember that from the Rickenbacker video. Love it on both the Les Paul and the Rick

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.....

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.

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.

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.

just gets better every friday xx

Perfect timing I’m looking at a epiphone 60s really soon. 😍

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.

I have a 77 custom that I’m very happy with. Thanks for the topic.

Great vid! I’ve been wanting to try the throwbaks but Bkp mules are amazing

New pups sounded pretty terrific in the band mix…kinda the goal I would imagine. Good stuff as always

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.

Wow, that LP sounds killer!

I loved the Throbaks. I’m a sucker for the clean distortion sound that feels really warm.

I have a Greco from the same era. It is very rare in that it is a Les Paul Special copy with P90's in it, I have never seen another one. These Super Real era guitars are slowly being recognized for the great instruments they are. Your Les Paul is another example of these wonderful sounding Japan made guitars. Don't let it go... and hold on to your original parts, they will be important to have in the future.

Wait a minute...I've heard that opening solo before

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.

Ha. Steppin' Out, on the Blues Breakers (Beano) album, is one of my most favorite tracks of all time. Truly phenomenal.

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 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.

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.

Great solo! I've been happy with Porter Blenders in my LP.

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.

The Throbacks did sound darker, but we all have to know that the AMP settings also have a say in what the sound comes out as well as the tone and volume controls on the guitar are set at. Plus the resonance of the guitar itself. Putting in time with the overall setup with tweaks here and there will bring out the true nature of the guitar and pickups.

Having been down the rabbit hole of chasing vintage Les Paul tone, and achieving it… There are several factors at play. Really, a tight neck joint, good glues, the right wood type and thin nitro is going to get you in the zone. Era correct woods are a plus but not necessary. The big factors: Saddles - Vintage ABR bridges had massive saddles and they DO make a difference. There are several companies making vintage style saddles for modern ABR bridges. Pickups - unpotted, machine-wound, thin nickel covers. Basically any good PAF clones, can try different winds to taste. A4 mags seem to be the “it” magnet in modern pickups. Hardware - Brass posts for the ABR, thin brass thumbwheels, aluminum stoptail and steel studs. Tuners matter, but not much. The Scale Length - this is HUGE and completely overlooked by Gibson. Luthiers used the Rule of 18 to calculate fret placement. Every fret is 1/18 the distance of the remaining scale length, and every fret location was calculated from the prior fret location. This could result in small imperfections and is laborious. Bridge placement was determined AFTER frets were placed. Key point: the scale length and bridge location on vintage Gibsons varies, but the scale is slightly SHORTER than modern LP’s and reissues. This translates to lower string tension, and a lower resonant frequency. In my opinion THIS is the single biggest factor affecting the tone. Great playing as always.

The Throbaks make it sound like you are playing with really old strings.

The first jam!!!!! ❤️

Very instructive Video about Sound and Colours. I like the Throbacks a little bit more, they seem to be a little bit softer, but subtile with clear heights. The Dry Z are louder with more upper midrange, sounding a hint more "ordinary".

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

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.

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.

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.

Great video! From the sound of it, I'd bet you have pot metal bridge saddles. Try a bridge with brass saddles like the vintage ABR-1 has. It will add that bit of sparkle on the top that I'll bet you are looking for. Swapping out the Nashville bridge with pot metal saddles for a Kluson with brass saddles made a noticeable difference on my Les Paul. Kluson is making great bridges and tailpieces now. They probably have one that fits your guitar.

around the six minute mark when you were comparing different resistance potentiometers, I was pretty astonished to find that I didn’t think the 500s were “brighter“ than the 300s but I did prefer them anyway!🤷‍♂️

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

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.

Really nice playing, and a nice sounding lp. I like the dry-z best. I'm now looking at the Epiphone 1959 LP Standard Outfit :) probably...

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.

We love this type of geekery!

as a life long Telecaster player who only recently indulged a long term desire to own a Les Paul, this was rather interesting. I am not one to muck with guitars but that being said, my new LP seems to be a bit noisy and we'll see what my luthier suggests. but this give me the courage to try stuff!

I need to listen to this one again. First time thru I kind of like the current pickups over the Throbaks - that may change on the next pass.