Warning-Gearhead post (new pickups)

I got my ’06 Chambered R-8 Les Paul back from Norio Imai this friday. He had done a setup on the guitar and also installed a set of Peter Florence’s Voodoo ’59 pickups. I’ve been lusting after a set of these pickups for years but haven’t had the right humbucker guitar to put them in. I had Norio use the Burstbucker covers ’cause they are already pretty worn in looking. I also had Norio turn the magnet on the neck pickup 180 degrees so I could do the “Peter Green Thing“.

Peter Green wiki

IMHO Best test of any gear is to play it on a gig. last night I played at the Lakeside withSpanking Charlene. They are a great band that I produce and I play with them from time to time as the 2nd guitar player. It was a great test of the new pickups/wiring setup. Both I and the other guitar player Mo Goldner were playing through the Lakeside’s house Pro Jr’s. Always a good match for the room.

The out of phase middle position worked much better than I thought it would. I set up the amp to have a good rock rhythm sound in the middle position then I would go to the bridge or neck for a louder part. I used the Mad Professor Sweet Honey Overdrive for solos both in the mid position out of phase setting and for the full single pickup humbucker sound.

The mid position thing was really great. Plenty of beef and much more bite than I can usually get out of that position. I’ve got to play a gig as the only guitar player to really get the full picture but my initial feeling is that the PG Mod is pretty incredible. It put a lot of Telecaster like ‘fight’ back in the guitar. Its defeatable on the fly too. If you just turn down either one of the pickups a little the phase trick no longer applies.

Pretty exciting.