Beez at work (2)

Beez installed my P-94 in my Les Paul Studio last week, it wasn't working at first. After consulting the wiring schematics online (& made no changes in wiring) we were baffled. But Beez has this working philosophy- he will troubleshoot at no extra cost & he does it on the spot. The diagnosis would be shared with the owners so that we can seek compensation accordingly. It was a simple oversight- the green & white wires were swapped. I've no issues wit this, really, because the product was in perfect working order, just a little peeved that it left the factory with control issues. So thumbs up to Beez.

If this is your first time reading about Beez & you wish to have your pickups installed for a same-day completion, please make at appointment with him (text him), the link is at the left shoulder of this page (just click that yellow business card 'Look for BEEZ').

Gibson: P-94 + 500T

I am clearly not a Les Paul fan but in the 24.75" universe, the Les Paul is impregnable. My Les Paul Studio Premium + sports a default pair of Gibson 490R/ 498T humbuckers. These are favourable pickups if you are into the LP honk but not many of us embrace this tonal signature, it all depends on personal taste.

So swapping them out for me was a natural thing to do but I decided to keep things firmly in the Gibson camp because liking a Gibson when there are non-Gibson components in there is 'cheating'. I had these considerations in mind before choosing the models you see in this pic:

• Neck: Should retain the rounded top end but not loosing definition under heavy distortion. It should also complement the fantastic body resonance when played clean
• Bridge: I'm a distortion fan through & through, the bridge pickup should allow the manifestations of ferocity, a no-holds barred affair

 So the pickups you see here are Gibson's own P-94 & 500T. The P-94 is a single coil in a humbucker dimension (its counterparts include Duncan's Phat Cat & Tesla's Opus 2) while the resident bridge pickup is the uncovered 500T- Gibson's high output monster which I've embraced after my experience with a Les Paul Classic. 

The P-94 is simply wonderful- it sounds menacing when you sweep pick & equally sweet in clean mode + liberal chorus. The 500T could be overwhelming for some of us, there are actually some great selections in the Burstbucker range which are equally effective for distortion but the I feel the 500T is one not to be missed if you are into gobs of distortion. You'd have thought Gibson is all honk & no growl, well the 500T is definitely up to it.

P-94

Got myself a Gibson P-94 pickup. My BFG Les Paul sports a P-90 in the neck position, to my ears, it sounds very pleasant as opposed to a humbucker in that same spot. The P-94 will be resident in the neck position as well but in another guitar. The early LPs which were equipped with P-90s; I think those meant so much to the players back then & Gibson had perpetuated their re-issue till today.