Are you looking for a way to improve the sound of your Les Paul guitar?
We’ve got you covered! The best way to increase the volume and add a unique touch to Les Paul guitar sounds is to pair it up with high-quality pickups.
However, we have to go a step further from simply putting a pickup on a guitar. We decided to look for high-quality humbucker pickups that were specifically designed for Les Pauls.
One of these pickups combined with a standard or even higher quality Les Paul guitar will result in stunning sounds and original 60s tones.
If you want to make your sound stand out, there’s no better way to do so than to look for that classic, original Les Paul’s tones. Les Paul’s pickups will help you achieve the results you are looking for! We have put together five short reviews of the best pickups for Les Pauls to help you make your final decision.
Each of these products is made of high-quality components and capable of transforming Les Paul guitar sounds into classic tones from the 50s.
Take a look at the list below and let us know which Les Pauls guitar pickup you choose for your setup!
Table of Contents
#1 YMC Humbucker Pickup Chrome
We will get started with the classic YMC humbucker pickup that features a beautiful chrome finish with a stylish black frame. This is an excellent quality pickup considering the fact that it is one of our most affordable choices.
If you are tight on budget but you still want a good quality pickup to boost your guitar’s sound, this YMC humbucker is a great option to keep in mind.
It is designed to duplicate the classic Les Pauls sound and provide more output, adding more punch to the tone.
The pickup is triple wax dipped and vacuum-sealed, which eliminates unwanted noise and makes the final sound clearer. The pickup comes with adjusting screws to make the installation process easier.
Keep in mind that you will not only receive a neck pickup rated at 9K but you will also receive a bridge pickup at 16K. Overall, these pickups provide great sound quality with extra punch at an affordable price.
- Compatible with Gibson LD Epiphone guitars
- Duplicates classic Les Pauls sound
- Removes unwanted noise
- Includes a neck and a bridge pickup
- Chrome finish
- No squeaky noise
- Good sound quality
- Resistance levels might vary
#2 Foxnovo Professional Sealed Humbucker Pickups Set
Next up is the Foxnovo set of sealed humbucker pickups designed for bridge and neck positions. The title itself tells you that this is a set of sealed pickups, which means they provide good isolation and eliminate any unwanted noise or squeaking.
The pickups were built to provide stunning output with a traditional sound characteristic for Les Paul guitars. Thus, they make for a suitable pickup replacement for these types of instruments.
The pickups are made of durable materials including high-quality copper and hard plastic. As far as the frequency goes, both the neck and the bridge pickup are rated between 8.5k to 9k.
The package includes all pieces of hardware needed for installation. Overall, these Foxnovo pickups offer great value for the money.
If you are looking for a convenient pickup solution for Les Paul guitars but you don’t want to cross the budget, this set is a great option to consider.
- Designed for bridge and neck positions
- Stunning output
- Sealed – no noise
- Traditional warm sound
- Double copper material
- Hardware included
- No cons
#3 Kmise 1 Set Humbucker Pickup
Our third choice when it comes to best pickups for Les Pauls is the Kmise set of humbucker pickups. The pickups are available in two colors, gold and black, in case you want to maintain a certain theme or aesthetic of the instrument.
Each pickup is vacuum-sealed to reduce noise and interference. They also come with screws and springs for height adjustment. The ability to fully adjust the pickups makes the installation process a lot easier.
That is why these Kmise pickups are a great replacement choice for Gibson Les Pauls.
Furthermore, the pickups provide great sound quality and they will definitely boost the standard Les Pauls tune. Even though this set is quite valuable for its price, you should keep in mind that it meets the ordinary standard of quality.
In other words, there are no extra features or any benefits that make these pickups so special. They are simply a good replacement choice that will improve audio quality at an affordable price.
- Available in two colors
- Vacuum sealed for noise isolation
- Great quality and value for the price
- Height adjusting screws included
- Reliable replacement pickup for Gibson Les Paul guitars
- The gold color is more yellow than real gold – it might not match other gold-colored pieces of equipment on your setup
#4 Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz Set
We will move on to some higher quality and higher price products for those players who are looking for top-notch sound improvement. That is why we want to present the classic Seymour humbucker that will surprise you with the kind of sound it can provide.
This is a very popular and versatile choice of pickups used by professionals in the music industry. It features high-quality hot coils and an Alnico 5 bar magnet for better sound quality and response.
These pickups allow for a great upper-midrange attack and a balanced response for better sound quality. The durable nickel silver bottom plate makes the sound more resonant and increases the durability of the entire pickup.
Let’s not forget that this pickup offers multiple wiring options tanks to the four-conductor lead wire. Just like all higher quality Les Paul guitar pickups, these models are vacuum wax potted and sealed for better performance and less interference.
Overall, what you can expect is Seymour quality components built in a small and compact pickup body!
- Versatile and popular in the music industry
- Contains hot coils and Alnico 5 bar magnet
- Provides balanced response
- Nickel silver bottom plate
- 4 conductor lead wire
- Vacuum wax potted and sealed – no unwanted noise
- Well-built
- No cons
#5 EMG Zakk Wylde Signature Guitar Pickup
Last but not least, the fifth and best product on our list is the EMG guitar pickup, also known as the Zakk Wylde signature pickup. You have probably heard of Zakk Wylde, one of America’s most popular songwriters and guitar players.
Now you have a chance to imitate his sound or create your original sounds using his signature Les Paul’s pickups. These high-quality pickups feature long shaft volume and tone pots that increase volume and tone controls, allowing you to customize to tone to your liking.
The package includes two pairs of mounting screws and cables needed for installation. Each pickup comes with its own quick-connect header and cable that allows simpler and easier installation.
Overall, these pickups provide aggressive tones and sustain and we can safely say that they are some of the best pickups on the market.
After all, they are used by legendary Zakk Wylde and many other popular names in the industry. In other words, if you are looking to make an investment into a pickup that will entirely transform the sound of your Gibson Les Paul guitar, this is the product you should aim for!
- Amazing sound quality and response
- Aggressive tone and sustain
- Top-quality on the market
- Used by professional guitar players
- Each pickup comes with cables for easier installation
- Contains long shaft volume and tone controls
- Precise control and sound customization
- No cons
In Conclusion To
We are glad that you stuck around all the way to the end of our list of five best pickups for Les Paul guitars. Finding the right pickup to enhance the quality of the sound of your instrument is challenging because there are so many options on the market and not all of them will meet your expectations. Keep in mind that your budget plays a big role in the process of finding a high-quality pickup.
If you want to get the most value for your money, we suggest choosing a pickup from our list of reviews. We have found the finest quality pickups in different price ranges to make sure our readers don’t end up spending a lot of money on a product that won’t satisfy their needs.
Therefore, go through the reviews once again and look for the pickup that will suit your guitar best. Don’t forget to come by the comment section and let us know which pickup you chose and why. We love hearing back from you and getting your feedback on the products!
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