Robert Fripp Les Paul Pickups?

Johnnyseven

Anyone know what kind of pickups (magnet & wire) Robert Fripp is likely to have in his black late 50s Les Pauls?

Johnnyseven

Particularly neck, looking for the thick lead sound all over the Red album. I know he uses a Burns Buzzaround.

Fretwired

His late 50s Les Paul is stock as far as I am aware. He mostly plays a Fernandes built Les Paul which has a MIDI pickup, a Sustainer pickup and  a Seymour Duncan humbucker pickup but I recall he switched it out. The switching system is weird.

Check this out for complex:

Johnnyseven

Thanks @Fretwired ;

When you say stock do you know what spec pickups would have been in a Les Paul of that era?

Fretwired

Johnnyseven said:

Thanks @Fretwired ;

When you say stock do you know what spec pickups would have been in a Les Paul of that era?

PAFs ...

Funkfingers

Johnnyseven said:

Particularly neck, looking for the thick lead sound all over the Red album.

That is probably the 1959 LP Custom. So, a P.A.F. with its cover removed.

https://frippgear.wordpress.com/guitars/

octatonic

That period was a stock LP.
Now he favours a Fernandes LP copy with a sustainer in the neck:

https://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/rig-tour-robert-fripp-609374

KevS

By the time of Red he was using A Wah,A Guild Foxey Lady Fuzz,same as a Triangle Big Muff I think,then a volume pedal..Also was the 3 pick up Black Beauty not sans maple top..The era of the guitar dictates PAF's....Oh and Hiwatt Amps..

Although in the studio who knows...

Of course the 2 Revox Reel to Reels for Frippertronics.

Later I think he started using a EH 16 second Delay and I think an Electric Mistress..

Roland JC 120 amps..Roland Guitar Synth.. Discipline Era..

Then the Ovation Shallow Bowl acoustics..

Later the Fernandez with Sustainer..

Did he not have a Locking Trem on his like Steve Hackett too..?

Not sure on that..

Steve Hackett was really Early with the E bow by the way..

Another Big Muff User..

Now I think Crimson Guitars..

I only heard about the Burns Buzzaround thing later..

Maybe he didn't want to let his secret out so he could still find another...

KevS

Read the other stuff,didn't realise he used Tokai then Swapped to Fernandez..

steveh

Yes, he's currently using Crimson guitars (no pun intended).
I found that out from my compulsive reading of his online Diary: Pity he got Crimson back together, 'cos before that he was posting daily and it was fascinating to read of how an intellectual rock-star filled their day. Cream cakes and chocolate it seems.

https://crimsonguitars.com

BTW - I have seen the latest incarnation of Crimson 4 times: They are astonishing live. I was originally a drummer and while 3 drummers have the potential to be "flam city", what they have done is extraordinarily musical and inventive. Jaw-dropping. The best incarnation IMHO and that's coming from someone who thinks Bill Bruford is the best drummer ever. 

Try this if you're curious:

Funkfingers

steveh said:
3 drummers have the potential to be "flam city"

Thank Clapton for in-ear monitors and a click track. 

richardhomer

KevS said:

Read the other stuff,didn't realise he used Tokai then Swapped to Fernandez..

My friend Ted Lee installed the guts of a Roland GR synth controller into a Tokai for him in the 80s. I believe he also worked on the black LPC. He used to get B&W post cards of him sitting next to Toyah from all over the world from them. 

Fretwired

steveh said:

Yes, he's currently using Crimson guitars (no pun intended).

I posted a vid above which is Fripps signature guitar ... complex beast.

57Deluxe

you taking a lead from a man who has been married to Toyah for decades??

Johnnyseven

Not sure what his wife has got to do with what pickups he uses.

english_bob

Johnnyseven said:

Not sure what his wife has got to do with what pickups he uses.

If she's anything like most guitarists' wives she probably couldn't care less.

EricTheWeary

Johnnyseven said:

Not sure what his wife has got to do with what pickups he uses.

I think he was questioning his judgement. 

Fripp started having work done ( on his guitars) by Jamie Davey in the last couple of years. This is of no help to you but it's probably the one thing I have in common with Fripp other than we both married Brummies. 

Keiko

english_bob said:

Johnnyseven said:

Not sure what his wife has got to do with what pickups he uses.

If she's anything like most guitarists' wives she probably couldn't care less.

So long as they are the cheap ones.

boogieman

57Deluxe said:

you taking a lead from a man who has been married to Toyah for decades??

Don’t know about nowadays but they used to live apart  for six months of the year. 

english_bob

boogieman said:

57Deluxe said:

you taking a lead from a man who has been married to Toyah for decades??

Don’t know about nowadays but they used to live apart  for six months of the year. 

I don't think it was ever a choice, more a fact of life because of their respective careers. It's probably the case with most "celebrity" marriages.

boogieman

english_bob said:

boogieman said:

57Deluxe said:

you taking a lead from a man who has been married to Toyah for decades??

Don’t know about nowadays but they used to live apart  for six months of the year. 

I don't think it was ever a choice, more a fact of life because of their respective careers. It's probably the case with most "celebrity" marriages.

Tbh I thought it was a conscious choice, I remember an interview with Fripp with him saying it made their marriage work better because it made the heart grow fonder (and the sex was better). Mind you I can’t imagine either of them is easy to live with. Fripp seems more genial these days but he seemed an utter control freak when he was younger. Toyah is just.... well, Toyah.