Long Read: Les Paul 50s Wiring Vs Modern 60s

The Vintage 50s Les Paul wiring is the 'Holy Grail' for many. It is perfect for rolling between your classic 'crunch' tone and soulful cleans as smoothly and simply as possible.

The technical difference:

Its all in the order of the tone and volume controls. Vintage 50s wiring places your tone controls, after your volume controls.

Volume Control Wiring: 

Lug 1: Input from Pickup HOT
Lug 2: Output to switch + Tone Control Circuit
Lug 3: Soldered to Ground / Back of Pot

The ground wires, or outer braid of vintage style wires is soldered to the back of the pot.

The difference for you:

Vintage 50's wiring is the easiest way to roll between clean and crunch tones.

Setup your amp so it is at the edge of break up at around 7 on the volume control, with your tone controls at 10. Crank the volume control up to 10 to drive your amp through to overdrive, or back it down towards zero for your cleans. Bliss.

The catch - The tone controls will effect your volume levels, making your perfect tones harder to find in a live situation. Clarity at lower volume levels is easier to find than with a modern 60s wiring setup, but not as achievable as with the ever clear 60's Plus / treble bleed wiring.

Advantages

• Smooth treble roll off with volume control
• Easily roll between crunch and clean 

Disadvantages

• Tone controls also effect volume levels
• Not as tweakable as '60's Plus' Wiring 

Modern 60s wiring puts the tone control circuit before the volume control. This makes the tone and volume controls more independent, but causes an abrupt treble roll off with the use of your volume control. 

The technical difference

The modern 60's Les Paul wiring moves the tone control circuit in front of your volume controls.

Volume Control Wiring: 

Lug 1: Input from Pickup HOT + Tone Control Circuit
Lug 2: Output to switch
Lug 3: Soldered to Ground / Back of Pot

The ground wires, or outer braid of vintage style wires is soldered to the back of the pot.

The difference for you:

The modern 60's wiring separates out the effect that your tone and volume controls have on each other.... almost. 

The catch - a new issue is created, where the resistance in the volume control, works in series with the capacitance of your cable, to create a big, inescapable tone sink. The result - wind back your volume and lose all of your highs / treble / clarity.

Advantages

• Tone controls will not effect volume levels

Disadvantages

• Abrupt treble roll off with volume control
• Sharp drop in volume levels at top end of volume control

Like the 'Modern' wiring, but with a treble bleed on each volume control, which allows treble to skip the resistance of the volume pot. This keeps your sound bright and clear at all volumes.

The technical difference:

The Obsidian 60's Plus wiring is like the modern 60s wiring, but it includes a treble bleed mod. on each volume control.

Volume Control

Lug 1: Input from Pickup HOT + Tone Control Circuit + Treble Bleed
Lug 2: Output to switch + Treble Bleed
Lug 3: Soldered to Ground / Back of Pot

The ground wires, or outer braid of vintage style wires is soldered to the back of the pot.

The difference for you

This setup offers the greatest clarity at lower volumes, and the is most versatile of the three classic Les Paul wiring options. The volume controls are also have the smoothest taper from 1 - 10, and the tone controls will not reduce your overall volume. 

The catch - It is not as simple to smoothly roll between clean and crunch as the vintage 50's wiring.

Advantages

• Retains clarity at lower volumes 
• Smoother volume control taper 
• Tone controls will not effect volume levels

Disadvantages

• Not as simple to use as Vintage 50s Wiring