![]() Getting into the split-coil or tapped sounds (or a mix of both, depending on how the DIP switches are set) yields skinnier sounds that are cool for slinky rhythm and lead tones whenever a “single-coil” flavor is desirable, and by putting the pickups out of phase you can also get funky, Strat-like sounds that are pretty neat to have on a dual-humbucker guitar. Gibson Les Paul Trad V Satin Iced Tea (Image credit: Gibson) That said, the Pro Vs are both exemplary when driving into a gained-up amp or distortion box for killer blues and rock lead tones, and of course they have great natural sustain courtesy of the maple/mahogany construction and rock-solid Tune-o-matic bridge/aluminum tail. It’s worth noting that slight differences between the Pro V and Pro V Satin were noticeable, and the heavier Satin actually sounded more acoustically resonant and felt more vibrational (probably due to its thinner finish), and this carried over in some degree to the amplified realm. With the push-pull pots down and the pickups in full ’bucker mode, the Pro V sounds, not surprisingly, like a good Les Paul, offering clear, robust cleans and fat OD tones from the Tradbucker pickups, which are well tailored output-wise for their respective positions and provide nice detail and complexity at all volume settings. Tested with a Fender Deluxe Reverb, an old Marshall PA20 (through a Bogner 1x12), and a Mesa/Boogie Mark Five: 25 1x10 combo – along with a selection of overdrive pedals from Hermida, MXR, and Way Huge – the Trad Pro Vs showed their stuff by providing a trove of cool sounds. Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro V Satin Wine Red (Image credit: Gibson) Taking off the cover plate lets you fully appreciate the engineering inside the control cavity, which is extremely tidy thanks to the use of circuit boards to minimize wire runs and clutter. You get a choice of high-pass filter on/off for the two pickups, as well as a “transient circuit” on/off, but toggling them didn’t seem to make much difference sound-wise, and Gibson doesn’t explain them from a functionality standpoint either. The output is lower and the tone more single-coil like in split mode, whereas the output is greater and the sound is fuller and somewhat hollower in tapped mode.īoth modes are useful, depending on what you’re after, however, I found the other three switch settings to be much more subtle.
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