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DIY: Installing Active Humbuckers in a Gibson Les Paul

PG's demo dude expands his flirtation with active pickups by dropping a set of EMG Fat 55 Retro Active Humbuckers into his warhorse 2003 Gibson Les Paul. Luthier friend Dave Johnson handles the surgery and shares a few key tips to make the project go smoother for you.

DIY: Installing Active Humbuckers in a Gibson Les Paulplay icon
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By John Bohlinger,
John Bohlinger
John Bohlinger is a Nashville-based multi-instrumentalist best known for leading the band on NBC's Nashville Star, serving as music director for the CMT Awards and specials on PBS and GAC, and of course for his appearances in PG Rig Rundown, Review Demo, Axes & Artifacts, and What Bohlinger Plays videos.
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Dave Johnson
Dave Johnson
Scale Model Guitars founder Dave Johnson was born and raised in Peoria, IL. Mostly self-taught from working in various music stores early in his career, in 2009 Dave moved to Nashville and worked in the Gruhn Guitars repair department until early 2014 and as an in-house repair tech at Carter Vintage Guitars. Highly skilled in vintage repair and with over twenty years of experience, he is quickly earning a reputation as one of the most trusted names in town. Find his work at scalemodelguitars.com.
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May 25, 2025

Previously, John Bohlinger was curious about what active pickups could do for his anemic 1994 Stratocaster and EMG offered their drop-and-go Steve Lukather SL20 Pickguard set. JB was floored with the guitar's fresh voice and responsive dynamics he wanted to expand the active experiment to his beloved 2003 Gibson Les Paul. So we got a set of EMG Fat 55 Retro Active Humbuckers that required a full install and our luthier friend Dave Johnson walks us through the whole process before John got to test out his old friend's tonal makeover.

Learn more about EMG Fat 55 Retro Active Humbuckers here.

active pickupsdave johnsondiyelectric guitaremgemg pickupsgearguitarguitar pickupsguitarshow toles paulluthierpickupsscale model guitarsvideosgibson les paulguitar modguitar modsjohn bohlinger

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