Gibson Burstbucker 1 and 2 Set

Gibson Burstbucker 1&2 Humbucking pickups with aged nickel covers.

These pickups are standard issue on a Custom Historic VOS 61 Reissue SG. They are being replace with some Rio Grande Texas & BBQ pickups post haste!

What is Gibson thinking?! I was SOOO dissapointed when I plugged my VOS 61 SG into my rig, I just couldn't believe how thin and brittle it sounded! Heck, my stock Tele has more tone and body than this thing! Really, these pickups are terrible, I was warned about the Burstbuckers, and now it's confirmed. There is no bottom or midrange, no body, just ice pick treble.

I've been a tone seeker for over 40 years, my ears know tone by now. I would give these a 0 from 1 to 10. I have only heard them in an SG, maybe they sound better in a Les Paul, but I doubt it. I can see I'm not alone in my opinion either.

Humbucking, Burstbucker 1 and 2 in a R9 les Paul. 7.8 neck, 8.02 bridge.

Gibson R 9, ice tea burst, 8lbs 3oz. Original pickups as shipped from the factory. I replaced both of them due to the Muddy Mushy flat yet hardness of the sound. Very poor harmonics , just dull sounding. The guitar sounds great acoustically.

Output level was good. Sounded Dull and lifeless, no Harmonics, average sustain, muddy, they had a very hard edge sound like a hammer hitting a rock.
I play Blues, Rock, Fusion, Allman Bros, Peter Green, Clapton Beano, Cream, etc.

Tweed fenders, Custom Built Tube Amps, 2x 6v6, 22 watts, 1x12 scumback, SuperLux and DynaWatt head with el34's, Plexi marshall, JTM 45. Supro's, Blackface Deluxe rev and Vibrolux Rev.

Very few if any effects.

I replaced the neck with an Original PAF and the Bridge with a late 60's T Top. The guitar now sounds like it should.

I have not changed the pots yet, but I have some old centralab pots coming and Pigtail studs and tailpiece.

I can only say Those BurstBuckers were the worst Gibson Pickup I have ever heard. The 57 Classic is better( not as good as the old ones though). I have some Shaw pickups in my V and they are much better too.

I would sell them but they would not bring much.

I have been playing since 1966 and have owned many classic guitars and amps.

The Burstbuckers are some of the worst pickups I ever heard. What really gets me though is that they were stock in a beautiful , 8lb 3 oz R 9. The guitar sounds very good acoustically and feels like my old one too( after I dressed the binding down) .

The Ttop is staying I wish I had another to try in the neck position, not that the PAF is bad.

aged Burstbucker 1&2 Humbucker

Gibson ES-135 Limited Edition with Gibson Classic '57 Humbucker
Original PU's had no lifeness and sounded muddy

moderate output level, near the Classic '57
very balanced tone with sweet warm highs not harsh and not muddy, just perfect, exactly this legendary Gibson sound.
I don't expected this big difference to the Classic '57
In direct Comparison the Classics sound cheap.
Maybe the Classic in my Gibson were not representative, don't know.

have other burstbuckers in my LesPaul and I'm very happy that i maked the change from Classic '57 to a set of Burstbuckers at my ES-135.
Bought them used (they had been in a aged historic collection LesPaul), don't know if there is a differnce to the non aged version you can buy new.
would buy them again, they make my ES-135 sound perfect.

Pickup features: humbucking
Impedence or other specs: low impedence (bb 1) and medium (bb 2)

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: original ep. les paul standard
Other pickups on guitar:
Artists using this pickup: jimmy page
You musical style(s): classic rock/blues
Reason for pickup change: custom recreation

Perceived output level: medium volume
Tone: very vintage, with accentuated mids, but sonic lows and blistering highs; punchy
Sonic evaluation: Marshall AVT 150 (half-stack)

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: incredible for classic rock (blues too); for neck (bb 1) and bridge (bb 2)

Comments: i originally sought out these pickups when it came time for my girlfriend's 17th birthday. she's an incredibly intense led zeppelin fanatic, especially when it comes to jimmy page. so i decided to get her an epiphone les paul, because i don't have the cash to pay for the jimmy page custom shop les paul. but i wanted to give her the most accurate recreation of that axe-master's guitar. so i got a used ep. les paul standard (honeyburst finish) for $300 at the local guitar center. then i bought grover machineheads, because that's what jimmy has on his guitar. then the choice of pickups came up. i didn't know what to pick at first. but then i found out that page's custom shop guitar was modeled after his #2 les paul, which was a 1959 standard. so i looked up what the custom shop 1959 standard has on it: a burstbucker 1 in the neck pos. and a burstbucker 2 in the bridge pos. so i ordered the same set-up, w/ the bb 1 sporting a nickel cover and the bb 2 w/ a double black coil (just like jimmy's). at first i only cared about the looks and relatively close specs and just trusted gibson for the tone. but after i installed the pickups, i found a level of beauty and sexiness that i never even dreamed possible. these pickups have the most beautiful vintage sound i have ever heard. the mids are boosted, but the lows and highs are still clear and ready to be manipulated. i would suggest that anyone and everyone should throw a pair of these on their axe and experience the wonder that i (and now my girlfriend) have been lucky enough to experience. as far as sounding like page's legendary instrument, well, i think my review stands as the answer to that question...

Pickup features: Passive Humbuckers
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone G -400
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: Have No Idea
You musical style(s): Heavy Rock
Reason for pickup change: The stock pickups were way too shitty to keep dealing with.
I'm serious.

Perceived output level: Moderate output.
Tone: Mainly bassy, no boosted mids (as expected), and those "muddy" highs jazz players would adore.
Sonic evaluation: I rehearse through a paleolithic Twin Reverb and a Digitech GNX1. My guitar is an Epiphone G-400.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I don't really consider this pair of Burstbuckers to be unsuitable for any style. I'd like to see them installed in any archtop, they possess some natural depth in their sound that seems to be a perfect match for a hollow body.

Comments: To be honest, Burstbuckers #1 & #2 were not the cheapest option available. Quite the opposite, actually. For some reason, I did not want to mess with any other brand or begin a trip into active pickupology. The choice of a Gibson pair of humbuckers seemed rather logical. Why members of the same family would not work well together after all?
So, with 490R & 490T mostly in mind (as they are the industry standard for Gibson SGs), I visited the local distributor. I was already told by a couple of experienced fellow guitarists that Burstbuckers could provide a MUCH better sound for my guitar. 490s were not available, so I decided to go with Burstbuckers.
Thinking of my situation once more, I'd say I didn't really need sth that advanced. I mean, I've been playing my G-400 for seven years now, its stock pickups were noticably inferior to the stock pickups of any present day Epiphone, the way my guitar sounded had to be improved. I'm not a tone specialist, my ears don't have those "magical" abilities many Mister-Know-Alls are so proud of, so you're not reading the review of a guy who could tell a Burstbucker Pro from a SD Seth Lover with his eyes closed. This pair of humbuckers gives me more than I could ask for at this time. Practicing, rehearsing and some giging is definitely no big deal for these pickups. When it comes to recording 365 days a year or playing live in front of 100.000 people, go ask the specialists...

Pickup features: Passive assymetrically wound humbuckers. Nickel covers.
Impedence or other specs: 8.3 bridge, 7.6 neck.

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson '59 LP Historic.
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: N/A
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Classic/blues rock
Reason for pickup change: These were the stock pickups in the '59 Historic LP.
I removed them and installed a set of Wolfetone Grey Wolves since I think the Burstbuckers SUCK.

Perceived output level: Low/medium output.
Tone: Ho hum, lackluster. Somehow these pups manage to be bright and muddy at the same time.
Sonic evaluation: Gibson '59 Historic LP. '87 Marshall Silver Jubilee 50 watt 1 12" combo with celestion Vintage 30 12" speaker.
I had a Gibson Class 5 Les Paul a few years back with a Burstbucker 1 & 2 set, I didn't like them in that guitar, but since Gibson started using them in Historics, I had no choice but to give them another chance. Two big thumbs downs... (Bridge and neck.)
I find the regular '57 Classics to be far superior to Burstbuckers. Despite the Classics lower (around mid 7K range) DC resistance, they are louder that Burstbuckers, which I guess points up the fact that DC resistance ain't the whole story. The '57 Classics (I have a pair of those installed as original equipment in a different R9 I own) have a far better tone, too, much closer to a real (average) PAF. Yes, I've heard real PAFs...
I don't know how, but somehow these pickups manage to be bright and muddy at the same time. They muddy up considerably when you back down the guitars' volume control, which I HATE, since I work the volume control a lot to get a claem sound, as opposed to using an overdrive pedal. OK "woman tone" when tone control is rolled down. This could be due to the assymetrical wind, (supposed to yield a slightly single coil sound, at the cost of increased noise) screwy inductance, possibly.
Less detail and twang than '57 Classics or the Wolfetones that i replaced the Bursbuckers with.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Classic/blues rock. I don't think these pups are suitable for any style.

Comments: If they were stolen, I'd rejoice, provided they were insured!
Playing for 31 years.
I think a lot of people accept Burstbuckers as being better than '57 Classics simply because Gibson markets them as an upgrade. I say listen to the pickups and not to the hype.