Gibson Burstbucker 3

Humbucking

I installed this in the bridge position of my 6th (!!!??!!) Fender Highway One HSS. I replaced the absolute crap factory humbucker with this.
I have it installed with 2 DiMarzio Area 61's.

Nice match...bridge doesn't overpower the singles.

All out ballsy old skool rock pickup.

I play Blues-Rock and this is PERFECT!!

I would absolutely replace it if broke/stolen!
I own 5 other Highway One HSS's and a few of them have Gibson Pickups in them. Gibson make some GOOD stuff!

Single coil or humbucking? Active or passive: Humbucker/ passive
Impedance or other specs:I don't know the output

its in a gibson les paul clssic
bridge posrition
I got the guitar with it
Its got a burstbucker 2 in the neck
hell I don't know about artist, I'm sure there is some where

I am using a fender princeton 112 Solid State, crate V16, and for recording I use line 6 gearbox and riffworks.
I think the tone on this pickup is a little ceramic sounding. I know its got alnico 2's, but with both the pickups on I get some amazing sounds.
I play rockabilly and this guitar is not for that purpose at all (in my opinion) just because of the higher mids

If destroyed it would probably be my fault so I would get a new pickup
I've been playin for about16 years, I hate the mids
I didn't choose this pickup but I am going to choose a different one
still searching thinking about a burstbucker pro
I don't like to bash equipment, this pickup it just not for me.

Humbucker if you are reading this then you probably know

I put this in the bridge of my Melody Maker which took some routing, the stock single coil was weak. The other pickup is a gibson single coil in the neck.

This pickup is badass, on my line 6 the lemon song preset makes me sound soooo close to page's sound. With a little more gain this pickup becomes atmospheric and it sounds like you have a bike pump attached to your tone, in other words the tone is huge. It even goes balls to the wall metal, for now my tone obsession is satisfied.

I had to route my guitar to fit it but it was totally worth it. This is a great upgrade for any guitar especially Gibsons, I have to go....

Well, it's a humbucker and they say it's got higher output than the 496 and less than the 500 (I doubt it)

This pickup came on my new Les Paul BFG, which I really enjoy for its originality and light weight (for a LP). It was installed at the bridge position and its height setup was perfect (I really caught a "good BFG" folks; some other guys weren't as lucky supposedly... )

Depending of what I play, I either plug into my '63 Fender Bassman or into my 1983 Marshall 2203 (Cdn edition). I can say this about this pickup, it sounds really good when played with a slight overdriven clean sound. Its tone is reminiscent of the PAF but with more gusto but, unfortunately, less articulation. And this same articulation fades away as soon as the overdrive or distortion takes over. My Charvel Model 4 with active circuitry doesn't have this problem even though its output probably matches the Gibson's BurstBucker. Also, with a distortion turned on, it sounds a little bit too dark if compared to my other guitars. All right, my screwed-on neck guitars (?? la Strat or Charvel) will undoubtedly sound clearer and more focused than a LP type 'o' guitar... However, I happen to have a Japanese-made Tokai Love Rock (better quality build than regular production Gibbys, my opinion...) with a DiMarzio SuperDistortion at the bridge. Even though this pickup is not the leader in articulateness when played at high gain, it still makes each notes more distinct than its Gibson counterpart... Result? Better use the Burstbucker with a clean setting (awesome with a Chorus..) or through a good quality overdrive at no more than 5 or 6 dialed in... This way, it will sound very well and cover most Classic rock or blues tunes I enjoy.

In the long run, I plan to switch this pup for something else. I, like most players, always end up being bored with a product whose sound is rated at 7 when new. So, knowing myself more than anybody else, I'll probably get tired of it in the long run. And since this guitar (LP BFG) has a chambered body, I'd like to try a PAF instead of the BurstBucker, I'm sure it would fall somewhere between a vintage LP sound and a semi-hollow, and it would surely complement greatly the P-90 which sits at the neck position (great pup by the way)

Humbucker - check the Gibbo site for specs

What model guitar or bass did you install this in? I live in Oz (Australia), and wanted to buy an Oz made electric - enter the Maton MS503
What position is it in? Bridge
What pickup are you replacing? Std Matons
Other pickups installed on the instrument? Std Maton neck pickups
Any artists using this pickup? ???
Reason for changing the pickup? As Maton are not known for their excellence in pickups, i didn't expect much. It had a switch to alternate from hummers to single coil - wasn't very useful, whenever you switch to singles the volume drops, dynamics change a little but not really worth using. It held up for a while, until my other guitarist bought an SG with hot pickups. Needed more power

What's the output level like? Supposedly hot, but I'm not convinced. Haven't put it up against the SG yet, I think the new SG's have the 490R / 490T setup. But according to the Gibbo pickup output guide, the burstbucker 3's are rated a smidgen higher. So I will be interested to see how it fairs.

What amps and effects are you using it with? I've got a Marshall JTM bluesbreaker combo re-issue, I run an MI Audio blue boy for heavier sounds and an Analogman Maxon od9 (silver mod) for breakup or to push the blue boy

Tone - Bassy, middy, muddy, trebly, balanced? Quite middy, and not as much bass as I was expecting, considering the bluesbreaker is a bassy amp, although still well versed / balance. Once you kick in the overdrives for lead sections, notes stay clear and thick. Great sustain, the Maton has a particularly heavy solid body construction, I'd say almost as heavy as a Les Paul. It's made from Australian tonewoods, so the characteristics are somewhat different from the USA made Les Pauls

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match? I play straight forward rock - AC/DC, You Am I, Jet, and probly as hard as Grinspoon (all Oz bands!), which is quite a good match for the crunchy type riff orientated stuff we play.

For which positions is this pickup (un)suitable? Probly most suited to the bridge - being a hotter pickup

If it was destroyed or stolen, would you buy it again or get something else? All depends on how it holds up against the before mentioned SG, and how well it cuts through the mix during a gig. Though I think it wouldn't have too much trouble doing that, unless it really impresses during those situations I would look at other alternatives if I were ever to lose this one

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own? Only been playing for about 12 years, no-where near as much as some of the guys on here. I don't have much gear, as I'm not a massive gear nut, I like my toys, but only the bare essentials. I've got the Marshall bluesbreaker and those 2 pedals (looking to purchase an MI Audio Crunch Box soon). My other guitar is a Gibson SG Pete Townsend signature model (w/ the P-90's). That's it, not much tap dancing required in our band, we just let the guitar and fingers do the talkin

What do you love about it? What do you hate? Even tho it didn't blow my mind or meet all my expectations , it still performed like a typical Gibbo pickup, which is what I was looking for. I can't say I hate it at all, it more than does its job.

Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one? I only compared different sound samples on the net, from the usual suspects DiMarzio and Duncans. I ended up with the gibbo's cos of the name more than anything and obviously cos of the user reviews on this site. I figured that most gibbo's come with pretty good stock pickups, so it would be a safe choice.

Anything you wish it had? Just a little bit more bottem end, but I may just need to tweek the rest of the set up. I usually use the SG w/ the P-90's as my main guitar, and generally has more bottem end due to the single coils - so everything else is set up to compensate.

Are you satisfied with this pickup or still searching for that sound?
Anything else you'd like to share? I am satisfied, the sounds in there, I just gotta give it more time to evolve. It's not un-useable, its mainly just a second guitar, so as long as it cuts thru it's a keeper. I would recommend it to anyone, it won't disappoint.

Pickup features: Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: 1980 Gibson SG Firebrand
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None. Bought the guitar without pickups
Other pickups on guitar: Seymour Duncan Fat Cat P90
Artists using this pickup: Don't know
You musical style(s): Alternative, Indie
Reason for pickup change: I bought a body with no hardware and put everything in myself as a project.

Perceived output level: The output on these pickups is hot as advertised. More so than the stock on my Les Pauls
Tone: Trebly and thin.
Sonic evaluation: My amp's a Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue. The guitar's a 1980 SG. I put this in with a smaller than stock capacitor and here's what I found - It's a very thin, fine sound. Almost as forgetable as the bridge p/u on my Strat USA Standard. Then I clicked on my fuzz pedal (Homebrew UFO) and was blown away. These p/u respond insanely nicely to fuzz. Less so to overdrive. But they have a snarl to them when fuzzy that absolutely hits on everything you would want out of an SG. Very Angus Young... I've heard that it feeds back at higher volumes, I haven't gigged with it yet, so I don't know.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play all over the map, from classic rock to metal to alternative to indie etc. This p/u for my SG gets a very specific tone. But then an SG itself also gets a very specific tone. Go listen to "Thunderstruck." If you want that raw, driving, shrill, lead sound, then it's a good buy. I wouldn't use it in the neck position...

Comments: It's a cool p/u. I put a P90 in the neck to give the guitar a wider range of sound options. I think it's a good combo. One problem I've noticed is that the P90 is louder than the Burstbucker even after I made several adjustments to compensate. I wouldn't buy this if I only had one guitar to play, but it's a cool option to have if you have several in your collection. It's got a thin, nasty tone, that's fun to bring out from time to time. I've been playing for 14 years and I own a variety of guitars. I think I'll keep this p/u in my SG for a while since it does seem to hit on what that guitar's all about.

Pickup features:
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: '90 Gibson Les Paul Studio
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: Seymore Duncan Pearly Gates (neck)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): Rock (many genres of rock from heavy to twangy)
Reason for pickup change: I felt in needed to do something which would give me a more diverse sound in the studion but not compramise the live sound of the guitar.

Perceived output level: Excellent gain. Being modeled after the classic 58 or 59 humbucker it lives up to the hype.
Tone: Full tone.
Sonic evaluation: I play through a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL 401. This pickup goes great with the EL84's and the Les Paul/Marshall combo is great.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Rock/Reggae/Metal/Punk

Comments: This pickup has imbedded itself in my soul and has become quintessential to my style and ear.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Don't Know

Model of guitar or bass: Gibson SG Special (1991)
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Gibson 490T
Other pickups on guitar: Gibson 490R/Burstbucker 2
Artists using this pickup: Couldn't care less
You musical style(s): Mostly rock
Reason for pickup change: The 490T was old and needed changed. The previous owner appeared to sweat acid so it was in a bit of a state.

Perceived output level: More than the Gibson 490T, not as much as the Gibson 500T
Tone: Very muddy with a nasty middle spike
Sonic evaluation: Gibson SG Special with a Mesa F-30. As I said in the notes on the Burstbucker 2 it may be the pickups (being of a vintage disposition) didn't like the tone of the amp. Either way I didn't like the pickups. This pickup in the bridge sounded worse than the Burstbucker 2 in the neck.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Some clean, some rock, some metal

Comments: I've already got rid of this and the Burstbucker 2 that went in the the neck position at the same time. The Burstbuckers give a very distinct tone, especially in the mid frequencies, which just didn't sound good through my setup or to my ears. I was actually quite disappointed. I replaced them with Bareknuckle Mules which are excellent.

Pickup features: Passive humbucker, Alnico II, non-potted, gold cover
Impedence or other specs: a gazillion megaohms....no, really...I don't have a clue.

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone Les Paul Limited Edition
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: stock
Other pickups on guitar: stock...'bout to be replaced by a #2
Artists using this pickup: me....
You musical style(s): new rock, blues,
Reason for pickup change: Chasing that never-ending quest for tone. The stock pickups didn't cut through in a live mix very good, and were too tinny sounding.

Perceived output level: a bit more than stock...not as hot as an EMG 81, but not as crappy either.
Tone: well balanced...very well.....
Sonic evaluation: I'm using this configuration thru a '96 Mesa Dual Rectifier, and the tone is just killer. Even though it's not wax potted, I don't have a problem with feedback. I play fairly loud, and the only time that I get uncontrollable feedback is when I step within two feet of my amp, but most of the time I'm at least five feet away. I can get a nice controlled feedback very easily, and harmonics are very easy to get. It's not too trebly, not too bassy, and doesn't overwhelm one with mids. A very, very nice blend of even tones.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play new rock, along the lines of Nickelback, Smile Empty Soul, Three Days Grace...etc. A very good pickup for this kind of music.

Comments: This is definately the best pickup I've had in a guitar yet. Seymour Duncan's are overrated. I'd definately get another if something happened to this one. I'm satisfied for right now, but I'm sure down the road the quest for tone will haunt me again.

Pickup features: Alnico II- vintage, passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs: Unsure

Model of guitar or bass: Epiphone G-400
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock Alnico V
Other pickups on guitar: Burstbucker (warm)
Artists using this pickup: um...
You musical style(s): Metal and blues
Reason for pickup change: Stocks are not so great.

Perceived output level: Hot enough for nearly all metal. But is not the ice pick hot of EMG 81. Thus a better, fuller sound.
Tone: Very balanced.
Sonic evaluation: I use a hughes & Kettner blue edition 30 watt amp.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play metal mostly. Loads of Sabbath and this pickup is much better than the Iommi signature. I also play blues and it is great for that as well. This pickup would fit both bridge and or neck without a big problem.

Comments: This is honestly the best pickup I have ever heard or played. It is a vintage deal and I was a little nervous about it not being wax potted. But I don't play high volume stuff so it remains very quiet for me. I can get pinch harmonics, squeels, and wanted feedback from it easily. The riffs pour out of it.
My only complaint...they made it so vintage that is doesn't have four conductor wiring so I spent two hours trying out wiring combos to see what worked for me. Worth it though.