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NGD - Traditional Pro II. And a question...


Chris Blaze

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Hello!

 

I purchased a gorgeous trad pro II in a champagne finish this past weekend. Everything about it was great--feel of the 60s neck is very fast and comfortable, love the tulip Grover locking tuners, push-push knobs are great, and the active boost is very usable.

 

My question is this: is there anybody else out there that has a trad pro II stock with a burstbucker 3 in the bridge? Every other online resource has it listed as a super 57 but GC listed it as a BB3. I just think this is peculiar. I would call Gibson to find out right now but I'm nowhere near my guitar (distance makes the heart grow fonder...) and I thought to reach out to this community as a resource.

 

Edit: Here be some pics--

wgur93.jpg

2ytrzmw.jpg

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Hello!

 

I would like to apologize for the lack of pics right now--will follow up as soon as possible!

 

I purchased a gorgeous trad pro II in a champagne finish this past weekend. Everything about it was great--feel of the 60s neck is very fast and comfortable, love the tulip Grover locking tuners, push-push knobs are great, and the active boost is very usable.

 

My question is this: is there anybody else out there that has a trad pro II stock with a burstbucker 3 in the bridge? Every other online resource has it listed as a super 57 but GC listed it as a BB3. I just think this is peculiar. I would call Gibson to find out right now but I'm nowhere near my guitar (distance makes the heart grow fonder...) and I thought to reach out to this community as a resource.

Yes I just bought 2 trad pro II's within the past 2months. The hang tag in guitar center said it had a burstbucker 3 in the bridge. I got it home and compared it to my other les Paul that has burstbucker 3 in the bridge, and they sounded nothing alike, so I emailed gibson and they confirmed it had a super 57 in the bridge, so I took it back to the store and they swapped out the pickup to a burstbucker 3 for me at no charge because the hang tag stated it had a burstbucker 3. Oddly enough the hang tags still a month later state they have burstbuckers in them.

I purchased a vintage burst and a champagne. Had the pickups swapped on both to burstbucker 3's.. If you want the burstbucker, make a stink with them and they will swap it out for you.

 

The original trad pro model did come with burstbucker 3's but the pro II does not, again I serial number confirmed this with gibson.

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GC exclusive maybe?

 

Yes, it is a GC exclusive, but I'm not sure that this pickup configuration is GC exclusive, even their website lists a Super '57 as the bridge pickup.

 

pwrmac7600, do you like the BB3 better than the Super '57?

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Guest Farnsbarns

Yes I just bought 2 trad pro II's within the past 2months. The hang tag in guitar center said it had a burstbucker 3 in the bridge. I got it home and compared it to my other les Paul that has burstbucker 3 in the bridge, and they sounded nothing alike, so I emailed gibson and they confirmed it had a super 57 in the bridge, so I took it back to the store and they swapped out the pickup to a burstbucker 3 for me at no charge because the hang tag stated it had a burstbucker 3. Oddly enough the hang tags still a month later state they have burstbuckers in them.

I purchased a vintage burst and a champagne. Had the pickups swapped on both to burstbucker 3's.. If you want the burstbucker, make a stink with them and they will swap it out for you.

 

The original trad pro model did come with burstbucker 3's but the pro II does not, again I serial number confirmed this with gibson.

 

Be aware that the burstbuckers sold aftemarket aren't the same as the ones fitted in factory with the latter having no wax potting.

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Be aware that the burstbuckers sold aftemarket aren't the same as the ones fitted in factory with the latter having no wax potting.

 

This I did not know. Interesting though as I never had issues with microphony on the BB's I had in my old Standard.

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Be aware that the burstbuckers sold aftemarket aren't the same as the ones fitted in factory with the latter having no wax potting.

Yes I am aware, I wanted potted. And actually I believe the ones that were in the trad pro originally were potted and 4 wire. I could be wrong, but either way I was looking for potted.

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Yes, it is a GC exclusive, but I'm not sure that this pickup configuration is GC exclusive, even their website lists a Super '57 as the bridge pickup.

 

pwrmac7600, do you like the BB3 better than the Super '57?

Much better, I use the bb3 in all of my les pauls because I love it so much, the super 57 was very loose in the low end, very flabby. The bb3 is much tighter.

I am telling you, if you want the bb3 go back to your guitar center, and look at the hang tags on the ones left in the store, you will see they all state that they have bb3's in them, but they do not, if they are 2013 models they have super 57's. When the tech did the swap I stood there to see what the pickup was marked as when he took it out and sure enough plain as day it stated super 57 on the bottom of the pick up. GC is using the info from the old version of the trad pro on their hang tags. So if you want a bb3 in your Paul take it back and make a stink, they will swap it for you. A far as the potting goes, I have bb in my les Paul standard that are not potted, and the potted bb3's sound great, to my ears the potting is not hurting the natural tone of the pickup at all. Now I am just debating swapping the 57 classic in the neck out to a bb2, not sure cause I do like the 57 in the neck position, it sounds nice, and well rounded.

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Yes, it is a GC exclusive, but I'm not sure that this pickup configuration is GC exclusive, even their website lists a Super '57 as the bridge pickup.

 

pwrmac7600, do you like the BB3 better than the Super '57?

 

...and a Guitarguitar UK exclusive...

 

http://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/electric_guitars_detail.asp?stock=13090510193488

 

"The Super '57 bridge pickup debuts in the Trad Pro with a wider frequency response and increased output."

 

Cheers... Bence

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pwrmac7600,

 

According to Gibson customer service, turns out it is a potted BB3. However, it's still suspicious that the provided spec sheet (by Gibson) mentioned push/pull pots and not push/push pots. Also, it failed to mention the active 10dB boost, which I'm sure it would mention since I know for a fact I've got it in there.

 

At any rate, I will take the pickup out to check it once I need to change the strings, which may be in the next week or two anyway.

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What year is it? You had Gibson check it by serial number? Yeah check the back of the pick up both of mine clearly were labeled as super 57's.

 

It's a 2013 model; can't imagine why every resource would list this model as having a super 57 but then this iteration have a BB3. I have a feeling GC was lazy and just grabbed spec's from the previous model and slapped it on here--even the guy working there said the boost pot was actually a phase switch, which isn't the case. However, the most peculiar part would be that the Gibson spec sheet corroborates the GC hang tag; only when I see the pickup itself will we ever know.

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so what did the hangtag in the store say, super 57 or BurstBucker?

In talking with the guys at my local guitar center, they said the only specs they have in their system is for the traditional pro, not the trad pro II, they notified corp, but like I said the ones that are in the store a month after my issue, still state they have burstbucker so when in fact they do not. I would be very, very surprised if you take that pickup out and it has a bb in it. I would just make sure you check it within the 30 return period, so at least you have a better fighting chance at getting them to swap it out if you want them to.

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so what did the hangtag in the store say, super 57 or BurstBucker?

In talking with the guys at my local guitar center, they said the only specs they have in their system is for the traditional pro, not the trad pro II, they notified corp, but like I said the ones that are in the store a month after my issue, still state they have burstbucker so when in fact they do not. I would be very, very surprised if you take that pickup out and it has a bb in it. I would just make sure you check it within the 30 return period, so at least you have a better fighting chance at getting them to swap it out if you want them to.

 

The hangtag said Classic '57 and Burstbucker III as the pickups in this guitar. I'll take it in after this upcoming holiday weekend, I'm eager to get to the bottom of this haha.

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The hangtag said Classic '57 and Burstbucker III as the pickups in this guitar. I'll take it in after this upcoming holiday weekend, I'm eager to get to the bottom of this haha.

Good luck, check back in I am curious to know what happens.

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Here are mine, both are Pre BB swap out. I have swapped out the top hats on both to speed knobs now, and In about a week they both go in to get new Tusq nuts put in as well as new Tonepros locking tuneomatics with graphtech saddles, and Tonepros locking studs for the tailpieces.

 

VintageBurst_zps4c9d461e.jpeg

Champagne_zps2b87fa82.jpeg

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Good luck, check back in I am curious to know what happens.

 

Lo and behold, it is a Super '57.

 

GC told me that in order to swap it I would have to get in touch with Gibson. I had customer service confirm by phone and email that this bridge pickup was supposed to be a bb3. I sent a follow-up email with a picture showing that it was in fact a Super '57 and the response I got was along the lines of, "oh, it's supposed to be a Super '57." We shall see how this will play out.

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Lo and behold, it is a Super '57.

 

GC told me that in order to swap it I would have to get in touch with Gibson. I had customer service confirm by phone and email that this bridge pickup was supposed to be a bb3. I sent a follow-up email with a picture showing that it was in fact a Super '57 and the response I got was along the lines of, "oh, it's supposed to be a Super '57." We shall see how this will play out.

 

When this happened to me, i walked them over and showed them the hang tags on the remaining trad pro II's and i said i specifically chose this model because it came with burstbuckers in it and now i find out it doesnt actually have a BB in it, i said your sales person even said yup it's got BB's in it, so this is your screw up not mine.

But you have to do it in person with the guitar with you, and you also have to make the threat to contact corp because this is not good business, and stress that all you are asking for is for them to give you what they told you that you were purchasing. and put a BB3 in the guitar.

so weird though because I literally walked into my local store and said this isn't what you sold me, and they got the manager and showed her the hang tag, and she said ok get a BB from the case and have the tech install it while he waits. they also notified corp of the discrepancy in the tags on the guitars.

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FWIW, GC didn't outright deny my request to the pickup swap, just wanted me to first reconcile it with Gibson. I still believe GC is willing to swap out at my request.

 

What bothers me is the response from Gibson, that after confirming that my pickup was a bb3, I nullify that by inspection and they go back and tell me, "specs can change at any time." You don't get sold a 500HP engine only to find it's 200HP later on (extreme and outrageous, but you see my point haha).

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Hello!

 

I purchased a gorgeous trad pro II in a champagne finish this past weekend. Everything about it was great--feel of the 60s neck is very fast and comfortable, love the tulip Grover locking tuners, push-push knobs are great, and the active boost is very usable.

 

My question is this: is there anybody else out there that has a trad pro II stock with a burstbucker 3 in the bridge? Every other online resource has it listed as a super 57 but GC listed it as a BB3. I just think this is peculiar. I would call Gibson to find out right now but I'm nowhere near my guitar (distance makes the heart grow fonder...) and I thought to reach out to this community as a resource.

 

Edit: Here be some pics--

wgur93.jpg

2ytrzmw.jpg

 

Are you happy with the way it sounds in the configuration you purchased it in? I would much prefer the BB3 in the bridge as opposed to the 57, but that's just my personal preference. Good luck, I hope you are able to get it resolved!!

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I wouldn't describe it as compressed but definetly to me it sounds tighter. The super 57 was just loose sounding to me.

 

 

When Gibson told you it had a BB in it, did they tell you that based on your serial number, or just you asking them what that model comes with? When i emailed gibson about mine, I gave them my serial number and they were able to reply back with complete specs on my specific guitar, and told me it was a super 57. If you gave gibson your serial number when you inquired originally with them, then they have no leg to stand on because the pickup wouldn't have been changed after the guitar was serialed and sent to guitar center.

But with that being said, It really is more of a guitar center issue, because I was told by my local guitar center that the problem is the sepcs they have listed in their computer system which prints the hang tags still has the specs of the original Trad Pro model, not the Pro II. The SM at my local guitar center bumped it up to corp and said that it started a whole email chain back and forth because what they are technically doing is false advertising.

 

By no means am I trying to convince you to take out the super 57, i made a big issue on mine because the BB3 was literally one of the things that made me gravitate toward the trad pro II model, because I favor this pickup after a long time of searching for "my tone". if you are happy with the 57 then keep it. because if GC does the swap they aren't going to give you the super 57 back, they are just going to swap it out, and keep your super 57. although I can tell you if you are not happy with the BB3 I have a brand new, less than 1 hour of playing time, super 57 I took out of my champagne trad pro II that I will happily trade you for it even up. just something to keep in mind.

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I will say that I am actually very satisfied with the sound--is the bb3 more tight and compressed than the super 57?

 

My first LP had a set of 57's, and I was a little disappointed in the way the bridge pickup sounded (57 in the neck, however, sounds great to me). My 2nd LP had a BB3/BB2 combo, and I thought the BB3 sounded great in the bridge. I guess it all depends on what sound you are looking for, type of music you play, etc. I currently have 2 LP's, one with a set of Joe Bonamassa Custom Shop pickups and the other has a set of Sheptones.

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