ProdigPaul Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I bought a pair of Gibson pickups to replace the stock ones in my Les Paul. I bought them used as a pair. They are labelled: 57 Classic – Wound by PS – 860-31426-L – 6/29/2013 57+ = Wound by PS - 860-31427-L – 9/4/2013 The Classic measures 8.17K ohms - The Gibson product page says these are 7.5 K-ohms. The Classic + measures 8.05K ohms - The Gibson product page says these are 8.3 K-ohms. What do you suppose I have here? I would expect the + to have a higher resistance. Also, I don't know if the deviations from published values I see are expected. Thanks! -Mote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Searcy Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 What was the ambient temperature in the room where you were reading the resistance of the pickups? This is a big factor for getting accurate reading from a pickup. Also the resistance will be different from one meter to the next. Unless the difference is big which this one really isn't I wouldn't worry about it. If it bugs ya you can put the 57+ in the neck position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 What was the ambient temperature in the room where you were reading the resistance of the pickups? The only thing that really matters here is the comparison between the two pickups, and where to place each one in order to get the best performance out of the guitar, in other words, a "subjective" comparison. The actual measurements (or advertised specs) are meaningless. I'm sure the "ambient temperature" did not change drastically in the 30 seconds it took to switch the test leads from one pickup to the other, so for all intents and purposes, the temperature would be described scientifically as a "constant" (regardless of what it was). If you want to get technical about the accuracy of the measurements, and an "objective" comparison, my questions would be "what type of meter were you using, a free giveaway meter from Harbor Freight, or a calibrated lab meter?" "Did you "zero" the meter before taking your readings?" "Were the pickups connected to the pots at time of measurement?" Blah, blah, blah. But, as I said, in the "real world" of practical application none of this really matters. When the Classic and Classic+ pickups first came out, the only labeling difference was a foil sticker tab wrapped around the lead wire. It could simply have come off and you really have two "+" pickups. To The OP: I would simply install the pickup with the higher resistance in the bridge position regardless of what the label says, and enjoy the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProdigPaul Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 I measured them unsoldered from the controls, in a 70 degree room with an uncalibrated digital multi-meter from Home Depot. Even if the readings aren't from a calibrated lab instrument, I'm sure they are close, and they for sure show the relationship between the two. I called Gibson to discuss. They said there are variations in resistance, but for sure, a set installed on a new instrument, or a set sold new would not be this way - They would always have the Plus pickup be a little hotter. My conclusion is that I simply got a mis-matched pair (the dates on the stickers support this). my solution was to get another '57 Classic Plus - This one measures 8.7K ohms (on my meter in that same room). So I installed it, and will enjoy the guitar! I have to say I really am digging these pickups in my Standard - The tone seems so pure and perfect for my ears. Thanks all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 Glad everything worked out for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecram Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 Those classic 57 are great. My LP studio came with these and stay in. I love em! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zentar Posted October 3, 2016 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Bump I have a similar pair with the same numerical designations and paf applied for sticker. They say they are 57 and 57+. I bought them used. They do not have "Gibson" stamped on them. I am curious if they are Gibson Classic 57s as they were advertised. Epi makes a set of 57 Classics. These are the lightest humbuckers Ive held by Gibson. THEY MEASURE 8.2KO AND 7.98KO Is there any way to know these are Gibson made for sure? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG Champagne Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 How timely! My 61 LP/SG Custom Re-issue is right now at the Gibson Restoration and Repair shop. They just sent me a bill including the three ohm readings of the three Classic 57 pups. The Custom Shop guitar was made in 1999 before Gibson had the Classic 57 +, so these readings are all 57 Classic pups. NECK 8.01 OHMS MIDDLE 8.28 OHMS BRIDGE 8.29 OHMS With this hard evidence, we can conclude that the readings on your pups absolutely do not rule out that they are in fact Gibson Classic 57s Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted October 6, 2016 Share Posted October 6, 2016 How timely! My 61 LP/SG Custom Re-issue is right now at the Gibson Restoration and Repair shop. They just sent me a bill including the three ohm readings of the three Classic 57 pups. The Custom Shop guitar was made in 1999 before Gibson had the Classic 57 +, so these readings are all 57 Classic pups. NECK 8.01 OHMS MIDDLE 8.28 OHMS BRIDGE 8.29 OHMS With this hard evidence, we can conclude that the readings on your pups absolutely do not rule out that they are in fact Gibson Classic 57s Hello SG Champagne, welcome to this board! You joined some years ago, long before I did, and this seems to be your first post. Nice to meet you! What happened to your SG that she needs a repair shop? Hopefully nothing serious... :unsure: You're right on the DC resistance topic. Tolerances in wire gauges and effective wire lengths used to achieve the number of winding turns may cause deviations in resistance. In your case 8.29 kOhms are just 3.5% more than 8.01 kOhms, nothing to give it a second thought. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SG Champagne Posted January 13, 2017 Share Posted January 13, 2017 Hello SG Champagne, welcome to this board! You joined some years ago, long before I did, and this seems to be your first post. Nice to meet you! What happened to your SG that she needs a repair shop? Hopefully nothing serious... :unsure: You're right on the DC resistance topic. Tolerances in wire gauges and effective wire lengths used to achieve the number of winding turns may cause deviations in resistance. In your case 8.29 kOhms are just 3.5% more than 8.01 kOhms, nothing to give it a second thought. :) Pardon my long absence. But, this topic is very timeless, so, a bit of an absence is not a big deal. Nothing happened to the SG. I bought it used during the summer of 2016 and it needed new tuners and a new bridge. The old ones simply wore out. The tuners in particular are the Klusons with the plastic knobs, just like they were in 1961, but, this style of tuner doesn't last forever. The guitar was made in 1999, so, these parts were somewhat aged. What is NOT aged are the Classic '57 pickups! They were made in 1999, and they are now almost 18 years old. Let's see now, the humbuckers made in 1959 were 18 years old in 1977. WOW! I wonder if MY 18 year old humbuckers are sounding vintage aged right now like the real ones sounded in 1977 ! I hope that other owners of the Classic '57 pups that are at least 15 years old can share their Ohm measurements in this thread. That would be great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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