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Burstbuckers or 57 Classics for Gibson Explorer?

GibsonExplorer

By GibsonExplorer
in Gibson USA

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GibsonExplorer

GibsonExplorer

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I'm redoing my rig from the ground up. I'm considering changing the pickups out in my Gibson Explorer. I'm in between the 57 Classic Plus and Burstbuckers. Help is greatly appreciated!

 

Here's what I have and what I'm after- I play through an Orange Tiny Terror head and I'm getting an Orange 412 soon. Right now, I'm using an Avatar 412. I play post-hardcore/mathrock/psychadelic rock.

 

The sound I'm after is similar to the tone of The Fall of Troy's "Phantom of the Horizon" EP. Listen to the intro to "Chapter V: The Walls Bled Lust" and the track "Chapter IV: Enter The Black Demon". That almost crunchy sound with plenty of mids and a little growl. Ohhhh yeah [blush]

 

I'm looking for something that has enough output to let me get some of the mid/high gain tones out of my Tiny Terror. With my 500t, I run the gain at 7 and the volume at 5.... I want a tone of clarity and TONE.

 

Thanks ahead of time!

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CaptainNemo68

CaptainNemo68

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A '57 classic plus is going to sound a lot cleaner and sweeter than that 500T you have. It will have excellent tone and clarity. A burstbucker will have more of an airy sound and possibly slightly dirtier than the '57 classic. As a great all around pickup the '57 classic is hard to beat due to it's even sound. But it all depends on what you want[thumbup]

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GibsonExplorer

GibsonExplorer

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Most excellent! I'm guessing it'll still get high gain tones with my Orange Tiny Terror. With my 500t, I have the gain at 7 and the volume at 5. If I bump up the gain (with the 57 Classic Plus), i guess it'll be pretty close to the same amount of distortion, just more articulate, clean, and even tone. If what I just said is true, goodbye ceramics.

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Hydra26

Hydra26

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First time I got to try out 57's in an exp was when i got that gotw one with the vibrola. That running through my marshall is my perfect tone. Ever.

So much so I bought a second exp pro expressly to swap out the pups. In a review I posted on another site a while ago, I liken it to if the 496/500T is a smokin' flamethrower, the 57/57+ set turn it into a howitzer. That was pretty much the sensation I got playig them side by side. I haven't tried the BB's yet, but the 57's were much much more articulate and had a fuller, punchier sound that was quite startling a contrast to me.

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Dub-T-123

Dub-T-123

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I hate the 496r and 500t. They suck IMO.

 

I love the '57 Classics. They are so sweet and clear sounding. They sound perfect from crystal clear clean to face melting distortion. Seriously... They're great pickups.

 

I also love the Burstbuckers. I have a BB3 in the bridge position of my SG and it sounds amazing. It's a great pickup. I think it has a more open tone and gets nice harmonic feedback more easily because it isn't wax potted.

 

You can't really go wrong with either. Both are great pickups. Try and decide which suits you best and go for it. They WILL make your Explorer a better guitar.

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  • 2 months later...
Piro

Piro

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I have Burstbuckers in my geckoburst lp........really great pups. I agree with the overall opinion that they have a open, airy tone. My LP has replaced my Explorer as my main guitar because of this. I have '57's in my SG standard. The 57's are great as well, very "classic", even tone for each string, and I have noticed a really great low end response with these pups.

 

I'm not really understanding the lack of love some of you guys are expressing for the 500's. I have 2 Explorers, and 1 V with these pups and they sound great. I have also put these pups in a few guitars that I have bought over the years as replacements.....they never fail me.

 

I also play in a complex, psychedelic band; and ALL we use are complex chords, and I have never had an issue with clarity with these pups going through my Marshalls......but I do agree that 57's, or burstbuckers will open the Explorer up to new tonal possibilities.

 

Keep us informed when you make your choice, and do the switch.

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  • 2 weeks later...
GibsonExplorer

GibsonExplorer

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Well, what I don't like about the ceramics is how hot they are. I want my amp to take care of the overdrive and get the fullest, cleanest signal going to the input. I heard setting up this way has a lot more clarity, and sounds a little fuller. I'm also not looking for that hot, saturated sound the 500t possesses.

 

I haven't upgraded yet, I bought my 57 Classic for the neck, but my local shop is still waiting (3 WEEKS!) for my 57 Classic Plus. I think I'm gonna say "screw yall" and order elsewhere off the internet myself. I better get a discount. They told me it would take 5 days to get it hahaha.

 

I'm actually taking a look at the Burstbucker Pro for the bridge also though, so I'm thinking about making a trip to a local shop and trying some guitars fitted with the BB Pro and compare them to the 57 Classic Plus.

 

My Explorer is solid mahogany, so the tone is full and darker than a maple topped guitar. I've heard these BBs are brighter and more aggressive (some say harsher), so would that possibly brighten the tone up a bit? That's my guess. I also play with a dark amp (Orange Tiny Terror) so I guess a BB in the bridge couldnt get too overly bright. I've actually heard the 57 Classic in the neck and the Burstbucker Pro in the bridge is a good combination. It seems fine to me, an aggressive bridge and a smooth, full neck and both are alnico PAF designs.

 

Any thoughts? Anybody try burstbuckers in an Explorer or any solid mahogany guitar?

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  • 4 weeks later...
Hydra26

Hydra26

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haven't played around with the dirty fingers yet. I'm not much of a modder by nature. I found with the 500t set I could get a nice bite to them by dropping them a bit to lower the output and it was a decent tone, but I liked the mids on the 57's better once I tried them.

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ics1974

ics1974

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Original Dirty Finger's are going back in all my e/2's. I prefer them over any other pup. Ball crushing tone and crunch' date=' clean up decent with a slight rollback on the volume

 

[/quote']

 

This is exactly how I feel with the 496R/500T. I absolutely love the ball crushing crunch tones, but at first I didn't like the clean tones as they were too harsh. I found out later that if I rollback the volume to about 6 or 7 then I get a very nice clean tone that is not harsh.

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  • 6 years later...
MP-5 k

MP-5 k

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I have Burstbucker Pros in my Explorer and they sound awesome. 57 Classics in my SG are fantastic too and I sometimes wonder how they would sound in my Explorer but both guitars sound so sweet I don't mess with it. I like the Tiny Terror and it can be fun at low volumes but if you want to REALLY step up to a WAAAY better sound for a few bucks more you can get into an ORANGE OR15. I did and I can't believe how much better it sounds. It sounds incredible even at really low volumes. The 57s sound perfect to my ears and very articulate through the OR.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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