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Duane Allman Slide Tones '57 or BB2


bluezguy

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Hey .. I gots me Burstbucker Pros in my 2003 LP Standard ... luv 'em! BUTT ... I just bought me a new ES-335 with the '57 Classics ... luv 'em more. The history on Duane Allman tells us about his useage of '57 & '59 humbuckers in his LPs.

 

I'm confused! Burstbucker Pros are a 'PAF' style pup. 57 Classics are a 'PAF' style pup ... they both have the same 'Patent Applied For' sticker on them. I understand the tone comes from the player etc ... been playin' pro for decades ... BUTTT, any assistance or info that I haven't already discovered would help.

 

My amp is a Marshall 50W VM which is a close takeoff of the Plexi used in Allmans work for the most part. What about Burstbucker 2s with Alnico2 magnets. The BBPs have Alnico5 and the 57 Classic sport Alnico2s .... Gibson's articles on these pups is great but it really does not distinguish between the audible differences [huh]

 

I guess I'm asking anybody who 'slides' and tries to cover Allman Bros. music Duane/Dickie era.

 

Thanks

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Gibson PAF replica pickups are all gonna get you in the ballpark. It's up to the player to step up to the plate and hit a home run.

 

I can promise you that stock Burstbucker Pros won't. Before I go stuffing Alnico 2 magnets into these BB Pros, I'm gonna mess with pots and caps. What value of caps did the 57, 58, 59 LPs use (.022s)? Do we know 'Bumblebee' for sure came out of the factory? Were the pots 500k?

 

Some have said BB1 / BB2 combos ... I don't know ... when I listen to the likes of Mike Bloomfield and other Blues dudes back then, those tones make me thinks the 57 Classics would be best. Now, I know some of you will chime in about other manufacturers of pups - I'm talking about staying within the realm of Gibson product.

 

Any body have a matched set of 57s they don't like??? I'd be willing to trade to try my 490R and 498T right out of my 2005 SG Standard.

 

 

 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Swapping pots and caps may be a good idea but are not going to get you much closer to your Duane tone. When you do swap. look at the 500 ohm RS Super pots and find some NOS Russian paper in oil caps. About the closest to vintage bumblebees you can find cheaply. Check out the K40Y-9 0.022uf 400v Russian caps.

 

The Burstbucker Pros are a huge impedance difference to the 57 Classic and Burstbucker 1 & 2. Being as "hot" as the Pros are, they are difficult to dial into a Duane tone if you can at all. The Burstbucker 1 & 2 or 57 classics should be easier to approach the Duane tones. Kind of think of Pros as metal and BB1&2 & Classics as blues and rock. The Pros are usually around the 15 ohm range where the BB & Classics are around the 8 ohm range as were the vintage PAFs. Huge difference for tone. I still prefer Classics over all the other Gibson pickups and specify them in the guitars I have custom ordered. There are plenty of pickup makers out there that will tell you they have the Duane tone, but it is a mix of the pickups, your guitar, your pedals and you amp. Mostly your equipment and not so much their pickups. If you have the BB's or Classics, try them instead of the Pros and before spending any big money on some designer pickups. If I was looking to spend some big bucks on pickups though, I would research it to death. Lollars, Duncans, DiMarrzio, Sheptone, and Throbacks to name a few. (there are more and I am not intentionally leaving them out, just a brain malfunction).. After you have tried your BB & Classics, look at the the web sites for Throbaks and Sheptones.

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  • 1 month later...
The Burstbucker Pros are a huge impedance difference to the 57 Classic and Burstbucker 1 & 2. Being as "hot" as the Pros are, they are difficult to dial into a Duane tone if you can at all. The Burstbucker 1 & 2 or 57 classics should be easier to approach the Duane tones. Kind of think of Pros as metal and BB1&2 & Classics as blues and rock. The Pros are usually around the 15 ohm range where the BB & Classics are around the 8 ohm range as were the vintage PAFs. Huge difference for tone.

 

I totally agree with you, you really won't get it with the PROs.

 

I'm going to gently correct you on the term ohm. I think what you mean is kilo-ohms, or k, but everyone knows what you are saying.

 

 

To me Gibson pickups are really straight forward.

 

The BB2 is about the same as a '57. The BB3 is about the same ohmage as a '57 classic plus. The BB#1 is relatively speaking underwound. The BB Pro Neck/Bridge is the same as the BB#1/#2 but using Alnico 5 magnets instead of Alnico 2. Where you are getting 15k from I don't know, but the only Gibson pickup with that ohmage is the 500T or Dirtyfingers. The 498T is about 13.5k with Alnico 5. Burstbuckers come as #1/#2 with either Alnico 2 or 5, and as BB#3 only with Alnico 2 magnets.

 

Burstbuckers and '57 classics have enamel coated wire, the 490R/498T 496R/500T have polysol covered wire.

 

The pickups closest to the PAF pickups from 57-62 are the Burstbuckers. The '57 classics are like they made from 1963 onwards with a set number of turns per coil. SO some of the confusion comes from the name '57 classic. The reality is that the BB's are the real '57 classics, the '57 classics themselves are quite a boring pickup as was made from 1963 onwards.

 

Duane tone to me would be BB#1/#2/#3, or '57 classics with the amp set right. You can hear it in the sound, it's got that mid rich laid back bass sound that AlNico 2 gives you.

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