57 Les Paul Custom 3 Pickup Bigsby

[eddalejr]

I have a 57 reissue 3 pickup w/ Bigsby and was told that these were supposed to have Burstbucker pickups. Just took mine apart and found out it has 57's in it. Anybody else see this before?

[BobF_]

My 2 pup no bigsby '57 RI has '57s in it. Mines a '99 though.

 

Why wouldn't a '57 RI have '57 pups?

[btoth76]

Because the specs say so. Those are Burstbuckers.

 

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/Les-Paul/Gibson-Custom/1957-Les-Paul-Custom-3-PU-VOS/Features.aspx

 

Cheers... Bence

[BobF_]

I'm beginning to think that Burstbuckers are '57s with a new name.

[btoth76]

Hehe! I guess there were the '57s first. They supposed to be the P.A.F. replicas. Then came the different variations of the original P.A.F.s: overwound, underwound, etc. Hence the Burstbucker family. Cheers... Bence

[BobF_]

I remember the write-up when mine was current. The bit about the fidelity of the pups could be a cut/paste to the write-up at the link you provided :-)

 

 

Here's a quiz. If BurstBuckers are true to '57 PAFs, what are 57 Classics true to?

 

Gotta' love the marketeers!!

 

 

 

 

 

[btoth76]

Yes...Your question is on-spot. According to Gibson: the quality of original P.A.F.s were inconsistent. Hence the variations of the replicas...

[TomV]

My 2008 57 LPC RI (2-pups) has Classic 57s too.

I´ve read from quite a few owners the same.

So no matter what specs on Gibson page say, the 57s seem to be found in LPC RIs

- sometimes (or maybe often ?).

 

As for the difference between Burstbuckers and 57 - should be difference in balanced (57)

versus unbalanced (BB) windings on bobbins, which should result in smoother tone of 57s ...

I dont know - they both sound like crap to me .. maybe without the wax potting

it would be different story.

Gotta yank the remaining ones (LPC,355) out ASAP.

[BobF_]

I LIKE the sound of the pups in mine. They weren't called '57 Classic' then. 'PAF' was the term that had all of the emphasis.

 

Anyway, I really like 'em and have no desire to change them out.

[TomV]

I LIKE the sound of the pups in mine. They weren't called '57 Classic' then. 'PAF' was the term that had all of the emphasis.

Anyway, I really like 'em and have no desire to change them out.

 

 

Yes, they changed during the years (for worse):

 

quote from other forum:

 

"...57 Classics are a run-of-the-mill p'ups, which since thay were introduced in the '90s modeled by Tom Holms after his own recipe, they never made it to the original specs and they've been cheaped-out and dumbed-down several times along the years.

 

I wouldn't use'em in any of my guitars, unless is a set from early to mid '90s, time when they were still using the closest to spec available materials, including excellent american-made A2 magnets and real Plain Enamel wire.

 

Nowadays they use poly wire that's been dyed to LOOK like PE. "

 

I´d add that it is the same with 490/498s : when you compare the early 90s ones with current, it is a different

pickup. I could not take the new ones out from SG fast enough, but I really like them in both my 90s Les Pauls.. in fact, much more than current 57Classics or Burstbuckers.. again, most likely better magnet + wire was used then.