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what was Gibson thinking when they designed the Burstbuckers ?

Dr. Green

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Back then it was de rigueur to change lots of things on your historic(early to mid 2000s). There were pups such as Wolfetone, Rolphs, Goodwoods, the aforementioned Timbuckers and SD Antiquites that were regularly talked about. Gibson even had PAF decals on their '57 Classics(the pre BB pups)to confuse things...........me anyway :LOL:
and how many people do you remember saying " nope - the Rolphs did not do it for me I went back to the Burstbuckers " ???

are these guys any good or are do they suck ?????

 
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goldtop0

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and how many people do you remember saying " nope - the Rolphs did not do it for me I went back to the Burstbuckers " ???

are these guys any good or are do they suck ?????


Those guys can play alright..........also check out if you haven't already Josh Smith and Jack Pearson.
With the BBs it's like anything isn't it, it's subjective, but to my mind they are the least talked about pups over the years.
 

Wilko

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I get that tone is subjective and all that. I've owned PAFs and 50s Les Pauls. Whatever.

IMNSHO, since i've been on t his forum for 20 years MOST players who bitch about ANYTHNG (burstbuckkers, true bypass, etc.) can't geet good tone to save their lives. There is nothing wrong with burstbuckers. They sound glassy and clear. They get all the classic sound one could need.
 

Dr. Green

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I get that tone is subjective and all that. I've owned PAFs and 50s Les Pauls. Whatever.

IMNSHO, since i've been on t his forum for 20 years MOST players who bitch about ANYTHNG (burstbuckkers, true bypass, etc.) can't geet good tone to save their lives. There is nothing wrong with burstbuckers. They sound glassy and clear. They get all the classic sound one could need.

interesting point ,,,, its not like this solo would have been any less insane had he used BB'S

 

Big Al

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Those guys can play alright..........also check out if you haven't already Josh Smith and Jack Pearson.
With the BBs it's like anything isn't it, it's subjective, but to my mind they are the least talked about pups over the years.
You were around here when they came out. Have you forgotten all the posts about how perfect and wonderful they were? All the CC models that had them???? Seems they were even compared to pafs directly by members with both, iirc. Sound familure???

Wilko nailed it and I'll add this, damn few could ID them in a blindfold listening. As to what Gibson was thinking??? They were making an authentic sounding paf in several varieties, just like and as good as any. Everyone has a favorite and some just have to have expensive, unobtainium magic elf wound pickups to feel fulfilled. The big problem is one of contempt for anything familar. It's frankly laughable. My half dead ass, crippled beat up old hands and ears have no problem dialing up killer tone with ANY Gibson paf type pickup made. It ain't hard.
 

El Gringo

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You were around here when they came out. Have you forgotten all the posts about how perfect and wonderful they were? All the CC models that had them???? Seems they were even compared to pafs directly by members with both, iirc. Sound familure???

Wilko nailed it and I'll add this, damn few could ID them in a blindfold listening. As to what Gibson was thinking??? They were making an authentic sounding paf in several varieties, just like and as good as any. Everyone has a favorite and some just have to have expensive, unobtainium magic elf wound pickups to feel fulfilled. The big problem is one of contempt for anything familar. It's frankly laughable. My half dead ass, crippled beat up old hands and ears have no problem dialing up killer tone with ANY Gibson paf type pickup made. It ain't hard.
True , but instead of taking time and energy away from playing wouldn't it be better if you had a pickup that was ready to go and plug and play and focus on the playing and the notes ? Instead of energy used on dialing them in ? I know some enjoy dialing tone in , but to me it's tedious .
 

CK6

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True , but instead of taking time and energy away from playing wouldn't it be better if you had a pickup that was ready to go and plug and play and focus on the playing and the notes ? Instead of energy used on dialing them in ? I know some enjoy dialing tone in , but to me it's tedious .
Like Al said “it ain’t hard”.

Maybe its easier for some, but it comes down to the player at the end of the day.
 

Dr. Green

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well if we are going to use this argument that the pups / guitar or amp is not what makes you a great player what's the point of the forum ?

its like a digital camera forum where someone thinks they have a unique and brilliant insight and makes the statement " the camera does not make the photographer great -its the persons skill"

everyone knows that - but its a camera equipment forum its specifically there to talk about cameras

how many dealers did you hear complaining when Gibson switched to the Custom buckers ?

how many folks came on this forum stating that Gibson had made a big mistake with the custom buckers ?

heck you could make the argument that a monster player can make an few hundred dollar Epiphone les paul sound amazing and why pay the money for a historic ?
 
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CK6

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well if we are going to use this argument that the pups / guitar or amp is not what makes you a great player what's the point of the forum ?

its like a digital camera forum where someone thinks they have a unique and brilliant insight and makes the statement " the camera does not make the photographer great -its the persons skill"

everyone knows that - but its a camera equipment forum its specifically there to talk about cameras

how many dealers did you hear complaining when Gibson switched to the Custom buckers ?

how many folks came on this forum stating that Gibson had made a big mistake with the custom buckers ?

heck you could make the argument that a monster player can make an few hundred dollar Epiphone les paul sound amazing and why pay the money for a historic ?

Enjoy your Lollars and Custombuckers. Whatever works for you to get a tone that you’re happy with.

Peace
 

El Gringo

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Like Al said “it ain’t hard”.

Maybe its easier for some, but it comes down to the player at the end of the day.
To each there own . I prefer concentrating on my playing which is hard enough and a challenge ( which is what it's all about for me ) versus wasting time on tedious matters .
 

mjross

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I have Burstbuckers in my “70’s” Walnut 335 and I really dig them! For me, it depends on the guitar.
 

Dr. Green

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I am startled

it seems the premise of my OP has been universally rejected by the forum

nobody seems to think that the custom buckers were a dramatic improvement over the Burstbuckers which I thought were poorly designed but actually appear to be loved !

others believe that in the end it does not even matter if you are a monster player

live and learn
 

El Gringo

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after having a Historics with both Lollars and Custombuckers I wonder how Gibosn let the Burst Buckers pass thru to production - to my ears they sound really bad .... with both the un waxed low wind Lollar Imerials and the stock Custom buckers blowing them out of the water

what were they thinking ?
To answer your question as I have played both . I believe the Burst Buckers were better for me , except for the dreaded squealing which was unbearable for me . They actually had a nice tone ( 1 & 3 ) , versus the Custombuckers , which to my ears were nice but very weak . This is the reason why I love ThroBak www.throbak.com
 

Dr. Green

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this thread has run its course and come to its logical conclusion

I shall leave you with a musical outro

 

goldtop0

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You were around here when they came out. Have you forgotten all the posts about how perfect and wonderful they were? All the CC models that had them???? Seems they were even compared to pafs directly by members with both, iirc. Sound familure???

Wilko nailed it and I'll add this, damn few could ID them in a blindfold listening. As to what Gibson was thinking??? They were making an authentic sounding paf in several varieties, just like and as good as any. Everyone has a favorite and some just have to have expensive, unobtainium magic elf wound pickups to feel fulfilled. The big problem is one of contempt for anything familar. It's frankly laughable. My half dead ass, crippled beat up old hands and ears have no problem dialing up killer tone with ANY Gibson paf type pickup made. It ain't hard.

Yes Al I joined up here in '03 on the hunt for a good historic which a lot of guys including yourself helped me with thanks............my first real foray into the Gibson world in a semi informed way............a big learning curve for sure thanks to the help of the internet.
A lot of the talk/posts/threads in those days here was about changing your historics, nut, caps etc and Timbuckers, Rolphs, Holmes and some others were the most talked about pups as I remember.
I'd heard about Burstbuckers from the Gibson agent here in NZ in '02 that they were the latest and the greatest. However when I got my R0 in late '03 I already had in mind that I wanted to go the whole hog and find some PAFs and ordered a set of Timbuckers as you and others said you'd changed to them from PAFs.
When I put the Tims in my R0 that was the best fit for me with the PAFs and BBs not in the hunt. Funnily enough some T-Tops fitted well also.
And on it goes.
 
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jrgtr42

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I have B|urstbuckers in my '02 Standard. IIRC that was the first year they introrduced them.
I really like them; I haven't had any urge to change them out in the 19 years I;ve had the guitar.
I much prefer them to the 490/498 combo that was in the standards before that.
|Might a high-zoot set of pickups be better in my guitar? Maybe. But |I'm happy with it as it is.
 

Big Al

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To each there own . I prefer concentrating on my playing which is hard enough and a challenge ( which is what it's all about for me ) versus wasting time on tedious matters .
Brother, learning how to properly dial in an amplifier and how to correctly use the control pots on a guitar isn't tedious. It's basic tone craft. What I have seen in the last 20yrs is this notion that everything on 10 and static amplifier settings where it is expected that just plugging in will deliver some imagined ideal tone. Lazy.

Nothing wrong with finding a pickup that works best for you. That doesn't mean others are garbage or substandard and there is a lot of cork sniffing upturned nose pooh poohing going on. It is easy to make a good pickup like a Throbak sound like shit with dumbass amp settings. Does that mean they are crap pickups??? Or that some lazy dumbass couldn't be bothered to dial up an appropiate tone 'cause that would be tedious?

Try doing a festival tour with rented backlines of who knows what, with only minutes to dial up a tone and set levels. That skill can make all the difference.
 

Big Al

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I am startled

it seems the premise of my OP has been universally rejected by the forum

nobody seems to think that the custom buckers were a dramatic improvement over the Burstbuckers which I thought were poorly designed but actually appear to be loved !

others believe that in the end it does not even matter if you are a monster player

live and learn
Because your premis is flawed. You like the latest flavor better and dismiss the previous as worthless. BB I, BB II, BB III, BB Pro, BB Pro V are all quite different and all find useful application for a wide range of tone. I like Custombuckers too but certain Burstbuckers are better suited for some applications. Same for 57 Classics which I like alot. None are terrible or substandard.

You made the mistake of slamming something cause you have a new favorite.
 
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