2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

[fabian correa]

Hello All, This is my first post.

I received a USA made 2016 Gibson flying V PRO as a Christmas Present last year. I should love this guitar, but the bridge pickup which I am not sure if it is the 57 classic or the BurstBucker 3 pickup as listed on their website just does not do it for me. The sound is very BRIGHT and TINNY sounding. I tried to get a heavier, chunkier, thicker sound out of it on my Fender Mustang IV and a Johnson Amplification Marquis JM120 amplifiers I have and I can only get it so-so. I have 3 other guitars with one being a $100 Dean Dimebag Darrel guitar with stock pickups, and another being a Dean Eric Peterson Hunter V guitar with a Seymour Duncan Distortion Pickup installed in the bridge. The third is a Schecter Gryphon guitar with stock Duncan Designed pickups in it and all 3 of them to my ear sound better than this extremely expensive Gibson Guitar.

Altering a Gibson Guitar would not be my first choice on how to get it to sound better for me, but if there was a sure fire pickup out there that would absolutely fix this guitar I would be open to changing it.

Would anyone have any suggestions on what I could do? Does anyone think the answer is doing something with the amplifiers such as adding an effect? I asked Gibson via e-mail for their opinion and they apparently did not have one as I never heard back from them.

Just looking for opinions from people that might be more knowledgeable about this stuff than me.

Thanks.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Welcome to the forum

I believe on a V all the wiring is in the pickguard like a Strat, so you could replace everything without touching the original wiring.

A Pearly Gates bridge is everything you wish a Gibson would sound like from the factory. Fat and thick on the bottom but also bright and chimey when needed clean. There are plenty of other choices that would get you there also. Whole Lotte Humbucker is another.

Not clear if you are looking to replace the neck pickup also?

 

[EmiAba]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Hi
a custom custom should close that issue

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

OP...if you've got either a 57 or a BB3 in it now and you feel it is "very BRIGHT and TINNY sounding", going to a Pearly Gates isn't going to make you happy. And the Custom Custom is going the other direction too far...too lifeless, dull almost non-existent highs, blah sound.

An Alt 8 will give you much more midrange, big tight bass, and great smooth highs. Not bright and tinny sounding at all, but still very present with character. It will make your "V" the monster that it's supposed to be.

 

[fabian correa]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Beaubrummels, On the 2016 Gibson V PRO there is NO pickguard. I love the look of the guitar without the pickguard. It is painted with some nitrocellulose finish that is suppose to be amazing for tone. I guess I am hoping there are Gibson people out there that might feel the same as I do, and have found the easiest best solution. There is a post from ROB and the CAPTAIN from ANDERTONS who reviewed my exact guitar and both agree the guitar is VERY BRIGHT SOUNDING and make the exact statement I am saying. Here is a link to that post and this is how the guitar sounds that I base my opinion. https://youtu.be/_mMy4mOLCiI. I guess I am a crazy one dimensional guitar player at this time because I never play the neck pickup so I probably will not change it. Thank You for your suggestion.

 

[fabian correa]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

On the ANDERTONS video on youtube they say it has a 500T pup in bridge but someone corrects them and says it is a BusrtBucker 3 in the Bridge. Either way I agree it is VERY BRIGHT. Too bright for my total liking.

 

[VinceT]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

I had 57s stock in my 335, and they were nowhere near bright (the reason I swapped them out!)

To make it less bright, you could try it with a 250K volume pot? You could also try wiring a resistor across the in/out of the existing volume pot, though that would change the taper as you reduce the volume. Seems like two quick things to try before swapping out pickups.

One other thought - can you get us a picture of the stock wiring? I'm wondering if they might have put a cap in the bridge circuit the way Rickenbacker used to do on their guitars to add brightness. If they did, then removing that cap would cut the highs.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Playing with the adjustment/polepiece screws would be a good start...
"Should" help "some",perhaps

 

[fabian correa]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

GuitarDoc, I will definitely be looking into this ALT 8 pup. Funny thing is on the video they are reviewing a Gibson V and a Explorer and they both apparently have the same bridge pickup and they both agree the Explorer has a heavier thicker tone than the V with the same pup. I just noticed on the video someone corrects the captain that the explorer has 496R and 500T pups and not the same pups as the V. You can clearly tell they are both more impressed with the sound of the Explorer than the V.

 

[MkIII Renegade]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

I think the 500T/496R sound great for the V, and suit the mission of being a hot rod guitar. I replaced the JB someone had put in a Gibson V I bought years back with a 500T and found it to be a much fatter sounding pickup, perfect for the V.

 

[fabian correa]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

If the video I mentioned is accurate there appears to be a REAL difference in the 500T/496R that are in the Explorer vs the 57Classic/BurstBucker3 set up in the V. Some little part of me was hoping when I tried to contact Gibson with my displeasure they might try to make things right with an offer to help me get it fixed. I was hoping Gibson would tell me to take it to an authorized Gibson Dealer near me(Guitar Center) and they would make me a satisfied customer. Probably wishful thinking. Thanks all for your input.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

OP...if you've got either a 57 or a BB3 in it now and you feel it is "very BRIGHT and TINNY sounding", going to a Pearly Gates isn't going to make you happy. And the Custom Custom is going the other direction too far...too lifeless, dull almost non-existent highs, blah sound.

I'm interested in what guitar(s) you tried the Pearly, what the setup was (how far from the strings), and what amp(s) and amp settings you were using?

There are a number of folks that say the Pearlys are bright, though my experience is while they have some nice top end to work with, it's nothing that can't be tamed by rolling the tone back to 8-9 when needed.

 

[AlexR]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

If the video I mentioned is accurate there appears to be a REAL difference in the 500T/496R that are in the Explorer vs the 57Classic/BurstBucker3 set up in the V. Some little part of me was hoping when I tried to contact Gibson with my displeasure they might try to make things right with an offer to help me get it fixed. I was hoping Gibson would tell me to take it to an authorized Gibson Dealer near me(Guitar Center) and they would make me a satisfied customer. Probably wishful thinking. Thanks all for your input.

No part of warranty anywhere in the world covers any form of exchange simply 'because you don't like it'. Part of the typical buying process should be making sure the guitar is what you want before you buy it. Another part of purchasing is accepting the realisation that mass-produced guitars don't come with options, and that you have to spend extra money should you want to modify.
The 'custom' side of the building industry offers more flexibility of course, but with MUCH higher prices to compensate.

 

[jonsick]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Check your pot values first and foremost.

My 2014 V came with 300k pots in all positions, yet the 2008 explorer I picked up used had 500k potentiometers. The V sounded very thin and I almost returned it. I decided not to and kept it as a case queen for a while. The BurstBuckers sounded MUCH better after replacing with decent CTS 500k pots. I still ended up doing some pickup changes. Right now I have a bog standard JB and Jazz set in my V and I love it. It's one of my main recording guitars. I want to get chrome covered ones to swap out with but for now, it's the bee's knees! But it was surprising about what simply putting (what I deem to be) the correct pot values in there will do. Why they use 300k pots is beyond me! I threw them away after amassing a small collection of them.

My latest SG also came with 300k pots. As well as crying out for a properly cut nut and a bit of fret work, it's a great player now. I have a set of covered Duncans in there now, the Custom and the 59n.

 

[Mincer]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Is the brightness coming from the guitar itself or the pickups? Play the guitar in a quiet room (unplugged), and compare to another guitar. I still think rescuing this V is possible with a Custom Custom (maybe even a regular Custom or 59/Custom Hybrid) and Alnico II Pro, if the wood is inherently bright. If it is the pickup itself, do what others suggested: look at the pots, adjust height- you may even want to experiment with magnets before giving up on the pickup altogether.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

I'm interested in what guitar(s) you tried the Pearly, what the setup was (how far from the strings), and what amp(s) and amp settings you were using?

There are a number of folks that say the Pearlys are bright, though my experience is while they have some nice top end to work with, it's nothing that can't be tamed by rolling the tone back to 8-9 when needed.

I've had the Pearly in a couple LPs, Schecter C1, and a Wilshire (in fact I think I still have one in one of my Wilshires). I used to love it in the neck (it used to be my favorite neck pup) until I tried a Demon. I played it through a Bogner Alchemist, Marshall Vintage Modern, Line 6 Flextone lll, Bugera V22. As far as settings...I can't tell you, it's been too long ago.

 

[chadd]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

Is the brightness coming from the guitar itself or the pickups? Play the guitar in a quiet room (unplugged), and compare to another guitar. I still think rescuing this V is possible with a Custom Custom (maybe even a regular Custom or 59/Custom Hybrid) and Alnico II Pro, if the wood is inherently bright. If it is the pickup itself, do what others suggested: look at the pots, adjust height- you may even want to experiment with magnets before giving up on the pickup altogether.

Burstbuckers are pretty bright, even the A2 versions

 

[fabian correa]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

AlexR, I think the wishful thinking on Gibson offering a replacement pickup was via the Walmart "the customer is ALWAYS right" rule. This guitar was purchase as a surprise to me. I had not played it before becoming the owner.

Mincer, When I strum this guitar without amplification, it is definitely louder and brighter than any other guitar I own. My first thought was that was a sign of the quality of the Gibson when I played it for the first time.

I must say since I posted my question on this forum, I have been putting in some extra effort to dial in a better tone on my amplifiers more to my liking.

This V is thunderous compared to my other guitars. It should be I suppose as it only cost 5 times more than any of my other guitars. I still can not completely dial out the brightness while trying to retain the Thunder.

Does anyone have an opinion about the Gibson 500T vs the Seymour Duncan ALT 8 or the CUSTOM CUSTOM. If I was to try a 500T at least it is still a original Gibson pickup and the cream zebra color of the pickup would still match perfectly. The BurstBucker 3 is Hotter than the 500T is it not? Would the 500T help reduce the brightness while still maintaining some thunder that the amp could amplify?

 

[EmiAba]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

The 500T is the loudest gibson pick-up. It has three ceramic magnets (one of them is huge) and a DC resistance around 15.5. And it's hotter than burstbucker 3. Truly different, the burstbucker has a vintage flavour while the 500T has a modern sound. As I said in my first reply on this thread the CUSTOM CUSTOM is the solution, IMHO. You can have it in zebra and you can easily swap the magnet to adjust the tone. With an A8 you have a custom8, with a ceramic you have a custom (suggested by Mincer) or an A5 to obtain a custom5.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: 2016 Gibson flying V PRO pick ups

500T is a great pickup. Falls in between a 59 and a JB in the Duncan line, tone/output respectively, IME. When I put the 500T/496R in my Les Paul Studio, I realized why they were in the first version of the Jimmy Page model.