duncan vs. Stock 80's gibson

[the guy who invented fire]

The stock bridge pickup in my Moderne came out for the first time last night...I replaced it with a Pearly Gates(the neck will soon follow!), and I could understand the pickups sounding different...but after hearing the PG in this guitar the only word I could use to describe the stock pup was...well, bad. Why do these sound so bad? After a long hard think session last night, I relized that I have NEVER played a stock Gibson made past the late 60's and before BurstBuckers that I thought was any good! I really do like the BurstBuckers (except the Pro's), and the old Gibson pups are great...hell, they are the stuff dreams are made of, but everything I've played that was made from about 1970 until now (excluding the BurstBuckers and the earliest mini buckers from Les Paul Deluxes) are pure crap IMO...BTW, if anyone here owns AND likes these pickups, I'm sorry...I just do not have ANY use for them at all. Now, on to the question...WHY!!! What makes these pickups sound so much different?

 

[jeremy]

Re: duncan vs. Stock 80's gibson

no idea. maybe they were trying to get a different sound or save money? in general i agree that the 70's and 80's gibson pups arent that great

 

[Metalman_666]

Re: duncan vs. Stock 80's gibson

Maybe it's because Duncan's are so good... lol. Seymour Duncan makes replacement pickups just for people who feel like their stock guitar isn't good enough. Is there really anything to wonder about?

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: duncan vs. Stock 80's gibson

Well, the guitar in question is a 1983 re-issue Moderne, it was part of the first 50's style Gibson re-issues. They got quite a few things right...it has the old style ABR-1, it has the fat 58 style neck, and the taller/skinnier fret wire that the V's, Explorers from the late 50's had new. But the pickups are just not that good...