Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

[LLL]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

Listening to the vid:

For the bridge pickups -

- the 57s have a hint of "quack" or "nasal" (between 1Khz-2Khz)
- the Slash doesn't have this

That's the difference my ears tell me.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

Difficulties arise in comparing 57 Classics with anything else because Gibson has reportedly changed the specs and manufacturing at least five times over the last twenty-five years. By now they may have strayed rather far from the original Tom Holmes design. (Certainly the 57s are nowhere close to my Holmes 450/455 set.) IMO much of their reputation for inconsistency may actually be due to spec changes rather than imprecise manufacturing. But I'm not 100% positive of that, given Gibson's casual attitude towards quality control in recent years.

The Slash pickups, on the other hand, are quite consistent and AFAIK the design has not been changed, and is unlikely to be. Obviously they are a much better deal than the outrageously overpriced 57 Classics, and in the linked vid they seemed pretty much in the same ball park tonally.

I've had a number of PAF's and PAF-ish PU's over the years, and '57's stand out as the worst sounding of all of them. One set came in a guitar, they were purchased and installed aftermarket and the seller actually apologized for how bad they sounded. Poor guy paid thru the nose for them. He was right, they sounded awful: dull ribbony high-end and an overall muddiness. But if Gibson's changing specs on them periodically, it's hard to say what version you have. Considering their retail price, there are many better PU's that could be had at that price or less. Add in the bizarre 498T/490R set and the lackluster 490 set, and you can see why companies like Duncan & DiMarzio stay in business. To me, BB's sound much better, although I was disappointed to recently find out that their coil imbalance is so slight as to fall within the tolerance of balanced coil PU's. Gibson certainly doesn't have the passion for PU's that Seymour does.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

To me, BB's sound much better, although I was disappointed to recently find out that their coil imbalance is so slight as to fall within the tolerance of balanced coil PU's. Gibson certainly doesn't have the passion for PU's that Seymour does.

All the Classic 57s are is the BB2 and BB3 without the coil mismatch. If you want a near perfect set of PAFs you can make your own hybrids of a BB1/2n and BB2/3b with a RCA3 in the neck and RCUOA5 in the bridge. They sound, dare I say, almost better than Seths.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

All the Classic 57s are is the BB2 and BB3 without the coil mismatch. If you want a near perfect set of PAFs you can make your own hybrids of a BB1/2n and BB2/3b with a RCA3 in the neck and RCUOA5 in the bridge. They sound, dare I say, almost better than Seths.

I've been making some of my own hybrids, usually with Duncans like a '59B/'59N, '59B/SethN for the neck slot, with UOA5's or A2's. The mismatch gives me a shaper high-end and less mids, and the magnets add texture. Even though the resistance is higher with the hybrids than a straight PAF neck PU, there's more treble & clarity.

 

[eaeolian]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

They're pretty close, but I like the attack of the Slash set a little more. Someone up above said the Gibsons' attack was more "blunt", and I agree with that.

 

[SavageRiffer]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

I've had a number of PAF's and PAF-ish PU's over the years, and '57's stand out as the worst sounding of all of them. One set came in a guitar, they were purchased and installed aftermarket and the seller actually apologized for how bad they sounded. Poor guy paid thru the nose for them. He was right, they sounded awful: dull ribbony high-end and an overall muddiness. But if Gibson's changing specs on them periodically, it's hard to say what version you have. Considering their retail price, there are many better PU's that could be had at that price or less. Add in the bizarre 498T/490R set and the lackluster 490 set, and you can see why companies like Duncan & DiMarzio stay in business. To me, BB's sound much better, although I was disappointed to recently find out that their coil imbalance is so slight as to fall within the tolerance of balanced coil PU's. Gibson certainly doesn't have the passion for PU's that Seymour does.

I can totally understand someone not liking something or having a rather low opinion of whatever. However, in the case of the aforementioned pickups, it would seem to me that someone with such disparaging opinions of them should be involved in a discussion of basic guitar technique instead of pickup tone. I had an SG standard a while back and they sounded pretty good to me. I don't see where any of these or the OP's videos fit the description you provided. Maybe you don't like them, but they don't suck and they're not the worst of the Gibson bunch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VITo1ZdqMy0&t=56s



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrSgzF8w1Zo&t=65s

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

My 57 Classics are from '03 and may be substantially different from recent ones. Plus, they're in a Johnny A which not only is a great axe, but might also just be a serendipitously good match for them. But I like those pickups in that guitar better than I liked the BB2 bridge in one of my Les Pauls. BB1 in the neck position neck is wonderful, but I upgraded the bridge to a 59/09 and am much happier with it.

I will say that if I were choosing from the OP's two options today, I'd pick the Slash set over brand new 57s without a moment's hesitation.

 

[voggin]

Re: Great comparison of Slash set vs. Gibson 57s

My 57 Classics are from '03 and may be substantially different from recent ones. Plus, they're in a Johnny A which not only is a great axe, but might also just be a serendipitously good match for them. But I like those pickups in that guitar better than I liked the BB2 bridge in one of my Les Pauls. BB1 in the neck position neck is wonderful, but I upgraded the bridge to a 59/09 and am much happier with it.

I will say that if I were choosing from the OP's two options today, I'd pick the Slash set over brand new 57s without a moment's hesitation.

I have 57 classics in a 339. They are a good match for that guitar as well. (It's a 2010)

Maybe they match better in semi hollow/hollow