UberMetalDood
New member
Today I replaced my newly installed Seth Lovers with a set of Burstbucker 1 & 2 pulled from of 59 historic reissue. Before the Seth's, I had a Burstbucker III/57 Classic. My other Les Paul traditional is the same weight and has a set of Burstbucker Pros. I was able to get a pretty great comparison for anyone who is interested in my humble opinion of them.
I like the Burstbucker III/57 combo more than the 57 set. To me, the BB III just sounds juicier and with more balls and output than the 57 bridge. The BB III gives me more oomph and seems to balance better with the 57 Classic neck than the 57 classic bridge does.
Burstbucker Pros get crapped on a lot, but they're outstanding pickups. They're wonderful when you work the tone pots. They are more aggressive sounding than the 57 Classics, but are also clearer and more versatile in my opinion. They're not as hot as the 57 Classic/Classic +, but you can do a lot more heavy rocking with them and they also sound better than the 57's clean in my opinion.
The Seth Lovers were a breath of fresh air. They remind me a lot of the Burstbuckers from my 1959 LP historic. They sound very vintage and are kind of clean sounding compared to my favorite BB III/57C+ combo. What they have that the BB's don't is great nuance. 57's have a lot of nuance too but the Seths just all kinds of great nuance sounds. The trade off is that you have to work harder to get the tone. I rock out more often than I slow down and play nuance stuff so for me they're not as versatile. However, I recorded some Satch stuff I'm learning and they do some awesome overdriven legato stuff. Harmonics sound kind of like a little clean signal is mixed in so the BB III"s & Pros have it beat as far as harmonics.
Lastly, I end up with my historic BB's which is a BB1 & 2 I believe. Wow, they're airy and warm like the Seths, but have a little more balls and output. It's a toss up between them and the Seths as far as I'm concerned. If anyone considers a Seth Lovers set, they need to consider a BB set as well. They are actually a little less noisy than my Seths, but the trade off is that they're slightly more edgy where the Seths are buttery smooth. If you're looking for something that sounds more tame, the Seths might have a slight advantage.
I have gone through all the Gibson pickups before but never really compared them with a great set of Seymour Duncans. Before I set out to compare them all, I was confident that I would walk away with Duncans in the end. However, Gibson pickups are just as incredible. I'm having a hard time deciding whether to stick with the Seths or go back to the BB III/57C+ combo that I had before.
Here's where my comparison can come in more handy than threads like this one... I used all of the aforementioned pickups in a stratocaster too. Strat players need to start considering Gibson PAF or PAF type humbuckers for their strats because they sound incredible. One of my strats is keeping a 57' Classic set. If you're worried about the wood not having enough lows, the Gibson pickups have a way of working with the wood to produce a great sound. Seths are equally as good too, and they have enough low end. I would say that Seths have a low end quality that is between a Pearly Gates (bassy) and a Custom Custom (light low end), or about as much bass as a JB.
All I can say is that Gibson pickups are awesome in strats. I've converted all 7 of my strats to HH except for one which has a Little 59 neck. I'm getting the best strat tones I've ever had now. Try putting a Burstbucker III or 57 Classic in your strat and you'll see what I'm talking about.
I like the Burstbucker III/57 combo more than the 57 set. To me, the BB III just sounds juicier and with more balls and output than the 57 bridge. The BB III gives me more oomph and seems to balance better with the 57 Classic neck than the 57 classic bridge does.
Burstbucker Pros get crapped on a lot, but they're outstanding pickups. They're wonderful when you work the tone pots. They are more aggressive sounding than the 57 Classics, but are also clearer and more versatile in my opinion. They're not as hot as the 57 Classic/Classic +, but you can do a lot more heavy rocking with them and they also sound better than the 57's clean in my opinion.
The Seth Lovers were a breath of fresh air. They remind me a lot of the Burstbuckers from my 1959 LP historic. They sound very vintage and are kind of clean sounding compared to my favorite BB III/57C+ combo. What they have that the BB's don't is great nuance. 57's have a lot of nuance too but the Seths just all kinds of great nuance sounds. The trade off is that you have to work harder to get the tone. I rock out more often than I slow down and play nuance stuff so for me they're not as versatile. However, I recorded some Satch stuff I'm learning and they do some awesome overdriven legato stuff. Harmonics sound kind of like a little clean signal is mixed in so the BB III"s & Pros have it beat as far as harmonics.
Lastly, I end up with my historic BB's which is a BB1 & 2 I believe. Wow, they're airy and warm like the Seths, but have a little more balls and output. It's a toss up between them and the Seths as far as I'm concerned. If anyone considers a Seth Lovers set, they need to consider a BB set as well. They are actually a little less noisy than my Seths, but the trade off is that they're slightly more edgy where the Seths are buttery smooth. If you're looking for something that sounds more tame, the Seths might have a slight advantage.
I have gone through all the Gibson pickups before but never really compared them with a great set of Seymour Duncans. Before I set out to compare them all, I was confident that I would walk away with Duncans in the end. However, Gibson pickups are just as incredible. I'm having a hard time deciding whether to stick with the Seths or go back to the BB III/57C+ combo that I had before.
Here's where my comparison can come in more handy than threads like this one... I used all of the aforementioned pickups in a stratocaster too. Strat players need to start considering Gibson PAF or PAF type humbuckers for their strats because they sound incredible. One of my strats is keeping a 57' Classic set. If you're worried about the wood not having enough lows, the Gibson pickups have a way of working with the wood to produce a great sound. Seths are equally as good too, and they have enough low end. I would say that Seths have a low end quality that is between a Pearly Gates (bassy) and a Custom Custom (light low end), or about as much bass as a JB.
All I can say is that Gibson pickups are awesome in strats. I've converted all 7 of my strats to HH except for one which has a Little 59 neck. I'm getting the best strat tones I've ever had now. Try putting a Burstbucker III or 57 Classic in your strat and you'll see what I'm talking about.
), however the BB1/2 combo is by FAR my fave production set of PAF styles out there. 
