What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

[justFred]

Picked up another Les Paul Studio for cheap and it has subject transducers installed. Have not much experience with humbuckers and kinda just wondering what to look for.

The 490R and 498T in the other LP I picked up are OK. Neck does the job for be, bridge is too harsh.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

A5s are not the best magnet for a Burstbucker. I'd say swap them out with roughcast a A3 in the neck and a UOA5 in the bridge you might like them. Or you can go with twin A2s and get a set that is more or less Burstbuckers 1 and 2.

They are very picky with height no matter what magnet you put in them.

 

[stratguy23]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

The BB Pros are picky about what guitars they're in. I played an LP Studio once with them, and it sounded quite nice.

But there are also many complaints around about them being thin/harsh or muddy, or both.

I think it's because of their A5 magnets, which, to my ears, makes them sound a bit scooped. With vintage output and unbalanced coils, you don't get much beef in the bridge position.

Because they sound scooped, I'm thinking they might work in SGs. I'm surprised to see few/no SGs with them, though this year's Standards come stick with 61 pickups, which have similar specs - vintage output, unbalanced coils, A5 magnet.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

.Because they sound scooped, I'm thinking they might work in SGs. I'm surprised to see few/no SGs with them, though this year's Standards come stick with 61 pickups, which have similar specs - vintage output, unbalanced coils, A5 magnet.

Ya know, I'm kinda suspicious that the 61s are just a renaming of the Custombuckers, which are just Burstbuckers 1 and 2 with the stronger wind on the opposite coil.

 

[stratguy23]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

I have no experience with Custom Buckers, but do have experience with BB Pros and 61s, albeit in different guitars - BB Pros in the aforementioned LP Studio, and 61s in an SG.

To my ears, the 61s sounded/felt a little bit "rattier", rougher around the edges. The BB Pros weren't exactly smooth-sounding, but they did feel more "reserved" and "smaller". This may have been due to the 61s having the stronger coil be the screw coils (thus closer to the extremes of bridge and neck), whereas the BB Pros have stronger coils being the slug coils, so the power leans away from those extremes.

If I had to go to vintage output and A5, the SD 59s and Whole Lotta Humbuckers are my favorites - the 59s for heavily scooped sounds, WLH for more even EQ.

I do like the non-Pro Burstbuckers with A2 magnets, all 3 of them (1, 2, 3). They sound and feel good and have distinct characters. Per the comment above, you could swap magnets with A2s and get essentially non-Pro (but potted) regular Burstbuckers.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

I do like the non-Pro Burstbuckers with A2 magnets, all 3 of them (1, 2, 3). They sound and feel good and have distinct characters. Per the comment above, you could swap magnets with A2s and get essentially non-Pro (but potted) regular Burstbuckers.

One thing I would like to add to this is that aftermarket BBs come potted no matter what wind strength or magnet they have, but BB 1,2, and 3s that come stock on guitars do not have potting.

Also, for those of you that do hybrids, A3 BB 1/2 in the neck and UOA5 BB 2/3 in the bridge is a killer combo, especially if you use the BB 2 and BB 3 as the screw coil.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

One thing I would like to add to this is that aftermarket BBs come potted no matter what wind strength or magnet they have, but BB 1,2, and 3s that come stock on guitars do not have potting.

I believe this is exactly backwards. The ones put in guitars were changed at some point (maybe 20 years ago or more) to being potted, but the ones sold aftermarket were not. The thought is that someone buying a Gibson guitar isn't necessarily looking for an unpotted pickup and all that comes with it, so that person might end up complaining about the squeals and filing a warranty claim. But someone who buys a BB pickup on the aftermarket almost certainly knows what they are getting into, and is doing so deliberately.

All BB Pros are potted. Also of note is that they came in #1 and #2 versions (but no #3 TMK). Another bit of trivia is that they were originally, and only briefly IIRC, called Burstbucker V's (as they were when I bought my new '04 LP that had them). They become potted BB 1's and BB 2's when you thrown an A2 in them...which, IMO, is the thing to do with them if you want "classic" Gibson humbucker tones.

As for tone: Aggressive and cutting, but not inherently "juicy aggressive" like your classic P.A.F. Big, stiff, clattery bottom end that can get overwhelming, biting top end, not a lot of midrange richness. Really good when that works for what you're doing, but definitely a more "modern" tone than a "classic" P.A.F. style. They work best adjusted higher, rather than lower, and played through amps with really good tone controls (graphic e.q. is the best for dealing with them – it can inject them with the mids they are lacking, and take down the aggressive, stiff low end on them).

FWIW, they pair great with Fender Single coils. IMO, they generally sound better there than they do in Gibsons.

 

[justFred]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

Bald dude on MLPF says A4 and 8 something is the ticket...says he's done a bunch and well received. Never changed a magnet so will have to research. Maybe just find something with the right magnet in it to begin with makes more sense, these things are cheap in the scheme of rigdom.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

I believe this is exactly backwards.

You are exactly right.

BB Pro's will be great for hanging your kids pictures on the fridge. I prefer A2 pickups especially in the neck. I can live with A5 in the bridge sometimes. I think a set of Seth Lovers would give you what you want out of that guitar, or you can pick an A5 bridge pickup that you like to pair with a vintage A2 neck pickup.

 

[Jeff_H]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

Ya know, I'm kinda suspicious that the 61s are just a renaming of the Custombuckers, which are just Burstbuckers 1 and 2 with the stronger wind on the opposite coil.

Custom Buckers are AIII pickups, so not really similar to BB's. I believe BB's are hotter too, but can't recall the exact specs currently. I currently have a pair of BB Pro's and a BB 1&2 that are out of their respective (both Les Paul's) original guitars and happily collecting dust.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

^^That's it. The Custombuckers are opposite coil BB 1 and 2s with an A3. The coil mismatch is so small that you can approximate a Custombucker DIY.

 

[chadd]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

I really prefer A2s in my Burstbuckers, the pros only sounded good in my 335.

 

[Discharged]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

The BB Pros are picky about what guitars they're in.

I'd say "extremely picky".

many complaints around about them being thin/harsh or muddy, or both.

From the many complaints, most are muddy AND harsh at the same time. I blame it to the slugs' alloy and the unusually high-charged A5 magnets used in them. Great for door fixtures, not so much for p'ups.

Do people notice that Gibson charges for their mass-produced p'ups more than most boutique winders for their carefully tailored products?

/Peter

 

[Anficht]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

In a word: theysuck! (seriously!)

 

[Chistopher]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

In a word: theysuck! (seriously!)

In two (!) complete sentences: Theysuck if you put them in the wrong guitar and don't set the height properly. I can speak to this because out of the 6 sets I've owned over the years, one has sounded garbage, two have sounded meh, one has sounded pretty decent, and the two in my hollow bodies have sounded awesome (seriously!)

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Re: What's the verdict of humbucker aficionados on the Burstbucker Pro?

I like Burstbucker Pros, personally. A lot. They have a killer attack under high-gain, and they're edgy, clear, and open-sounding. Muddy is the last way I'd describe them.