I have these on my Midtown. They are pretty nice, I'm not blown away but I can work with them, they are sweet and not muddy.
However. I've been thinking, best humbuckers I've had were BKP Stormy Monday's. I've also heard Mule's that sounded ace. Both in different guitars, however (LP type).
So I'm wondering if it's worth 'upgrading' burstbuckers and what peoples experiences are with them. I've gone down the same rabbit hole with single coils and both guitars have Fender pickups back in them now after years of change. Perhaps I should keep them as they are, I'm on the fence at the moment.
The other option is going a different route with a HB size P90.
Comments
For semi-solid guitars, my tastes lean towards P.A.F.-alike humbuckers with Alnico 4 bar magnets. If you are undecided between humbucker and P90 sounds, consider the Seymour Duncan P-Rails and Triple Shot mounting surrounds.
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If you can't get a set tailored for you by oilcity/mojo/alegree that you like then spending twice as much (or more) on something else probably won't help either
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Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
The BKPs, both sets, were neck and shoulders above the Gibson pickups. No contest. The Stormy Mondays in particular were present and articulate while the Mules had this great midrange push and compression. By comparison the others ranged from thin to woofy and the burstbucker 1&2 combo was underpowered. A 2&3 set might work better? As it stood, the best of the Gibson were the 57s, though I also liked the neck BB Pro.
Imo, an extra £20 on a used set of BKPs is more than fair. The new prices are tougher to justify though!!
It would be easier for them if they hadn't sold their original winding machine to a Mr. Seymour Duncan, who apparently uses it to make some pickups called Antiquities with the right kind of bobbin material and wire and everything...
That is, if you don't think any of the several top-quality UK-made PAF-type pickups are close enough, which they probably are!
The real problem here is that it's a real rabbit hole - there are probably more "authentic" PAF copies made than any other type of pickup.
For what it's worth I don't like Burstbuckers (any number) in a Les Paul, I think they sound thin and lack punch. They did sound great in a friend's '67-style Flying V though.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Secondly the right bobbins, keeper bars etc etc have been commercially available from USA pickup hardware suppliers for several years, using the correct steel etc etc. As for wire, there is a great deal of bullshit talked about that, there is basically one manufacturer left of proper, vintage spec PVA plain enamel wire. This is were every PAF maker I know of gets his supplies, though it may be through a different wholesaler.
Thirdly there is no such thing as an definitive PAF, because Gibson's quality control at the time meant that a lot of very different output/ winding offset, and magnet choice pickups went out bearing that label.
It is really all about putting pretty easily available bits together in the right combination and with a spec that sounds 'right' compared to the generally acceptable cookie cutter PAF tone. I simply find it odd that other manufacturers seem to be able to do it better than Gibson themselves.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
For example, I can't see any reason why the type of plastic for the bobbins could make any difference, if the dimensions are correct - it cannot interact with the magnetic field in any way.
I do think it's funny how people seem to get so obsessed about tiny differences between pickups which all sound very close to the same, when the originals varied quite a lot. It also drastically depends on the guitar they're going in, as proved by the Burstbuckers in the V.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I agree about this daft obsession ... but people want what they want ... there's seldom much reason in it other than chasing dreams.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I am the custodian of a fugly vintage Gibson student model electric guitar. This is equipped with one single coil pickup and two controls. Roll off the tone pot about a third of the way, plug into an overdriven valve amplifier and this plank sounds like I would wish a Les Paul Junior to sound. I suspect that the elderly mahogany may have some influence on this.
If the wood has little going for it, no amount of money spent on replacement pickups is going to cure that.
Every once in a while, it is possible to get lucky. Crappy wood and crappy pickups can add up to a surprisingly good slide guitar.
And to me the best slide guitars are often the most crude, basic, and pretty much crappy ones.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message