Question: Gibson Pickups

ninjaking67

ninjaking67

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Gents,

I just obtained a 2017 Gibson Les Paul Studio T (NGD thread to follow) and have a question about the pickups.
The pickups were changed by the previous owner and I believe them to now be Burstbucker Pros. The neck is a #1 and the bridge is a #2. I suspect they are pros as they seem to be labeled as AlNiCo V.
Can one of you all knowing types look at the pics and confirm or clarify what I have here please?

NECK:
Neck Pup.jpg

BRIDGE:

Bridge Pup.jpg
 
Good Morning!

What you have is a Burstbucker Pro #1 and #2 positions. The 'AL 5" indicates AlNico V magnets. Apparently, ONLY when these pickups were put into a guitar at the factory, did the BB-Pros display this, somewhat confusing designation. The ONLY Burstbuckers to have AlNico V's are the Pros...

According to my Gibson-Freak colleague, the correct orientation is #2 in the bridge position and #1 in the neck position.

The covers look like they may have been off at one time. I would suggest checking the pole orientation with a compass and also verify ohm's readings...
 
Robert Herndon said:
Good Morning!

What you have is a Burstbucker Pro #1 and #2 positions. The 'AL 5" indicates AlNico V magnets. Apparently, ONLY when these pickups were put into a guitar at the factory, did the BB-Pros display this, somewhat confusing designation. The ONLY Burstbuckers to have AlNico V's are the Pros...

According to my Gibson-Freak colleague, the correct orientation is #2 in the bridge position and #1 in the neck position.

The covers look like they may have been off at one time. I would suggest checking the pole orientation with a compass and also verify ohm's readings...
Click to expand...

Thanks Robert.
I did notice that the covers appeared to have been resoldered at some point. I have since looked on the Gibson website and the photos of the BB Pros in the "Pickups and Electronics" section look identical to what I have. I will check the DCR of the 2 pickups as you have suggested. Gibson says 7.4 kOhms and 8.3 kOhms respectively for neck and bridge.
 
According to Gibson (I actually spoke to some people about these pickups a few months ago) the proper values for the Burstbucker Pro's are ~8.8kΩ bridge and ~8.5kΩ neck, but, of course, these values are a bit variable, as I have seen them read much lower, and a little higher. I had a pair of Burstbucker Pros here I recently installed in a friend's R8 Gibson and they were marked IM59A (neck) and IM59B (bridge) and measured 7.92kΩ bridge and 7.51kΩ neck respectively.
 
ninjaking67 said:
They sounded really great through my Trinity Plexi clone last night!
Click to expand...

They really do sound good AND they are wax potted to reduce feedback. I still have a IM59A BB Pro in the neck of my Gibson SG, paired with a factory reverse-magnet 57 Classic Plus in the bridge. For a while, I was running the BB Pro in the bridge position too....
 
ninjaking67 said:
Robert,

It's too bad your Nameless Ghoul avatar isn't holding your SG! Yeah, I know! The Nameless Ghouls' axes of choice are Gibson RDs.
Click to expand...

Actually, the former Omega frequently played an SG....

23321_vuByVDbkP2IcVkU0_9659.png


However, the RD was the most widely used because of it's uniqueness.

On this tour, the Ghoul's are playing their new signature model Hagstrom Fantomens...

csm_ghost-ghoul-guitar-hastrom-fantomen-live_9d66cfa030.jpg
 
In the picture below I see the black sticker saying "Patent Applied For" upside down. Maybe you have real vintage PAF's which are worth gold!

neck-pup-jpg.17929



;>)/
 
Robert Herndon said:
Here is correct orientation:

View attachment 17937
Click to expand...
Robert,

I finally got around to checking the pickups with a magnet last night. I commend you on your deduction skills! You were correct. The magnet in the neck pickup appears to have been reversed. The NORTH poles are closest to the neck and SOUTH poles are toward the bridge. The bridge pickup is oriented as shown in your diagram.

Maybe the previous owner was going for a Peter Green kinda thing?

This may explain why I am not totally happy with the tones I am getting!
 
ninjaking67 said:
Robert,

I finally got around to checking the pickups with a magnet last night. I commend you on your deduction skills! You were correct. The magnet in the neck pickup appears to have been reversed. The NORTH poles are closest to the neck and SOUTH poles are toward the bridge. The bridge pickup is oriented as shown in your diagram.

Maybe the previous owner was going for a Peter Green kinda thing?

This may explain why I am not totally happy with the tones I am getting!
Click to expand...

Good detective work! The magnet reversal - or Peter Green Mod - as it is sometimes called, is very popular...but the tone isn't pleasing to everyone.
 
I have a Gibson 496R here, but I haven't checked it yet to confirm magnet orientation. Do you need a pickup, or are you planning on corrective surgery???
 
Robert Herndon said:
I have a Gibson 496R here, but I haven't checked it yet to confirm magnet orientation. Do you need a pickup, or are you planning on corrective surgery???
Click to expand...
I haven't decided yet. I have ordered a new harness as stated in my NGD thread and will likely do a pickup swap when I replace it. I will most likely perform corrective surgery on this pickup once it's removed. I have never done it before but it seems very straightforward.

I am still trying to decide what pickups to install in place of the BB Pro 1 and 2. I may do the surgery on this neck p'up and just replace the bridge p'up with a Gibson Angus Young or maybe a SD Pearly Gates.
 
ninjaking67 said:
Robert,

I finally got around to checking the pickups with a magnet last night. I commend you on your deduction skills! You were correct. The magnet in the neck pickup appears to have been reversed. The NORTH poles are closest to the neck and SOUTH poles are toward the bridge. The bridge pickup is oriented as shown in your diagram.

Maybe the previous owner was going for a Peter Green kinda thing?

This may explain why I am not totally happy with the tones I am getting!
Click to expand...
I have a Burstbucker 1 & 2 set that came in my SG (60's tribute), that came stock with the same "reversed magnet" in the neck BB1. I didn't like it in the SG, but when I installed them in my LP traditional I kinda did. Not sure if the reversed magnet thing is happening accidentally at the factory, or intentionally. Cheers
 
ivan H said:
I have a Burstbucker 1 & 2 set that came in my SG (60's tribute), that came stock with the same "reversed magnet" in the neck BB1. I didn't like it in the SG, but when I installed them in my LP traditional I kinda did. Not sure if the reversed magnet thing is happening accidentally at the factory, or intentionally. Cheers
Click to expand...

My factory sealed Gibson 57 Classic + had a reversed magnet....
 
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