Gibson 57+ v Gibson Angus Young...

Mr Grumpy

Mr Grumpy

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...it's not even a fair shotout...

My SG faded has the typical problem: amazing neck pickup, but lack luster bridge pickup (the 490R is amazing, but the 490T is meh). So, I bought a replacement - 498T, I hear you saying, Yes, I have had one before and really liked it, but for no particular reason I bought a Gibson Angus Young.

The 490R is 7.4 ish (Gibson scale), alnico 2 - sounds great.

The 57 is 7.5 ish (Gibson scale), alnico 2 - sounds great.

57+ = 8.1 ish output (Gibson scale), alnico 2, meh, underpowered and lacking spunk even when close to the strings, imho.

498T = 9.1 (Gibson scale, I measured at 12.5 on my metre), alnico 5 - sounds great, but maybe not nuinced like the 57.

Angus Young = 9.2 (Gibson scale, feels about 10 to 11 ish to me, less than the 498T for sure, but much more musical).

But, the bloody connector was wrong for my 2011 SG, and even though it was supposed to come with an adapter, and I sent Gibson an email..., nothing.

The last couple of weeks, I've felt less interested in the 57+ of my future tribute. I like the 57 in the neck, but the 57+ is too weak and lacking musical breadth for my playing style. &, the connection, with the 2013 Gibson circuit board fits, so...

AY2.JPG

Here's the future tribute before:

cream sg tip.JPG

Here it is with the Angus Young:

AY1.JPG

Looks are subjective, but I like it.

Soundwise, chalk and cheese... This AY pup is nice; more output, great pick attack and balance, lovely detailed tone, British rock not just American clean (where I feel the 57s do their best work) although it does that too. The middle and bridge positions are now at least the equal of the lovely 57 neck. Really nice full breath and bass notes without the overly treble quality that thinned out the 57+ - much, much better pickup, imho.
 
Used to when you bought a new Gibson pickup you got a pickup chart in the box that told you all the specs on the Gibby pups.
 
^ different magnet, more power, but equal musicality (where the 57s are very strong).

I've read very average reviews of the Angus Young, and I don't play AC DC often, but it is a very good pickup.
 
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Thanks for the review Mr Grumpy. It is as if you did this for me...im in the same situation with the 57+. I've had this issue for a few months now, and only have one crack at spending the cash on a pickup I will enjoy. I am narrowing my choices, and you just edged the AY to a top contender.

Ding ding....next round
 
Bocc69 said:
I am narrowing my choices, and you just edged the AY to a top contender.
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Depending on what you want, you will be pleasantly surprised. There's a reason why Gibson sell the 490R/498T and also 57/Burstbucker in many guitars, aswellas the 57/57+. My feeling is that the 57s are very nice, but perhaps a better pickup with a clean Fender amp than a gainy Marshall amp - others may disagree.

On output at the jack, I was getting about 8.1 with the 490T and 57+ - the 490s are certainly quite a mellow paf which can also rock (less so the 490T than the 490R), so even though the 57+ is considered quite hot by many, it is compared to the 490s, especially in the neck position, but it feels lacking in the bridge position to me. My shite Chinese multimetre has decided not to work, so I can't test it, but you have plenty more output from the AY.

I've always liked the bridge position of an SG, but recently have almost entirely being playing at the neck. With the AY, I'm back at the bridge - the AY does rock, it is very nice sounding and versatile, but want's to overdrive an amp that is for sure.

The pickup sounds like a traditional low output paf musically speaking, but with much more balls - trying to get the early AY sound that way - but it's just nice for everything; powerchords, hendrix stuff, rocking major/minor chords, etc.

Lots of folks who like rock have changed a 57+ out for the AY and found exactly what they needed (I read many reviews); maybe not too good for your John Denver styles though...

ivan H said:
Out of interest, how is the 57+ hot rodded into the AY, is it just a magnet swap & double potted. What magnet is in the AY. Funnily, Angus doesn't use the AY pickup.
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No idea.

I know that AY doesn't use it, and I didn't buy it for the AY sound or to play that style, and some people whinge about the pickup for this reason.

I read up, and folks say it's Gibson's version of the SD CS Brobucker that is itself a take on an early Gibson PAF with uneven winds and a bit more oomph that Angus used. Other folks say it's based on a 498T, but many folks say it's based on a 57, but with a few more winds (not too many to take it out of classic paf territory) and an A2 to A5 magnet swap - this is exactly how it sounds to me. Most folks say it's as hot as a 498T or slightly more so, but this AY in this guitar has plenty of balls, but does not instantly thwak in the balls like a 498T; maybe it's the design(?), but it feels less powerful, certainly less overpowering than a 498T. I would say, for bluesy based rock and roll it's a perfect balance, and just feels like what a 57+ should have been in the first place (if you like that style of music). In terms of playability, it's in the general space of a 490R or 57 when in the neck position, but much easier to control by tone and volume changes than a 57 is.

Not much fact going on there, sorry!

Edit to add, the Gibson Angus Young uses a 57 classic in the neck and a Gibson AY in the bridge, so that's the space we're in here... Generally, that guitar gets very good reviews for sound.

Gibson.com: Gibson Angus Young SG

DV016_Jpg_Large_1350920019468_A.jpg




I would add that it is quite versatile, and does more than just the ACDC sound.

Last comment: the pickup is better than I imagined it would be, I thought it'd be nice, but it's great. I'd need more time with it, but at this stage, it's my favourite pickup I've played in an SG.
 
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^ too much for me. It all depends on what sound you like, what amp you like, etc; you certainly have plenty of output, gain and volume in your videos!.

I like a traditional paf sound with balls; maybe a nice T-top would be great, but doubt I'll ever own one at the price.
 
Psssssttt...Scorpions using 20k Dommenget MuscleBuckers.... :-)

C'mon, Man... do it....everybody is doing it.... :-)

Seriously though, I have found I cannot get the saturation my ear likes at anything less than 15k ohms....
 
Mr Grumpy said:
^ too much for me. It all depends on what sound you like, what amp you like, etc; you certainly have plenty of output, gain and volume in your videos!.

I like a traditional paf sound with balls; maybe a nice T-top would be great, but doubt I'll ever own one at the price.
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Honestly...sometime, try GFS Classic II's - completely faithful to the original Alnico II PAF - about 7.93k bridge and 7.88k neck @ 56°F - If you should chance to email Sales@GuitarFetish.com, tell Jack that Robert Herndon referred you.... :-)
 
^ if it suits you, Frank'd then it's good.

Generalizing here, but I folks who love the US sound seem to like the 57s more than folks who like the British rock sound. Something like the Eagles is perhaps a 57ish rock sound which wouldn't do it for me, I'd want a T-rex rock sound. :D

Turn up the volume, Frank'd!


(right, that's it - I know what I'm gonna be practicing today!)
 
^ I like that video much more than I like the music! US hair rock is one of my least favourite genres.

Having said that, I like the Cult, and they are not a million miles away at times...

 
You know all this about pickups sounding this or that or muddy or what ever.Well crank all your shite up to stage volume levels and see what the pickups really sound like.I really dont think you get a acurate idea of what pickups sound like playing at bedroom levels and on little dinky amps and such. Plug your badass geetar into a nice size tube amp and crank that SOB up man. :)
 
JohnnyGoo said:
You know all this about pickups sounding this or that or muddy or what ever.Well crank all your shite up to stage volume levels and see what the pickups really sound like.I really dont think you get a acurate idea of what pickups sound like playing at bedroom levels and on little dinky amps and such. Plug your badass geetar into a nice size tube amp and crank that SOB up man.
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You are very nearly right, JG - just the wrong way around!

All this playing at 11 through a 100watt over-driven amp rather distrubs the nuances of the pickup's tone. You need a little very clear and accurate amp such as the Yamaha THR10 to really understand how the pickups sound. :D
 
Today, I was playing my Schecter through both DSL40C's with the GE7/CS3/DD3/NS2 all in alignment and working...rather high gain, playing E Phrygian Hejaaz scales at very high volume over an Arabic style backing track...Wow, it's very cool Bro...
 
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