Anyone try Gibson '57 Classic PU's in their Love Rock?

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ranjam

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Actually, I have one Love Rock and one Reborn. I am thinking of trying the Gibson PU's in either guitar. My local Gibson dealer has a decent sale on the PU's right now, so it is tempting. Both of my Tokai's have microphonic pickups, so I want something that will sound good and not squeal. Any hints, tips, or advice are appreciated.
 
Well, I?d say if you got a good deal on gibson pickups, you won?t go much wrong. Of course there?s several other good makers too.
I had Gibson Classic ?57+ pickups on my ?95 LoveRock.
They were excellent quality. No squeals or humming.
The tone was a bit too dark for me though. Should?ve needed
more overdriven amp sound to get some high tones out of them.
I replaced them with rewounded Tokai originals, made by Tony @ ElektroKraft http://www.electrokraft.com/index.html.
Don?t know if he does pickups anymore though.

But back to your question, many people say that Gibson is not good option because of their price. Oh well, if you got a good deal I?d say go for it.
They?re good for a nice LP tone.
 
Haven't tried the 57s, but if if you like the sound of the ones currently in there, you could try wax potting them first. This should get rid of the squealing and seems easy enough to try. It'll only cost you a few bucks for the wax and some time. Check this site for detailed instructions :)

If you decide you want to replace the pickups after all: I get the impression that SD Seth Lovers might be better value than the Classic 57s, especially if you get them used on eBay.
 
Ah, the age old "which pickups" question.

If you can get a good set cheap, then go for it. Most people install the Seymour Duncan '59 (SH1) & JB (SH?) or one of the Custom pickups (Custom/Custom Custom/Custom 5/etc). I had a 59/JB combo on my LS70F until recently, but I was finding them to be a bit lacking in the mids.

I decided to change them, so started to look around, and as ever, was baffled by the choices available. I looked at the Classic '57 & '57+ for that "PAF" vibe, but was put off by the price, and the experiences of other Gibson p'ups (490/498). Looked at SD's and DiMarzio's, but couldn't find any that met my desire for a more mid biased p'up.

I then looked at Bare Knuckle pickups, which are scatterwound, by hand in the UK, and they do a "Black Dog" pickup set which are mid biased, which is what I was looking for. Bought a matched pair (10k & 8.2k) of zebra coils, and they really do sound awesome. Not particularly hot, but have a really nice mid character (I had to redo all my amp settings), and sound nice & warm clean & when shown some gain, put you squarely in classic rock territory. I'd recommend them to anyone.

www.bareknucklepickups.com
 
Arthur, thank you for the very cool link. I debated potting them myself, and got worried that if I screwed them up I' d should have an emergency transplant donor handy. Then the age-old 'which replacements?' worry added to the mix. The Gibson dealer right now has the '57 Classic PU's for quite a bit less than their Duncan PU's. These people sell Duncan, DiMarzio, and Gibson, so my choices are mind numbing. But the 'while they last' sale on the '57 Classic PU's make me lean that way, since the package states they are potted. These come complete with nickle covers and all mounting screws and springs.
 
Hi ranjam
Are you aware of Wagner pickups?

http://www.crcoils.com

Lots of pro players over at the Gear Page forum, the Axe House etc. are raving about these, espescially the new "Darkburst" set - like a cross between his Crossroads & Goodwoods. People are even swapping-out not only Gibson p'ups but Timbuckers, Rolphs etc. to put these in! Some very good sound clips there & on the forums mentioned too.

Jim Wagner is a great guy to talk to too, and will be able to describe the different sounds of each of his sets, & which may be most suitable for the kind of stuff you play, your amp etc.

I have his SR set in my latest Strat, and they are much nicer then the Fralins, Duncans & even the original Fender 1964 p'ups I have in my other Strats. Planning on upgrading the Fralins in my '81 LS60 Love Rock to the Darkbursts in the post-Christmas "lull' after the next batch of gigs...

Oh BTW, links for those forums are : -
http://www.theaxehouse.com/
http://www.thegearpage.net
 
Very cool websites; thanks. Interesting pickups as well. I just dunno about spending more than twice the amount. Not that I ain't worth it :wink: , but that's a lot of beer :wink: :wink: .
 
Well, I hope everyone had a safe Xmas. I just thought I drop in and tell anyone who was curious what I ended up doing. I 'splurged' for the pair of '57 Classic PU's, and they are in my Love Rock right now. They sound fine, and the squeal is gone. The original neck PU measured 8.43K, while the '57 Classic is at 7.94K worth of DC resistance. So it may have been advantageous to get the '57 Classic Plus, but the 'plain' '57 Classic was the sale. The original bridge measured 16K :eek: , and surprisingly, I don't miss all that gain. These Gibson PU's clean up nicely. I am playing with the tone control capacitors today, and I am sooooo close to nailing the 'Woman Tone' I had heard in my head for a long time. This is what experimenting is all about. My Reborn is all original, so I may leave well enough alone. But now my Love Rock is a guitar I can take out to a gig and not be afraid of attracting all the neighborhood dogs.
Thanks for listening, and all the cool website tips. It's all appreciated.
 
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