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Hey guys,

Do you like the Classic 57s? How do they compare to Duncans? I'm looking at an LP Classic that the guy put these in. Are they cool?

Thanks!

Mike

This may not be of any help to you, but I had one in a quot;frankenstratquot; guitar I built from with an Alder body Fender Strat, it sounded great in there, cleaned up better than the higher output humbuckers that I'm used to. It was very versatile for me, and I think they would be good in a Les Paul.

Rock On

The 57 Classics have somewhat of a bad reputation in a few places on the internet but I don't nessessarily agree with that. The thing is that the 57s are supposed to be a repro of the late 50s Gibson PAFs. Anytime that anyone including Gibson trys to put out a PAF repro they are painting a huge bullseye on their forheads. PAF guys are a very fussy bunch and some seem to get offended just because somebody tries to repro those pickups.

Now I have played on a few PAFs over the years and I know what they sound like. I don't think the 57 Classics are that close to the original PAFS but they are a deceint sounding pickup. I have a 59 re-issue LP that came with the 57 Classics in it and I played that guitar for maybe 2 years before I changed them out. I receintly re-installed them for reasons other than tone and I've been playing them for a couple of days now.

I'm getting some nice tone from them and if I had to have those pickups in that guitar, I wouldn't sell it. That being said, the 57 Classics will be coming out in the next couple of days to be replaced by a set of SD Antiquities that I have in another LP.

I like the 57 Classics just fine but there are better choices for me and what I like from a guitar.

I think they're pretty under-rated, as are the Burstbuckers.

Well said, Robert! I've kinda been wondering about this as well. I heard that 57s are quite thick and creamy sounding - is this fair?


Originally Posted by ZhangliqunI think they're pretty under-rated, .I think so too. They're very warm and creamy sounding. I think it personally craps all over the '59 for the neck position....much better definition and less boomy of a bottom end. Just creamy but not muddy.

I wasn't a huge fan of it in the bridge but then again I like something a with a bit more of an aggressive cut.

But in the neck I think that's how a PAF-type humbucker should sound....at least to my ears.

They are good pups, I like them best in the 335's though. They are very smooth sounding, but to me they have the same problem that all Gibson pups do, they are too grainy sounding for my tastes.

Luke

When I acquired my '91 Les Paul Classic it had a set of '57 Classics in it and I played them for about three months. The bridge pickup had a fat aggressive tone that worked really well for classic rock, but didn't clean up as nicely as some of the Duncans I have played. The neck pickup was OK (much nicer than the 490R that was in my Std), but a little lacking in top end for my tastes. Overall, not a bad set of pickups, but I had already played various Duncans that I liked better. The Duncan PAF-alikes seem more responsive to changes in volume and pick attack - somehow they have more quot;rangequot; and character. Eventually I sold the '57s and invested the money in a set of Antiquities. The Antiquities also do great classic rock tones, but they have the added advantage of doing stinging blues and sweet jazzy tones too.

I don't know that thick and creamy are the best adjectives to describe the 57 Classics. They are fairly balanced sounding and warm enough thanks to the alnico II magnets but all high 7k - low 8k pickups sound somewhat bright to me. Now I'm not talking glassy like the SD 59s but there is definately some top end to the 57 Classics, especially in the bridge model. Typically I roll off the volume pot or tone pot for clean tones with neck pickups, looking for more of a jazz box type of tone. Quite a few players way back in the day rolled off the volume pots for their clean tones and rolled back up for added output and top end during lead work so maybe thats why I hear tone the way I do.

Like I said the 57 Classics are ok but once you hear a set of Antiquities you're ruined for life. They have so much character and complexity to their tone that nothing else really does it for me in the PAF ballpark.

Hey Robert, what LP is in your avatar and what pickups are in it?

Hey:i Have A Set Of Seth Lovers In My Paul.do You Think They Are Better Paf Copies Than The 57's


Originally Posted by skynyrdlover1Hey:i Have A Set Of Seth Lovers In My Paul.do You Think They Are Better Paf Copies Than The 57's

That's a matter of opinion, and opinion on what a PAF should sound like varies widely. The Gibson spec was fairly loose in the PAF days.

But, in my opinion, YES.

I've never played a real PAF, but both Seths and Antiquities nail the vintage rock and blues tones I love better than my '57s did.

What's the closest thing to the 57's from Duncan's line? Is it the APH?

I don't think so. I could be wrong, but the stock LP pickups are far from Duncans. I Even changed my burstbuckers to Duncans

Butch, thats my 2001 59 RI and the pickups in the picture are zebra 59s. Later that guitar had reverse zebra SD Jimmy Page pickups and now it has the 57 Classics in it.

As soon as my parts order comes in it will have Antiquities in it.Benjy, The Seths are probably closest spec-wise. I'd have to look the 57 Classic specs up to be sure. Remember though that a pickups tone isn't just a composite of its materials and amount of wind but how it is wound as well. I wouldn't say they sound all that much alike.


Originally Posted by Robert S.I don't know that thick and creamy are the best adjectives to describe the 57 Classics. They are fairly balanced sounding and warm enough thanks to the alnico II magnets but all high 7k - low 8k pickups sound somewhat bright to me. Now I'm not talking glassy like the SD 59s but there is definately some top end to the 57 Classics, especially in the bridge model.

Like I said the 57 Classics are ok but once you hear a set of Antiquities you're ruined for life. They have so much character and complexity to their tone that nothing else really does it for me in the PAF ballpark.I totally agree with RS. The '57's are nice sounding pups. Somewhat quot;toppyquot;, but not too bright. Once you've sampled the SD Antiquities, you're hooked. I don't care what quot;flavor of the weekquot; the guys over at the LP Forum are raving about, the SD Ants are the best, and closest-to-PAF-sounding pups I've ever heard; and I too, have played many real-deal PAF's, which by-the-way, vary considerably.

JMO,

Jeff