57 Classic Pickup

I prefer them to burstbuckers. I find them smoother and thicker to my taste.

I'm a 57 classic fan too. My les paul does everything from crispy clean to full out drive JB style. I'm liking them a lot!

Since getting my JB ES-335, I've become a big fan of them.

Jim

Burstbuckers have their place, I've had both 57' classics.  To me my sets were in 2 different guitars so it might not be fair comparison.  I had this set of 57' classics in a 335 I bought that wasn't stock (1967 refinished with a broken head stock) and it was the best sounding Gibson I ever had, but the neck was so skinny on the first 5 frets it was like an inch wide!  Sold the guitar and stole the pickups out of it.  Took them and installed them in my SG Standard which was and is the second best Gibson I ever had.  It played fantastic and the pickup worked really well with the mahogany body and rose wood fret board.  Then I decided the Les Paul Classic I had was the way to go with those pickups, but I didn't care for it as much as I did the SG.  Sold the SG before I could swap it back.  Later sold the Les Paul which for the record sounded fantastic, but I like the SG sound with those pickups better.

Fast forward to last year and I got a B stock Joe Bonamassa Epiphone Les Paul.  My personal taste is I like to not use pedals much.  I'm straight plug in and straight to amp kind of guy.  The Epiphone has BB3, and BB2 so it had plenty of power on tap to drive any of my tube amps harder without having to use pedals.  The 57' classics were not overwound and they have that classic humbucker tone, but I felt like I was having to use boost pedals to drive the amp a little harder.  Sold the JBLP Epiphone, and I've got my old SG back again.  It has Pearly Gates Seymour Duncans and I used to say I hated those pickups but I had a different amp back then.  I'm really liking them in my Blues Jr.  Also have a Les Paul Traditional Pro I'm using and it has a BB3 which I like better then the Pearly Gates.  Long story short I think Burstbuckers are a little more rock sounding to my ear, and the 57' classics are more round and smooth better suited for a blues tone.  Hope that long story makes sense and helps.

In Detroit people are getting rid of their Burstbuckers and going back to '57 classic and classic pluses...

the burstbuckers are not wax potted, so they can be noisier. Plus they can be a little on the dark side, where the 57 have more clarity.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping.

I think the 57s are a little closer to PAF tones than Burstbuckers. Hey can be very nice when adjusted properly.

Have you tried WCR American Steels with the mod? These pups are killer. Also Joe's new pups are amazing as well. Although not in this price range
cheers Ron

As you may already know, BurstBuckers and 57 Classics have a few important design differences which affect their tone...

BB's have unevenly wound coils whereas 57's have evenly wound coils. The effect of uneven coils can be generalized as added high frequency content.

BB's are not wax potted whereas 57's are wax potted. Non-potted pickups tend to be slightly microphonic which has the positive attribute of making them sound a bit more alive and vocal, as they react to and reinforce the notes coming back at them from the speakers and vibrating through the body at higher volumes. The negative to this is that at high volume and/or large amounts of overdrive, the pickups can squeal uncontrollably. This risk is reduced (but not eliminated) by properly tensioned and wound coils.

BB's come as lower than average (BB1), average (BB2), or higher than average (BB3) PAF output strength (underwound, typically wound, or overwound). 57 classics are wound for average PAF level output (typical wind). In general, higher output means darker, less open, less chimey, more midrange, less apparent treble, and tendency to drive input stage of amp into overdrive sooner.

By design, the BurstBuckers are closer to emulating actual PAF's which had unevenly wound coils, we're not wax potted, and varied in output ( as the wind on each coil of each pickup could vary).

Both the BB and 57 use Alnico II magnets, which was common for PAF's, although Alnico III and V were also used (depending upon what was on hand during manufacture). Alnico II was most common, although Seth Lover's original specs called for Alnico V.

To my ears, the BB's sound brighter, airier, and a bit more alive than the 57's which are darker, smoother, and creamier. I like both types for different guitars or situations. The BB's sound closer to the actual PAF's that I have played.

Hope this helps!
-Matt