gringopig's guitars
Not strictly a like for like comparison it's true but the '58 Les Paul re-issue from the previous video goes head to head with the subject of the next video: a '57 Goldtop re-issue from 2010. This has the stock Burstbucker PAF pickups from Gibson in it and I thought it might be useful to have some continuity between the first video and the video I was going make comparing four sets of PAFs.
I tried my best to ensure the setup for this comparison was the same as the first and the Carr Skylark is set exactly as before with the same microphones and placed as best I could based on photographs I took at the time of the recording of the first video, so refer to to the notes on the preceding video for set up information.
They are different guitars but I hear the Monty's PAFs as both having more output, being clearer and less muddy with an airier high end and more 'spank'. This might be the lack of wax potting as I believe the Burstbuckers which came pre-installed in the 2010 custom shop '57 re-issues were potted.
Levels were exactly the same and I swapped guitars only.
Listen in 1080p and with good headphones or speakers and turn the sound up if required.
The guitars are:
2017 Gibson custom shop Les Paul 1958 re-issue as seen here
2010 Gibson custom shop Les Paul 1957 Goldtop reissue as seen here
Subjectively, the sunburst '58 with Monty's was a clear preference for me and it became clear in the next video where I compared the Burstbuckers with three other types that the Burstbuckers are quite low in output and have a warm slightly more muffled sound. They might be perfect for some though and certainly didn't sound bad at all but they sounded a bit smooth and bland to me.
I include some resistance measurements for the Burstbuckers below and bear in mind that the published specs for the Monty's are as follows:
Scatter wound using 42-gauge Plain Enamel wire:
Neck- Alnico V, 7.2k
Bridge- Alnico II, 7.7k
Bridge pickup
Neck pickup
So, on paper the Burstbuckers have more resistance i.e. more turns of wire and might imply a hotter output but this isn't the case. So it goes to show that the internal DC resistance of the combined coils is only one factor in the perceived output of the guitar pickup. You also have to consider the magnet type and the amount of field they are able to effect through the coils. A fully saturated magnet might be expected to have a similar density of field compared to a physically similar chunk of magnet but who is to say that each magnet is subject to a full magnetisation at the time of manufacture.
The saturation or otherwise is a measure of what percentage of the ferrite or magnetisable dipoles with unique north and south poles have been forced into the one orientation by an external field and have not relaxed back to a quiescent position and have been permanently moved in the material to form a permanent magnet.
So, this magnetic saturation of a specific magnet type resulting in a magnetic field density acting on a fixed resistance (and therefore length) of coiled wire results in a current in the wire which then is taken by the amplifier after losses in the guitar controls and realised as a voltage in the first gain stage.
It all means that there isn't one factor which determines how 'hot' a pickup is. You might raise the pickup nearer the strings and negate any small differences caused by a slightly less charged magnet or you might have a 520 k ohm potentiometer installed and not realise it; all sorts of things.
All I know is that the Burstbuckers have less output than the Monty's and I prefer the Monty's but using two guitars is not an accurate comparison really. All fun though!
