Gibson is introducing a handful of amazing new pickups, many of which have never been available before. Sweetwater was intrigued by the news, so we invited Jared Brandon, pickup product manager for Gibson, to sit down and tell us about them. He sent the new Gibson pickups, and we decided it would be better to listen to them instead of just talking about them. These are variations on current Gibson production models, but, most significantly, they are tweaked versions of some classic pickups. Don Carr, one of Sweetwater’s guitar content specialists, and I were eager to hear how they sounded, so we took them into the studio and listened. That meant listening to the original pickups and then swapping the new versions into the same guitar to compare how they sounded. The list of new pickups from Gibson included the ’57 Classic Underwound, Custombucker Underwound, Kirk Hammett Greenybucker, Dirty Fingers SM “Single Magnet,” P-90 Underwound, and P-90DC.
How We Compared Them
We reached out to Julie Skarry, one of our trusted luthiers from Sweetwater’s Guitar Workshop, to handle swapping the pickups for us. Then, we booked time in Sweetwater Studios‘ Studio A to do the comparative listening. Read on for details about how we conducted our listening tests to evaluate these pickups.
For guitars, we pulled two Gibson Les Pauls straight from our inventory: we chose a Gibson Les Paul Standard ’50s AAA Top electric guitar with ’57 Classic pickups, and we also chose a Gibson Les Paul Special with stock P-90s to compare the new P-90s.
Sweetwater audio engineer Jason Peets manned the console as we auditioned all the pickups through a Mesa/Boogie Mark VII 90-/45-/25-watt tube amp head into a Mesa/Boogie Rectifier Standard 4×12-inch cabinet via a Shure 545SD cardioid dynamic instrument microphone and a Royer R-121 studio ribbon microphone that both went into a D.W. Fearn VT-2 dual-channel microphone preamp. Monitored through a Rupert Neve Designs 5088 32-channel analog mixing console, the performances were recorded into Avid Pro Tools through Avid MTRX converters. Finally, we listened through Ocean Way Audio HR3.5FL powered studio monitors.
Once Don finished playing through a set of pickups, we’d hand the guitar to Julie, and she’d swap the pickups, check the setup and intonation, and hand it back to Don to play the same lick again.
Take a Listen
Don played through all these pickups, so we could hear the difference as he switched between the neck, bridge, and both pickups. Find out more about these pickups by clicking the product page links below.
’57 Classics
Stock ’57 Classic Pickup
The stock Gibson ’57 Classic pickup is an authentic re-creation of a late ’50s Gibson PAF humbucker. Known for full-range richness and sparkling articulation, the ’50s Gibson PAF featured hum-free operation thanks to its dual-coil construction.
’57 Classic Underwound Humbucker Pickup
This Gibson ’57 Classic Underwound is a PAF-style humbucker that delivers the same vintage vibe and character as the original but in an underwound version that offers clear, chime-y tone with more clearly defined overtones and harmonics.
Custombuckers
Stock Custombucker Pickup
The stock Gibson Custombucker captures vintage PAF humbucker tone using low-output Alnico III magnets and an unpotted design true to the original PAF.
Custombucker Underwound Pickup
Compared to the stock Gibson Custombucker, this Custombucker Underwound has fewer windings on the bobbins, resulting in more clearly defined overtones and harmonics, which give it a brighter tone in the neck position.
Kirk Hammett Greenybucker
Kirk Hammett Greenybucker Pickup
These Greenybuckers were previously only available in the Gibson Custom Collector’s Edition Kirk Hammett “Greeny” 1959 Les Paul Standard guitar. The Greenybucker’s distinctive sound derives partially from the neck pickup’s reverse magnetic polarity, asymmetrical coil windings, and unpolished Alnico II magnets. The Greeny’s current owner, Kirk Hammett, offered input on the new pickup’s design along with specifications taken from the actual PAF humbucker pickups on that world-renowned guitar.
Dirty Fingers
Dirty Fingers Standard Pickup
This bridge-position Gibson Dirty Fingers Standard pickup delivers ultra-high output and searing clarity. It is famously featured in the bridge position of Tom DeLonge’s Signature Gibson ES-333.
Dirty Fingers SM “Single Magnet” Pickup
This new take on the Dirty Fingers pickup offers a single-ceramic-magnet design for more midrange punch, has 4-conductor wiring for coil splitting, and is fully wax-potted. The Gibson Dirty Fingers SM “Single Magnet” is perfect for modern or classic rock tones.
P-90s
Stock P-90 Pickup
These stock Gibson P-90s are renowned for their gritty, bright, and versatile sound.
P-90 Underwound Pickup
This full-range single-coil P-90 Underwound is clear and bright with enhanced harmonics and pairs well with the P-90DC or traditional P-90s.
P-90DC Pickup
This dual-coil, hum-canceling design was previously only available on the very desirable Billie Joe Armstrong Gibson Les Paul Junior. Available in black or cream soapbar and black dog-ear configurations, the Gibson P-90DC retains the character of classic P-90s and is the perfect mod for your Les Paul Junior or Special.
What Do You Think?
Did you hear the differences? They weren’t subtle to us. What ones were your favorites? If you’re researching new pickups for your guitar, then call your Sweetwater Sales Engineer at (800) 222-4700, and they’ll be happy to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.
A fascinating discussion: Sweetwater’s Don Carr chats with Gibson pickup product manager Jared Brandon as they listen to the playing examples.