dcburn
Well-known member
I can hear now on my work computer.
DanTravis62
Moderator
Nice, yeah the pickups sound great, i don't know if the pots will last on them, but it sounds cool
The Engl sounded really nice in the band mix with my singers orange, and the footswitchable master volumes was really badass
Rex Rocker
Well-known member
I've wanted a black or a green one for a while.
I've playe one at the store, and they're fantastic. Great neck profile, they're plek'd, and they sound killer. If I were to get one, I'd probably swap that bridge BB for something hotter, but other than that, great guitars.
I've playe one at the store, and they're fantastic. Great neck profile, they're plek'd, and they sound killer. If I were to get one, I'd probably swap that bridge BB for something hotter, but other than that, great guitars.
DanTravis62
Moderator
I'm honestly surprised at how good the bridge pickup sounds
It's certainly not a tonenerd Roxy, or a wagner ironman, or a tone specific, but it's not bad by any stretch, and i'm probably in the top 1% of pickup nazis on RT
The low end is a little round and tele like and that's probably the biggest criticism I have of it - besides that, i'm really impressed
Everything else about this series, as you mentioned, is fantastic - especially for the money. The neck and frets are absolutely immaculate, and especially after some of my harrowing history with Gibson USA i'm really impressed and surprised
Rex Rocker
Well-known member
Yeah, I don't mean to say it because it doesn't sound good as is, but I'm kinda very specific as to what I'm looking for in pickups... but I go through phases, so if whenever I finally pull the trigger on a Classic I'm in the mood for something PAF-y, I'd probably keep it.
Contrary to what most people seem to think of Gibson pickups in this forum, I personally really like them. I've had good experiences with the 498T/490R, 500T, Burstbucker Pro, and BB 2 and 3. Whenenever I swap them out, it's not because I don't like them, but because I like to swap out pickups and try new ones every once in a while, or they're not what I'm looking for at that specific time.
I also think Gibson quality control gets a bad rep because there are a couple of bad examples here and there. And there shouldn't be at that price point. But the majority of them are really great, especially since they plek them. They use nicer/fancier woods than most, the necks are plek'd, the hardware is overall very good. I see lots of positives with them, but then again, they're not cheap, so that's kinda what it should be.
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DanTravis62
Moderator
I absolutely hate the 498/490, 500T - they are probably my most hated series of pickups of all time, so that's probably why I'm so surprised.
Classic 57s, and the Burstbucker 1, 2, 3 are all what I would consider "good" sounding but not best in class - they're pickups I would keep in if I really wanted a PAF style sound for classic rock, and didn't have access to Jim Wagner godwoods for some reason
The BB 61s have a different thing going on than the other BBs - the only simililarity is the "roundness" on the low end. It isn't a "loose" low end, it's just a more spanky and single coilish sound. They're definitely better for gain sounds than the other burstbucker pickups in the series, and just seem alot more versatile.
I'm guessing i'll probably end up gutting the PCB out and putting a big kid harness in there eventually, and putting my last Tonenerd Roxy i've saved for a rainy day in the bridge - but I might actually keep the BB61 neck pickup. It's really awesome sounding and splits really well - better than the other pickups in the BB series IMO
J
Junk Yard Dog
Well-known member
Love the Classic line and the Trad Pro ii's. I purchased a new 2022 60s Faded Standard less than a month ago and while it was setup great and felt great overall, I returned it because of the smaller frets. I just couldn't get past it.
Did a search online and you can see quite a few posts of folks complaining that 2019+ LPs have smaller frets than the previous years. There were several theories abound, but I am glad I saw that, because I couldn't figure out if it was just me, or my Standard, or something happening more broadly.
The general consensus was that the frets were lower thanin years passed, and some were even lower than others, where folks lived with it or sold it.
I likely could have made it work, but in the end, I didn't want to spend that coin, new, and not be more satisfied than I was.
Glad it's working for the OP and others. I'd certainly consider another 2019+, but I'd have to play it first now that I know what to look for.
I
innogator
Member
I actually prefer my 2022 Classic to my 2018 Standard. Just feels nicer. I have upgraded all the electronics though.
Wolfetone DrVintage/ Marshallhead combo is an amazing set for Les Pauls if you're thinking of swapping them out.
DanTravis62
Moderator
Doesn't surprise me at all about the standard, in some ways I thought the classic was nicer too. It's weird with gibson USA, because their QC is so inconsistent for certain years, stuff like that happens all the time.
And as far as the pickups..... I'm pretty deep down the rabbit hole as far as Les Paul pickups.
The wolfetone stuff is nice (i've tried the timbre wolf and marshallhead) but I vastly prefer the Tonenerd Roxy as an LP bridge pickup by a country mile, and though the gap is slightly smaller I prefer the wagner godwood (for low to medium output tones) and wagner ironman (for high output tones) by a large margin as well - the Roxy especially just is in a different stratosphere for the tones I go for personally. Sucks about scott, but I'm glad he's living his best life in japan (pickin up navigators and shit, lucky bastard) even if I can't harass him for pickups all the time.
No shade though, the wolfetone stuff is nice - and definitely an upgrade over the 61's, i'm sure. I'm just waaaay deeper down the pickup rabbit hole/picky about les paul pickups because i've been gigging/playing LPs for so long, and gotten to A+B just about everything commonly found as a recommendation.
I just never play with fancy splits and switching crap and want to ride it out until the PCB inevitably craps out.
I
innogator
Member
Oh I definitely get it. I went further down the hole with strat pickups but the Marshallhead bridge pickup just does the hot PAF hard rock thing so good for me. I like the Custombuckers in my '58 RI for lower gain stuff too.
I have two sets of Tom Holmes pickups I haven't decided what to put them in yet. Have you ever got to try his pickups? They're pretty highly recommended so hoping they're pretty solid. I'll have to check out some of the others you mentioned.
DanTravis62
Moderator
It's funny, with gear no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you always end up going down a handful of rabbit holes whether you like it or not
I've played a couple of sets of tom holmes but never owned them. They're interesting, and definitely really high quality, but more vintage than my normal interest range. They aren't exactly a reproduction of a vintage PAF (which, i've played a handful) but they are awesome and have their own thing going on. They have a very articulate high mids focus which works well with lower gain boomer tones. Vocal? Maybe? That might be the best way to describe it. They're really really nice, but way too polite for my general humbucker usage, which is why i've never taken the jump, along with the price.
I'm guessing they will probably replace your custombuckers for lower gain stuff - they really excel at that, and are super impressive in general for that type of pickup. Whether it's worth the cost? Well, like most things, that last like 10% of quality is not gonna be cheap.
As far as the other pickups I talked about, yeah if you haven't tried the wagner stuff you 100% should. Especially if you like "hot paf" type tones, although he makes a variety of them.
Scott's no longer making the Tonenerd stuff, but if it shows up used/on reverb that would definitely be something to jump on. He made a bunch of excellent models - the Roxy is just my personal favorite. A5, around 17k asymmetrical... it sounds like it would be too hot and get into the "flat" zone most high output humbuckers get into, but it just doesn't.
I
innogator
Member
Awesome info, thanks for sharingIt's funny, with gear no matter how hard you try to avoid it, you always end up going down a handful of rabbit holes whether you like it or not
I've played a couple of sets of tom holmes but never owned them. They're interesting, and definitely really high quality, but more vintage than my normal interest range. They aren't exactly a reproduction of a vintage PAF (which, i've played a handful) but they are awesome and have their own thing going on. They have a very articulate high mids focus which works well with lower gain boomer tones. Vocal? Maybe? That might be the best way to describe it. They're really really nice, but way too polite for my general humbucker usage, which is why i've never taken the jump, along with the price.
I'm guessing they will probably replace your custombuckers for lower gain stuff - they really excel at that, and are super impressive in general for that type of pickup. Whether it's worth the cost? Well, like most things, that last like 10% of quality is not gonna be cheap.
As far as the other pickups I talked about, yeah if you haven't tried the wagner stuff you 100% should. Especially if you like "hot paf" type tones, although he makes a variety of them.
Scott's no longer making the Tonenerd stuff, but if it shows up used/on reverb that would definitely be something to jump on. He made a bunch of excellent models - the Roxy is just my personal favorite. A5, around 17k asymmetrical... it sounds like it would be too hot and get into the "flat" zone most high output humbuckers get into, but it just doesn't.
DanTravis62
Moderator
Of course! Everyone has their rabbit holes, and hot alnico pickups in les pauls are one of mine
ultimatemetalguitartones
Well-known member
Congrats! One of my buddies had both a Classic and a Standard - We both much preferred the Classic, so he sold the Standard. For some reason the Classic feels better.