Gibson Custombuckers - USA 2018

Gibson's Custombuckers were developed for the Custom Shop's Historic instruments as their take on the original late 1950s PAF humbucker. Rather than making them hotter or more modern, the idea is to retain some of the inconsistencies that gave original PAFs their character, particularly the relationship between the two coils, lower magnetic pull and an unpotted construction.

This set dates from 2018 and uses Alnico III magnets, giving the pickups a relatively open response with less magnetic pull on the strings than many higher output humbuckers. The coils are intentionally wound with some degree of mismatch rather than being perfectly symmetrical, contributing to the clarity, harmonic detail and slightly uneven character associated with vintage PAFs.

They're also left unpotted, an important part of their vintage style construction. Without wax filling the spaces between the windings and components, the pickups remain more mechanically lively and responsive, much like the original humbuckers Gibson was looking back to when developing the Custombucker.

Tonally, these sit firmly in vintage PAF territory rather than modern high output humbuckers. The neck remains open and articulate, while the bridge has the midrange presence and attack needed to push a valve amp without becoming overly compressed. For anyone looking to bring a Les Paul, SG, ES style guitar or another twin humbucker instrument closer to the response of Gibson's Historic models, a genuine set of Custombuckers is a great place to start.

Specifications:

Year: 2018
Model: Gibson Custombucker
Configuration: Humbucker Set
Positions: Neck & Bridge
Magnet: Alnico III
Construction: Dual Coil Humbucker
Winding: PAF-Inspired Offset Coil Wind
Potting: Unpotted
Output: Vintage
DC Resistance: Varies Between Individual Custombuckers
Polepieces: Adjustable
Lead Wire: Vintage-Style Braided
Cover: Nickel
Quantity: 2 Pickups
Made In: USA