Choose Your Language / Location
USA: 1-800-4GIBSON
Europe: 00+8004GIBSON1
GibsonProductsStoreNews-LifestyleLessonsCommunity24/7 Support
Products Electric Guitars Les Paul Epiphone
Pickups
Pickups Models
Gibson U.S.A. BurstBucker™ humbuckers. BurstBuckers™ replicate the sound of Gibson's original "Patent Applied For" pickups—the pickups that gave the '59-'60 Les Paul Standards their legendary sound. Made like the originals, with unpolished magnets, they include variations in pickup output and tone thanks to magical inconsistencies in winding the bobbins, a result of the lack of automatic shutoffs on Gibson's winding machines in the late 1950s—heard as a little extra "edge" or "bite" on the classic humbucker sound.

The neck pickup is a BurstBucker-2 and is slightly under-wound for a "medium" vintage output. The bridge pickup is a Burstbucker-3 that is wound in the range of a slightly hotter vintage PAF, and which works well in combination with the BB-1 in the neck. Both are updated with double vacuum wax potting, to enable them to resist microphonic squeal at high volumes. Pickups
Magnet Material
Gibson's BurstBuckers™ are made with unpolished Alnico II magnets, just like the venerated PAF pickups of the mid to late '50s. Magnet Material Tonal Characteristics
In the neck position the BurstBucker-2 is smooth, creamy and warm, offering round, vocal lead tones and a thick, bluesy voice. The BurstBucker-3 in the bridge position provides more cut and bite, and can roll from jangle, chime and twang through a clean amp, to thumping crunch, to singing rock lead tones in a high-gain amp. Together, they offer all the superb versatility of an original PAF-loaded 'Burst.
Electronics
Controls
The Joe Bonamassa Les Paul uses an independent Volume control each both pickup, which consists of a quality 300K linear potentiometer for a smooth, natural volume roll-off. The guitar also carries two independent Tone controls, each consisting of a 500K non-linear potentiometer and a .022uF tone capacitor for a smooth, natural transition from bright to warm as the control is rolled counter-clockwise. Controls
Toggle Switch
The Joe Bonamassa Les Paul features a quality all-metal Epiphone three-way toggle switch for pickup selection. Toggle Switch Output Jack
The guitar features a quality 1⁄4" output jack. Output Jacks