Classic 57 or what for a 335 ?

I don't have one now, but I used to have a 333 with 57s, and it sounded amazing. I think if you're going to stick to Gibson pups, the consensus is that 57s are the best for this type of guitar.

 

Having been through a lot of PAFish humbuckers I 'd have to say that I dont' really like AlNiCo II humbuckers in 335 style guitars.

I would go for AlNiCo V either Kloppman 58s if money is no object or Lollars otherwise. Tom Short is also said to have some nice AlNiCo Vs that fit 335s nicely but I haven't had the chance to try those.

I would also say that the '57s are way too bass heavy for my taste. Best pickups I 've personally had the chance to play on a 335 were some late sixties or early seventies T-Tops but with their prices and the risk factor involved in them I wouldn't recommend them.

 

The classic 57 in my 335 drove me nuts. Swapped the mags for AlNiCo IVs, helped some. Finally put a pair of SD 59s in.
Good to go

 

I have a PRS SE Semihollow (I know, not a 335, but have used both pups in it) and had a 57 classic set and then put a SD seth lover in the neck. The neck seth was better IMHO than the 57 classic. The seth neck and the 57 classic bridge made a nice combo in the middle position. 57 classic is brighter IMHO. Wanting to try another seth in the bridge or a dimarzio 36 ann. paf, but haven't got around to it yet. The dimarz is a really smooth bridge pup (at least in my friends les paul copy), not harsh like a lot of bridge pups sound...to me, anyway

 

I like the Lollar Imperial Low Winds in mine.

 

My Epi Dots have SD59's and Lollar Imperials Midwind. They sound similar to each other, but both have nice strong ringing cleans.

 

Expand on that statement if you would... what risk?
My Ttops in my 71 sound wonderful. 57 classics in my 93 not so much.

 

I have Seth Lovers in my Hamer 335-type and am very happy with them, esp the neck and the neck+middle position. I don't often play the bridge pickup alone on HB guitars in general unless I'm rocking and the 335 would be my choice for that.

The only reason I'd change would be to go to something much higher output in the bridge for a different sound for singing type leads in that position... like a Tone Zone or Air Norton but I'd be afraid it would change the middle position sound too radically though maybe with a treble bleed on the bridge volume, it might work out.

I think, at this point if I were to buy a 335 type that came without pickups, I'd go for the Burstbucker 1 & 2 combo if sticking with Gibsons or a Lollar Imperial Low Wind in the neck and something a bit hotter in the bridge, mabye an A8 El Rayo.

 

I’ve been contemplating swapping out the ‘57s in my 335 for something else for almost a year now and have read lots of threads on different guitar forums on that subject. While I’ve seen a lot of different makers come up, the most often recommended pickups are Lollar Imperials in either the standard or low wind versions. That’s probably what I’ll buy when I finally decided to do it. I’ve been putting it off because I hate swapping pickups in 335s. What a royal PITA!

The stock '57s are just too thick in the mids and bass for my tastes.

 

I'm personally quite happy with 57's in my 335, however I could understand how some might find them a little thick. When the venue permits I use a Super Reverb and I think the '57's with a fender amp are great, though the low wind lollars seem like they might make a bit of an improvement.

I'm curious though if anyone who has wanted to change out the stock 57's has tried either of the RS wiring kits for the 335 first and found that to make substantial difference.

 

For what it's worth, I have a 50th Anniversary 1960 335, which comes with the Gibson Historic 500k pots and the re-issue bumble bee caps. Even with the 500k pots (as opposed to the 300k pots that come on the USA 335s), the '57s are a little to thick for me.

 

Lollar Imperials for me, I personally prefer the regular winds for just a little more fatness.

 

The 57s are great but I opted for some Voodoo 59s. These just do it better for me. The 57s are a bit compressed and don't have the clarity and bite and 'looseness' (especially in the mids) of the Voodoo 59s.

 

I would not change out my 57's in my historic.. I adjust vol and tone.. can have quite a range..

 

I was going to but in 57s in my 335 along with R&S pots and Caps.
Billy at R&S convinced me that Burstbucker 1&2s were a better fit tone wise.
Sooooo I took his advice.
Found BB 1&2 new for 108.00 each no tax delivered.....best thing... there Un-potted!
Great tone............really refined.

 

Very interesting. I have some BB 1&2s laying around that I pulled out of my R0. I was thinking that they might really open things up in my 335.

 

I have had 2 sets of 57's and I know EXACTLY what you are talking about.

Cheapest fix is using a volume pedal to back down the hit to the amp.
(Larry Carlton trick)

Next would be gently melting the wax out of a set of Alnico2 pro duncans.

Next I would recommend as first choice a reasonably priced custom winder like Smits.

I also am using Seth Lovers in one guit, and BK stormy mondays in another...more expensive solutions.

Also I hear the Lollar low winds are good...possibly a bit sterile...don't know for sure.

Finally I highly recommend the 4 wire sets so you can split them down whe you find the need.

 

Never tried 57s. Are they bright/dark? Medium/hot output? Any good for rock and pop? Considering upgrading my Epiphone Les Paul soon.