Heard back from CME this morning. Turns out they are potted, "they've learned most customers appreciate them not feeding back as much" so they got with potted. Don't think I'd be one to worry about that. I've heard nothing but good things about these "S" type pickups though.
I have to echo what you said about CME! Beautiful shop and a very friendly staff.
I am glad that it all worked out well for you and ditto for the pickups being potted , which is the best . Let me tell you a story about an unpotted set of Burstbucker 1& 3 pickups that squealed so bad no matter what or which way I faced my Marshall's (2555X ) which really drove me nuts . The pickups had a nice tone , but not at the expense of the squealing .
I'll be back with my review later this weekend. Thanks again!
Kind of a Bummer if you think about it since no wax is what people have wanted from Gibson for ages, regular 2019/20 Rs don't have it, but here CME chose to specify wax. Not that it matters at the end of the day but some people want these things as close to vintage spec as possible.
I have to agree with you on this one and I imagine there were some people disappointed by the choice. I see the logic in catering to the lion's share of their customer base though. I'd be interested to hear a good comparison. We'll see how these in particular end up sounding.
A comparison is easy enough to do . If you can get a 2013 or 2014 -2018 Gibson R9 or R8 which has potted Custombuckers and then compare with a 2019 or a 2020 R9 or R8 then you can listen and decide which one suits you better .
Rightfully so as there is nothing better than opening the packing carton to get to the guitar case and then unlatching the latches and opening the case and the sweet smell of nitro hits your nostrils and then your eyes bug out as you first see your brand spanking new Les Paul and you are in euphoria until you plug in and then you are in Tonal Nirvana . You certainly have a lot to look forward to and I am excited for you !!!!!!!!!!Yeah I played a few sets of the potted custombuckers, most sound pretty damn good. There are certainly comparisons between those and the current unpotted variety. What I meant was a good comparison between the CME custom "S" buckers and the unpotted custombuckers that were introduced in 2019. CME custom "S" buckers, according to them, are an attempt at making a higher quality pickup that has a truer "vintage" sound. My guess is that they're probably more reliable and practical for a larger range of situations but wouldn't totally nail the historical sound that some players are seeking. Not saying that one is really preferable to me. My favorite guitar is an old Korean Squire Series strat that sounds absolutely phenomenal and that certainly has nothing close to high-end pickups. I'm mostly excited about the build quality and attention to detail on these 60th anniversary models though! Can't wait to get my hands on it.
Rightfully so as there is nothing better than opening the packing carton to get to the guitar case and then unlatching the latches and opening the case and the sweet smell of nitro hits your nostrils and then your eyes bug out as you first see your brand spanking new Les Paul and you are in euphoria until you plug in and then you are in Tonal Nirvana . You certainly have a lot to look forward to and I am excited for you !!!!!!!!!!
Yeah I played a few sets of the potted custombuckers, most sound pretty damn good. There are certainly comparisons between those and the current unpotted variety. What I meant was a good comparison between the CME custom "S" buckers and the unpotted custombuckers that were introduced in 2019. CME custom "S" buckers, according to them, are an attempt at making a higher quality pickup that has a truer "vintage" sound. My guess is that they're probably more reliable and practical for a larger range of situations but wouldn't totally nail the historical sound that some players are seeking. Not saying that one is really preferable to me. My favorite guitar is an old Korean Squire Series strat that sounds absolutely phenomenal and that certainly has nothing close to high-end pickups. I'm mostly excited about the build quality and attention to detail on these 60th anniversary models though! Can't wait to get my hands on it.
May I ask if you play thru a high gain amp like a Marshall or a Friedman ? For me high gain amps and un potted humbuckers are a recipe for unwanted noise and squealing . I have been there and save your self the headache and avoid .For me there is something wrong going on here.
Gibson makes a sloppy job with non precise parts on their humbuckers. If they fix their bad work with potting a humbucker to death, its called a more reliable product?
I know that unpotted pickups like Duncan Ant can feed back, but tight coils, precise parts and exact assembly job do the trick. The least thing i had to do was waxing the magnet and melting it to the bobbin and the baseplate.
For me there is something wrong going on here.
Gibson makes a sloppy job with non precise parts on their humbuckers. If they fix their bad work with potting a humbucker to death, its called a more reliable product?
I know that unpotted pickups like Duncan Ant can feed back, but tight coils, precise parts and exact assembly job do the trick. The least thing i had to do was waxing the magnet and melting it to the bobbin and the baseplate.
Also to take it a step further ThroBak who makes all of my humbuckers (MXV-SLE-101 Plus with A5 magnets ) wax pots my humbuckers and you would be amazed and dare I say you might not be able to pick out or tell potted or un potted pickups , as it is such a fine line on the tonal spectrum . Yes , plenty of comparison tests have been done it is really a fine line separating the 2 , and for me makes a world of difference . Life is good when we have choices is all I am saying .
Any further thoughts on the Custom S Buckers? Do you still have them in your LP? I love them in mine, playing through a Tone King Royalist 45C and a Friedman Runt 20.Sure, but did Gibson actually use precise parts and institute quality workmanship on their pickups starting in 2019 with their new unpotted custombuckers? What's the difference if they're as sloppily built as before?
Now when I said "reliable" I was specifically referring to the CME Custom 'S' buckers exclusive to that shop. According to CME, Gibson builds them with a much greater attention to detail and they're modeled after a genuine PAF set they have in the CME shop. Maybe it's just a marketing tactic but I bet there is some truth to that. I also said they were probably more reliable for their customer base (which is exactly what I was told by their staff). I don't know what type of player that is exactly but that's their prerogative as a business. That being said, I was surprised and somewhat disappointed that CME did not have Gibson build out unpotted version of that 'S' bucker pick up. If they're going for a true vintage sound that's the route they should go. The set I received sounds damn good and a huge improvement on a previous set of custombuckers I had. I'm curious what they would sound like unpotted because I imagine that would fit my playing style and taste even more. BUT it works well for me now and until I have something to compare it to, I'm perfectly happy.
I completely agree with you that there is something wrong with Gibson's attitude of sloppily manufacturing a pickup and potting it up to make up for a lack of quality and attention to detail. If I'm shelling out that kind of cash, I want top quality.