The original Gibson humbucking pickup was produced in the late 1950s and was used on the Gibson Les Paul Standard model.
Today, Gibson offers Burstbucker pickups as an upgrade for other models, like the Les Paul Studio, and they are also sold as replacements for vintage guitars.
The Burstbucker pickups are designed to recreate the sound of the original humbucking pickups used in the 1950s and 1960s.
They are wound with a relatively low number of turns of wire, which results in a lower output level than modern humbuckers.
The Burstbuckers also use Alnico magnets, which provide a more "vintage" sound than ceramic or neodymium magnets.
Burstbuckers offer a warm, rich tone with a clear high end.
The Burstbuckers are divided in three main models, the Burstbucker 1, Burstbucker 2, and Burstbucker 3.
The Burstbucker 1 has a low resistance and is designed to sound like the PAF humbucker used in the 1957 and 1958 Les Paul Standard models.
The Burstbucker 2 has a slightly higher output than the Burstbucker 1 and is intended to reproduce the sound of the PAF humbuckers used in the 1959 Les Paul Standard model.
The Burstbucker 3 is a high-output humbucker that was designed for modern rock and metal music.
The Burstbucker pickups have a reputation for being high-quality and are used by many professional guitar players including Slash, Joe Perry, and Eric Clapton.