GIBSON's Rarest Humbuckers? Maybe... | Guitar Tweakz

#gibson #es335 #es330
Pickups don't surprise me too often. Well... these ones really did! Haha!
I've never heard of these special Gibson pickups in this ES-330L.
Learn all about them in this video.
Welcome to Guitar Tweakz!
Timestamps:
Intro playing
Introduction 00:43
Very different guitars 01:14
The acoustic sound 02:32
Amplified sound 03:46
The amp 04:14
Dirty sounds 04:29
What are these pickups? 05:20
Let's measure the pickups 06:06
Comparison | dirty 07:25
The official Gibson specs 07:48
Comparison | clean-ish 08:43
Are these MHS like Filtertrons then? 09:59
COmparison | ROCK 10:53
A will swap my ES-335, but why? 12:12
Gear used in this video:
-Gibson ES-335 Traditional
(here's a specs wise very similar ES-335: bit.ly/2pTo92j)
-Gibson ES-330L with a Bigsby
-Carl Martin Panama: bit.ly/2VsuePB
-REVV G2: bit.ly/2NbpV9R
-Tate FX Antares overdrive www.tatefx.co.uk/
-REVV Dynamis 7/40 head: bit.ly/2IxwoId
-Universal Audio OX BOX bit.ly/2IyOeuj
-One Control Agamidae switcher: bit.ly/2YZgiib
-Ernie Ball cables and strap: bit.ly/2Io0dfg
-Cordial CRI series cables: bit.ly/2XiVLBR
-Evidence Audio patch cables: bit.ly/2Ixylo1
Other gear I use in my videos:
-Fender Telecaster Custom Shop '53 reissue
(a similar custom shop tele: bit.ly/2KFVJld)
-Harley Benton Fusion-II Roasted SSP bit.ly/31FVawf
-Gibson Les Paul Custom Shop '58 reissue bit.ly/2FxKvek
-Gibson Les Paul CM 2015 - heavily modified (thin nitro refin; Lollar Dog Ear P90; Emerson electronics)
-Barocsi Troublecaster - Custom built T-style guitar with Gretsch Filtertrons
-Barocsi "Frankenstrat" (2000 Fender American Standard body + Warmoth neck)
-Bogner Ecstasy Red: bit.ly/37LtKse
(this is the current version; same sound, smaller housing)
-Coppersound Foxcatcher: coppersoundped...
-Supro Tremolo bit.ly/2Zpxn75
-REVV G3: bit.ly/2FvuANy
-REVV G4: bit.ly/2ZhxX39
-Analogman King of Tone www.analogman.com/
-Tate FX Raise the Dead Germanium: www.tatefx.co.uk/
-Source Audio Nemesis delay: bit.ly/2Dft6Gd
-Dunlop Gypsy Fuzz pedal: bit.ly/2VKw4K0
-SIB Nick Nitro (discontinued, you'll find it used)
-ENGL Fuzzyhead Fuzz: bit.ly/2QrjmPU
-J Rockett Archer overdrive: bit.ly/2Ges1z8
-Morgan 1x12 cab Twilight: bit.ly/2KFihDq
-NUX SOS Looper bit.ly/31TMxPx
The speech mic:
-SENNHEISER MKH 416: bit.ly/2w1EAMP
Audio Interface:
-Audient iD44: bit.ly/2Jo73zN
These links are affiliate links; use them to support my channel. Thank you!
Check out the Thomann Music channel for some wicked guitar videos:
/ musikhausthomann
Follow me on instagram:
www.instagram....
Cheers,
Kris Barocsi

[@farkasgabor3491]

These special MHS humbuckers have the same 42 gauge wire and number of turns like normal MHS , so one coil inside is about 3.8kOhm with 5000 turns. Normal I mean when the two coils inside are in series , so then this case resistance is doubled to 7.6kOhm. But this special MHS L version has the two coils (slug and screw) in parallel wiring so the resistance is halved to 1.9kOhm . (These are roughly for the neckcoil not taking into consideration the asymmetry). It is a well known technique for creating a low impedance but still noiseless coil. The sound is similar to single coil but due to the wider sampling width and tilted magnetic field a bit different (less twangy). Many guitars (Epiphone Swingster e.g.) offer both parallel and serial version for both pickup switchable by push pull tone knobs.

[@hottamanful]

Thanks.. Very educative ..

[@littvay]

So basically take a 4 conductor normal PAF and wire the two coils parallel to get this result. Sounds easy enough.

[@dezionlion]

When did this become a thing? The vintage pads had 7 and 8 impedences?

[@frantisca]

Awesome: thanks for your explanation Gábor !

[@farkasgabor3491]

@@littvay see my new comment

[@stanislavmigra]

The more I play, the more I enjoy uncopressed sounding and reacting guitars. I was thinking, that 335 are good in this regard, but that 330 showed some other level here. Just wow :-O.

[@raymon8044]

I remember when I first saw those 330L's, it was like my dream ES that would never see myself spending that kind of money on. I let it pass and try to forget about it. Fast forward about 2 years, I bought an affordable Gibson Les Paul after a bit of bad year for me but I wasn't happy with the Lester and by strike of luck an old stock ES330L pops up online at the retailer I got the Lester from in the 30 day return policy of the Les Paul. This time I jumped on it and forced myself to spend the extra cash on it. Cool to see a video about it giving some additional info instead of a guy noodling jazzchords for 3 minutes.

[@Oilid]

I recorded some black metal tracks (in my youth) with an Epiphone semi-hollow. People does underestimate the power of the semi-hollow.

[@philippsvetashkov7070]

Your 335 will be loved, buddy! I appreciate her a lot!

[@KrisBarocsi]

I know you do amigo, that’s the only reason I said yes to our trade. Haha! It’s such a good 335. 💛 Cheers buddy

[@picksalot1]

Good deal for both of you. I also like the clarity of those low DC resistance pickups.

[@KrenarCilkuGuitar]

Great Video, thoroughly enjoyed it.. Using that REVV amp really shows the characteristics of a guitar! Cheers!

[@KozmykJ]

That's very interesting Kris. I remember Gibson doing a range of specifically Low Impedance pickups but this trick of lowering standard construction humbuckers is one that slipped under the radar for sure.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Exactly! They should’ve marketed these better. I mean now it’s too late for the Memphis Factory but I’m sure people would’ve loved this option.

[@TheBedroomRocker1]

I had never seen such low output humbuckers! Very interesting and it sounds great. At the same time, so confusing that Gibson labels them all as MHS Humbuckers... I understand that the "classic PAF sound" does not mean much, since back in the 60s there was a lot of spec variations and Gibson was using different Alnico magnets and wiring them manually with low tolerances, but it would really help customers if they labeled and reported specs on current models more accurately and consistently

[@KrisBarocsi]

Well they do label their other pickups „right“ and pretty transparent. This is the only hidden and forgotten Gibson PU I ever came across. At least from recent years. Who knows what PU experiments they had in the 70‘s and 80‘s. Haha

[@TheBedroomRocker1]

@@KrisBarocsi Yes, I guess you're right. I probably just get confused because they have so many PAFs like 57 Classic/Plus, BurstBucker 1/2/3, MHS, and then there's Burst Bucker Pro, which is actually more modern voiced, among others... but it's indeed relatively well documented

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

@@TheBedroomRocker1These were probably a 330 exclusive job. They are obviously regular PAFs wired parallel instead of in series internally. You can easily acheive the same with any 4 wire PAF pickup. In fact, there are loads of guitars out there with factory series/parallel switching built in.

Oh my gosh. I’m blown away by this guitar.

[@jeffreyeagen4896]

That's very interesting! Maybe the lower output pickups is to help fight the feedback issues hollow bodies are known for?

[@jdl2180]

That's what I think

[@whiggy]

The ES-330L sounds way more natural and unforced to my ear... love the sound and I can totally see how I would be inspired by it too; so free and unapologetic....

[@alanst.4417]

Now that's an awesome tone, Chris! Chimey, defined and transparent. I loved it instantly, too. Glad that you shared it with us including your thoughts. Just wish these PUs weren't so rare.

[@ltvddvtl]

You know what it reminds me of somehow with the chimey? DeArmond Gold Tones.

[@willdenham]

They sound amazing!

[@johnora3857]

The Moment they are plugged in the 335 really shines

[@jamesbrowne9033]

I expect the coils are wired in parallel as opposed to series. This would half the resistance (of a single coil) and brighten the tone..

[@DMSProduktions]

THAT makes more sense! Would be an easy job to rewire them to the volume pots and make them in series, and get the full power! It did have that parallel type of sound! I had a Kramer wired like this, with 2 Duncans in it and it was really shrill sounding and noisy! (NO hum cancellation!) Sure enough they were wired parallel output in phase and what I thought was the coil 'split' was the same parallel, OUT of phase! Sounded like arse! (They were also wired to 250K pots!) Got it all rewired in series to 500K pots, with proper splitting, and bang, fat & LOUD, compared to thin and shrill!

[@jamesbrowne9033]

@@DMSProduktions switch or push/pull pot would give you access to both tones. Easy mod.

[@DMSProduktions]

@@jamesbrowne9033 I did say that!

[@frantisca]

Yup: I had an HSS Strat with a Seymour Duncan that had a push-push switch to go from series to parallel.

[@pablo.l]

Very interesting comparison never paid attention to the 330L. yeah it's weird that sound but could be cool for certain styles I think these could be cool for funk. Also if you combine one of these pickup with a traditional humbucker .. That could be super versatile. Beautiful guitars btw

[@hkguitar1984]

I've had a chance to spend a considerable amount of time with an early 1980s MasterBuilt Epiphone Casino w/P90s. The 330L is the Gibson version of the Epiphone Casino. To my ears your spot-on in your assessment of the tonal/voicing differences between the full hollow body and the semi-hollow body. Each instrument has it's intended use and they both sound very different. Not sure why your pickup readings seem off/low, I've never encountered that with any of the Gibson Humbuckers. Good Demo and great looking guitars, something about their large size in the color black, very handsome indeed.

[@ltvddvtl]

@hkguitar1984 what would you say these intended uses are? I have heard the notion that the Casino and 330 are rhythm guitars and the 335 is a lead guitar. Is this what you mean? Or you are talking about genres?

[@hkguitar1984]

@@ltvddvtl When I said "Each guitar has it's intended use", well that was kind of dumb and inaccurate of me. I've played both, they each have a different character (slightly more accurate description). Pretty much it depends on the Player and what sound/feel they are looking for (IMHO). I liked them both, and in most cases when confronted with a "one or the other" choice, deep down I would still choose both. Over the years I've played and accumulated many guitars, each with its own character and feel that I assign to them each after spending some time with them. I started playing back in 1974, and for many decades I owned a single amp (1976 Fender Twin Reverb) and many different guitars. Back in 2010 I realized it was really the amplifiers that provide much more tone, feel and variation. If I could do it all over again I would own very few guitars and many different amplifiers. But back to your original statement/question, I think it depends on the Player as to a guitar and if it is better suited for lead or rhythm. One Players bad choice could be another Players inspiration! Also, between the ES-330 and ES-335, early versions were different in that the ES-330 had the neck/body joint in such a way as to have poor fret access above the 17th fret, where as the ES-335 is more of a modern design with the neck joining the body at the 19th fret, I suppose poor upper fret access of the ES-330 could (in some instances) relegate that guitar to mostly rhythm use. Sorry for such a long reply, once I read my original comment it became clear I needed to clarify what I said/meant to say.

[@ltvddvtl]

@@hkguitar1984 What you say about the amps makes a lot of sense. Slowly I'm kind of getting to the same conclusion. Yes, the joining the body at 16th fret is the deal breaker for me with the ES330. It would have to be a 330L. But many believe the long neck robs the 330 of its signature tone. I believe, because of the long neck, extra structural wood might have been needed around the neck joint? Maybe that also helps to change the tone a bit. But the 16th joint could indeed be why some call it a rhythm guitar. Although guys like Gary Clark Jr would probably disagree. Between the 335, Standard 330L and this 330L with humbuckers, do you have experience? How would you put or categorize them sonically, in your opinion?

[@hkguitar1984]

@@ltvddvtl I've only played a vintage ES-330, an old Epiphone Casino and a modern ES-335. I played them many years apart and through different amplifiers. I'd hate to guess not being able to compare them all at the same time. I will say this though (as I'm sure you may already realize), if you ever pick up a guitar and immediately realize its speaking to you, or gives you a feeling, just buy it as it won't matter how the guitar really sounds, its how it makes you feel and play that will make all the difference in the long run. Just my $.02 Cents, that coming from a guy who has missed many an opportunity to obtain a guitar I should have and didn't.

[@ltvddvtl]

@@hkguitar1984 Sound advice! 🙂

[@scottdavidson6066]

Congrats on your new guitar! I love your 335, though. Are you sad to see it go?

[@gcvrsa]

Wow, that 330 sounds amazing! I've never been a huge Gibson fan or humbucker fan, but those pickups sound perfect to me. Maybe I should get an ES-330L to go with my Rickenbacker 330.

[@saaheib]

Fascinating video brother kris 😊 Thank you

[@KrisBarocsi]

DIAMOND Thank YOU Diamond! :)

[@Steven_SK]

Things that make you go hmmmmmm. Man I love the sound of those 330 pickups! The clarity was awesome. No losers in that trade Kris but... I would have done the same in a skinny! Thanks man be well!

[@adamwatson6916]

There are 2 different types of MHS pickups the MHS and the MHS 2 . The MHS are meant to be a Paf replica and have unbalanced coils and the MHS 2 is meant to be a mid 60s patent sticker replica and has balanced coils Don't know if that is the difference here but probably not as a mid 60s patent sticker pickup should measure 7.5k to 7.8k

[@frantisca]

That neck pickup on the 335...! You're right about the 330L: quite awkward. Can't be traced to any pickup I know of: P90, TV Jones.... Maybe only the Duesenberg Domino that has quite that Sparkle, although being different. Well: good luck for your swap and new guitar: besides it looks amazing with that Bigsby :)

[@Unknown-ko7xt]

*My dad used to have one of the 330 with bigsby, but to be honest I always hated that, but now I regret of what he did, offcourse sold for a 1978 strat,* Btw nice content Chris, definitely learnd something.👍

[@KrisBarocsi]

Unknown uhh that must have been a 70‘s 330, right? A great guitar I’m sure! But hey, one can use a good strat for way more things. :) Thanks Unknown!

[@Unknown-ko7xt]

@@KrisBarocsi I'm not sure if it was 70's, but I definitely know it was in his arsenal before I was even born(2000).

[@taokichavez9319]

That guitar sounds ridiculously amazing! I would have swapped it also

[@craiger2399]

That guitar is so cool! I would love a hollow body. Is the lower output on the 330 why I can hear more of your hand/pick attack/string noise, etc? I like that. It makes the whole thing sound more dynamic. I just wish it had the stronger mids of of the 335 pickups.

[@andredegiant3876]

Whoa! Those 330 pickups have less resistance than my aunt around a funnel cake. That said, I still can’t choose between these

[@macauley70]

other great episode... interesting guitar , love that rare guitars ...is not all always strat, tele, lp , 335, and other casino style gutar.. this is something diferent... perhaps one day you can make a comparative of a thinline tele vs your customshop tele

[@KrisBarocsi]

Thanks man! Yeah that tele shootout would be really interesting!

[@johnwelch557]

I prefer the 330 uncompressed sound generally. Thanks!

[@MikeLute]

Isn`t true that where are no same vintage PAF pickups? Rumor say they all differ a little bit in the amount of windings.Have fun with the 330, I hope you can put it to the test on stage in the foreseeable future!

[@PeterWasted]

There probably aren't that many people with the breadth of hands on experience to say for sure how much they vary but people do say they vary a lot. Replica PAFs are made by nearly all pickup companies and you will see quite large variation in DC resistance. Kris says these are 2 - 3 kOhm which is lower than any PAF replica I'm aware of...

[@irf888]

Hi. Very tasty video. I suspect that hollow body is adding some magic to the pickups. Ie: the 330 pickups might not sound so good in a centre block or solid body perhaps. Time for another test? Get the soldering out. Even though the 330 sounded superior, I am not trading my 2009 custom shop highly figured ES335 for anything. Enjoy.

[@PooNinja]

Love the sounds and the look but I’ve never felt comfortable with a holla or even semi holla bodys. I guess I like hardbodies... ok solidbodys doesn’t sound as dirty 😂

[@PooNinja]

Low ohms mmm like my cars subs 1.3 ohms to really work the amp 😂

[@benink5690]

I have MHS 2. Yes 2, they're alnico 5 short mags. Anyone have info on them? They are diff than MHS 1

[@tomasorrtiz]

So... is that a Humbucker which sounds like a singlecoil pu? On the 330L

[@littvay]

Never heard anything like it. Know of anyone who builds replicas of this style of pickups. I would be curious how it pairs with a tele bridge. (Most PAF pairings I was never happy with. Too overpowering even when underwound. But this is something else.)

[@OneMomentFromForever]

I wonder if this is similar to the Lollar el rayo, which has thicker pickup wire, lower dcr

[@alvaroandrx54]

How si the neck on those 330l ? I have one under the radar 😊

[@KrisBarocsi]

The neck is amazing. Nice and round, kinda big but not as much as on my R8 LP. 👍 Love it.

[@Wishmasternet]

I thought the 330 has a block under the ABR bridge.

[@justinl7640]

I don’t know how you are getting those readings on that 330L , Gibson’s website says the MHS pickups are ResistanceDC: 7526 ohms 7963 ohms

[@justinl7640]

Never mind I found the page on Gibson’s site on the 330L . Do you know of any other guitar in Gibson’s line up that has the same pick ups?

[@KrisBarocsi]

They wired these MHS pickups in parallel for the 2015 ES-330L. That’s why it reads so low.

[@boomerbassmeme]

I prefer the 330 as well 😎👍

[@elbik95]

It would be very interesting to check these pickups on a Les Paul, specially in the neck position. I looked for them on reverb and there aren't any for sale, and there's a guy on Ebay asking $200 for each. I'm definitely intrigued, and I would like to try one, but I don't think i'd pay $400 for a set, I would much rather get like Throbaks or something like that.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Luis Coll Ohh that would be very interesting to hear. Hmm... 🤔 Oh no, now you put a bug in my ear.

[@elbik95]

@@KrisBarocsi hahahaha I'm sorry dude, I was going for the Inception thing ;)

[@tremolo73]

I am in the same dilemma as you were Kris. I own a 63 RI 355 which is beautiful. But I just love the snappiness and open voice of the 330. The 335 feel a bit stiff and compressed. How do you feel about the swap after 3 months?

[@KrisBarocsi]

Hey man, I didn’t regret the swap. 😉 I absolutely love the guitar. I might change the pickups one day to a more „standard sounding“ paf but all in all I love it. Cheers

[@tremolo73]

@@KrisBarocsi good to hear that. I think I may pull the trigger on the 330L. It’s the same colour as yours. By the way - great channel, very informative videos and sublime playing 👍

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@tremolo73 thanks a lot man! The 330L is a tasty little thing, I think you'll like it too. :)

[@jdl2180]

I'm guessing regular humbuckers would feedback too much in a 330.

[@stevenheath741]

The bigsby would make a difference in itself..

[@justinl7640]

Would you be interested in selling the 330L ?

[@KrisBarocsi]

If I had to choose one humbucker loaded guitar for the rest of my life (hope that never happens, haha) it would be this 330L. It sounds and feels anazing. Sorry Justin, it’s a keeper.

[@yalefinney4125]

3 mins in and not a word about pickups yet...

[@arnolddealiii4259]

Take the 330L and play out loud and I promise you you’ll beg for the 335. Harmonic feedback will kill you with the 330L.

[@musikus7092]

Hi Kris, du kannst den Widerstand der Pu's nicht so messen wie du es gemacht hast, da Volume-Poti und Tone-Poti ja auch noch parallel zum PU liegen, und die misst du ja an der Output-Buchse mit. Besser du nimmst das Video wieder raus

[@Sevetamryn]

Pots sind 500k, zwei parallet 250 k ... das ist Größenordnngen über dem Widerstand eines PU. Der Messfehler liegt hier eher unterhalb der streuung in der PU Produktion. Das Verfahren von Kris ist für Praktiker absolut ausreichend genau.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Ich wollte genau das gleiche schreiben, wie Thomas. Auch Seymour Duncan empfehlt diese Methode als Schnellcheck. Probier‘s aus, es ist nicht super exakt aber erstaunlich genau. Grüße! www.seymourduncan.com/blog/latest-updates/how-a-multi-meter-can-help-your-guitar

[@musikus7092]

@@Sevetamryn Also, entweder man misst richtig oder man lässt es bleiben. Richtig ist, dass der Unterschied nicht so groß ist, wie Kris gemessenen hat. Das sagtest du ja. Dass ein Humbucker nur 2 bis 3 kOhm hat hab ich noch nie gehört. Die Pickups haben ganz klar einen Defekt in der Wicklung

[@Sevetamryn]

@@KrisBarocsi Un wenn man es mal genau wissen will, man kann von gemessenen Wert ja auch auf den echten Wert zurückrechnen ;) ... immenoch ohne den Lötkolben auspacken zu müssen.

[@KrisBarocsi]

Musikus 70 Wie im Video gesagt, meine „ungenaue Werte“ entsprechen GENAU die offizielle Werte: legacy.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2015/Memphis/ES-330L-Humbucker.aspx Nix kaputt, so gewollt. :) Was denkst du, warum hab ich diesen Titel gewählt? 🙂

[@mattbluesmain1359]

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