The 1957 set opens Gibson's P.A.F. Reissue run, the year the Patent Applied For humbucker first went into Gibson electrics. It is the brightest and most forceful of the four years. Long, rough-cast Alnico 5 magnets and unbalanced coils give it a tight, punchy low end, a clear top and a slightly scooped middle, with a fast attack and strong separation between notes.
Gibson builds these sets to the same standard as its 1959 Collector's Edition humbuckers, working from 3D scans of original late-'50s pickups, careful study of those originals and specifications from its own archives. Each pickup is wound with 42 AWG plain enamel wire on Gibson's vintage coil winders, on Double Vintage Black butyrate bobbins, with maple spacers, vintage-correct steel slugs and keeper bars, True Historic nickel covers, two-conductor wiring and Patent Applied For decals, left unpotted. Gibson even copies the tooling marks on the baseplate feet. The sets leave out the Collector's Edition's Lifton case, individual serial numbers and mounting rings. Each set is a treble and a rhythm pickup.
Pick the '57 when you want the pickups to cut through a band mix, or when you play with gain and want every note of a chord to stay distinct. For the most even voice of the four, look at the 1958 set. For the classic Burst sound, the 1959.
SPECIFICATIONS
SPECS
Position: Both (Set of Two)
Magnets: Alnico 5
Wiring: 2-Conductor
Cover: True Historic Nickel
Bobbins: Double Vintage Black Butyrate
Potting: Unpotted
Average DC Resistance: 8.1k (Treble), 7.5k (Rhythm)
Wire: 42 AWG plain enamel
Mounting Rings: Not included
