Newly designed 480 Alnico 5 single coil pickup in the neck position.
Unlike the typical screw pole pieces in the P-90, the 480 has large rectangular pole pieces, which are both unique in shape and distinctive in sound. Most pickups made during this era had a long magnet with screw like pole pieces deriving their magnetic properties from proximity to the core magnet. The thing that sets the 480 apart from other pickups of this era was that the pole pieces themselves were actually individual magnets, and thus the 480 had six individual Alnico pole piece magnets. This pickup was designed by the legendary Seth Lover, who is best known as the inventor of the Humbucking pickup, which later revolutionized the sound of the Gibson guitar line. The 480 Alnico pickup found on the 1954 Gibson Les Paul Custom is nothing short of amazing. When it is cranked up to 10, it is more loud and powerful than a typical P-90, and produces a sound that can vary from warm creamy sound to a stingingly sweet bite. When the volume is turned down a bit, the 480 Alnico 5 produces a warm jazzy sound that just cannot be believed unless you hear it. Mr. Les Paul himself was noted to prefer the middle position on the toggle switch, thus engaging both pickups, and adjusting them to get the best of both worlds.
For the technically minded, there are 12 different types of Alnico magnets (Alnico 1 through 12), and Alnico 2 and Alnico 5 are the most commonly used in making guitar pickups, although Alnico 3, 4, 6, 7, and 8 have also been used at times. Each different Alnico Magnet has different magnetic properties, and each one has different sound characteristics. Alnico is a composite material that is made of a combination of Aluminum, Nickel, Cobalt, and Iron. Different types of Alnico magnets are used in different types of pickups, and each produces different sounds qualities. The original 1954 Les Paul Custom introduced the Alnico 5 pickup to the Les Paul, and these specially designed single coil pickups are also found on the 1954 Reissue. The Alnico 5 pickup employs a higher strength magnet with a very directional (Isotropic) pattern, and is noted for its distinctive tone. The pickups on this guitar produce a very classic and distinctive sound, and according to Gibson, every effort was made to be sure that these pickups were wound to the same specifications that were used in the 1950’s. For those of you out there who want to have a sound that is like no other, you must consider the 1954 Les Paul Custom because the 480 Alnico 5 pickup sounds like no other, and the combination of the P-90 and 480 is distinctively unique. The 480 Alnico 5 is a very rarely seen pickup, and was only used on Gibson’s top of the line jazz guitars and the Les Paul Custom, and they were only used for three years, beginning in 1954. Starting in 1957, when the Humbucking pickup was introduced, the production of the 480 was sadly discontinued.
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