Thunderbuckers and SixxBuckers on the 'Bay

[Iome]

Don't know if it's a good price but thought i'd post it here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Thunderbucker-Pickups-Set-of-2-for-Gibson-Thunderbird-Bass-Lightly-Used-/181294193308?pt=Guitar&hash=item2a35f9da9c

And here are the SixxBuckers: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pair-Of-Gibson-Nikki-Sixx-Thunderbird-Bass-Pickups-/181293015720?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item2a35e7e2a8

Are these different from the normal Tb+ ?

[Denis]

I've been watching the Thunderbuckers.

[pilgrim9]

I am bidding on the Blackbird and a set of TB+, just need one pair for my Fenderbird. I would love to get the Thunderbuckers but just can`t afford $249 right now. The Epiphone pickups make a otherwise great bass useless, just no treble at all. I think the pickups are all TB+, the Epi Sixx`s had different pickups but the Gibsons where just TB+ from what I found on the Gibson site.

[stiles72]

My Sixxbird's pups sound very different than my Thunderbird IV. The output is louder, smoother, and a bit darker. The IV didn't have anywhere near the output, and the mids were more pronounced and aggressive in comparison.  I bought a set of black TB+ pups from Dennis a while back that looked like they may have came from a Blackbird, and loaded them into my IV. They were a closer match, but still not quite exact.  Nice pups nonetheless.

[Dave W]

The seller of the Thunderbuckers is a member here (kebo) although he hasn't been active in ages.

[Iome]

If i'm not wrong the Sixx Tbird has a different wiring (no volume or no tone...or both, can't remember). Could less/different pots and caps change the sound in a audible way???

[dadagoboi]

If i'm not wrong the Sixx Tbird has a different wiring (no volume or no tone...or both, can't remember). Could less/different pots and caps change the sound in a audible way???

Not that much.   Judging from stiles72's description of the sound Sixx pickups are overwound with hotter magnets.  That's the usual way to make a pickup louder and darker.

A ThunderBucker MAX is twice as loud (3dB) than an original 60s NR pickup using that trick.

[Iome]

At least Gibson has made something different from the usual Tb+...

[stiles72]

Gibson listed them as "TB+" (same as the IV), but I'm pretty sure they are overwound as Carlo mentioned.

Unlike Gibson, Epiphone actually published some specs a while back that list the differences between their "Deep Sixx" pickups and their other Thunderbird pickups:

http://rowbinet.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/gibson-epiphone-pickups2.jpg