Lollar Thunderbird pickups, anyone like them?

Johnbob · April 20, 2010, 01:02:02 PM

What do you guys think of the Lollar Thunderbird pickups? How do they compare to the original 60's and 70's pickups? Has anyone put them in their Bachbird? If so, did they fit? I was thinking about buying some but I was wondering what people thought of them and if they fit into the NOS Gibson pickup covers that Greatdealz sell? Any thoughts or reviews would be appreciated.

Denis · April 20, 2010, 01:19:20 PM

Greatdealz is out of the pickup covers...

Johnbob · April 20, 2010, 01:23:41 PM

I know I actually just got the last one last week. I emailed them awhile ago and they finally got back to me and said they had one left. They said that they doubt they would find anymore but that it might be possible.

gweimer · April 20, 2010, 01:29:31 PM

I haven't had any experience with the Lollar T-Bird pickups, but I've used a couple others from him. One was a custom one-off that he made for my Epi EB-1 project. He made a pickup that dropped under the mudbucker cover, and was a beautifully warm sound. Based on that, I used his Precision pickup for my fanfret project. I'm now converted from Barts to Lollars. I get more comments on how great that bass sounds, and it's really my workhorse. All my love of the BaCHBird and Scroll bass aside, that Lollar really gets the job done for me. I'd go for one of his T-Bird pickups in a heartbeat.

And, I've got one of the covers, if anyone is interested. Make me an offer (I don't remember what I paid) that's reasonable, and I'll probably be willing to part with it. I'm in the process of trying to buy a condo, so my bass projects are on indefinite hold. If I don't buy this place, they're going to boot us. The managing company has decided no more lease tenants. Talk about your life sucks moment.

Johnbob · April 20, 2010, 01:33:18 PM

I definitely want that cover if possible, I need one more. I just paid $30 for one, does that sound fair? I can Paypal you today and I will give another $5 for shipping.

gweimer · April 20, 2010, 02:22:47 PM

Quote from: Johnbob on April 20, 2010, 01:33:18 PM
I definitely want that cover if possible, I need one more. I just paid $30 for one, does that sound fair? I can Paypal you today and I will give another $5 for shipping.

PM me for details

Aussie Mark · April 20, 2010, 04:58:51 PM

If the t-bird pickups are as good as the Lollar P-bass pickups they will be very good indeed. The Lollars on my two Nash P basses are the nicest P bass pickups I've ever heard.

Johnbob · April 21, 2010, 02:52:44 PM

Yeah, all the Lollar pickups I have heard have been amazing which is why I was wondering about his T-bird pickups? I'm actually very surprised that no one on here has checked them out yet. Especially with all the T-bird fanatics on here and with all the Bachbird pickup mods going on on this board. I thought I was going to get more feedback from people who have tried those pickups, it seems like everyone on here has tried every other T-bird pickup out there. Getting reviews about the Lollar T-Bird pickups is hard, can't find anything on the net about them. Perhaps they are too new. I wanted to know if anyone had any luck dropping them into the NOS chrome pick ups covers, size. etc. Hmm, go figure.

TBird1958 · April 21, 2010, 04:45:43 PM

I think most of the BaCH owners haven't modified them too much as they like the sound of the stock Artec pickup, that I'm I'm aware of only Scott (GodofThunder) Joe (Chromium) Tom (gerhead289) and myself have swapped out the pups. Scott used a Seymore Duncan, while Joe and Tom used stripped Gibson TB Plus mounted into N.O.S. chrome covers. I used a Mike Lull T bass pup.
I don't doubt Lollar's pups are nice, but if I'm going to spend that kind of $$$ I might as well just get a Lull, no need to scrounge for a cover, good availabilty and since the are reverse engineered from '60s Gibson you're getting pretty much the "real deal".

gweimer · April 21, 2010, 07:41:40 PM

If I didn't have a '60s Thunderbird pickup waiting, I'd have dropped a Lollar in my BaCHBird. I got a great deal on one over a year ahead of the arrival of the bass, so I was ready. I know that Jason will pretty much follow the specs, but he can modify the windings with purposeful intent. The custom job he did for me, he said he'd back off the impedance so that I wouldn't get so much mud with the volume up. That's another bass I wish I still had.

Johnbob · April 21, 2010, 11:23:07 PM

Yeah I agree that if you were to pay for a Lollar you might as well go the extra mile and just get a Lull but my friend claims he could get me a deal on the Lollar's. The Lollar is a little over $100 less before the "Deal" so if he actually can get me a discount then that might work out well especially if I am buying two. But saving money wouldn't do me much good if the pickup didn't sound the way I wanted it to which is why I was asking. I can pretty much guarantee that the Lollar's sound great but I'm just wondering if it sounds like the original 60's T-bird or if it's supposed to sound like a newer more modern T-bird pickup.