Bartolini Thunderbird CB pickups?

[Dark Storm]

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Gibson-Thunderbird-Bass-Guitar-Pickup-Set-Chrome_W0QQitemZ250421521068QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item250421521068&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177

Are these really Thunderbird pickups, never seen them with plastic rings before, look to me more like Les Paul Bass pickups....

[Dave W]

See here: http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=2316.0

IMHO they're Gibson TB Plus pickups from the discontinued LP Standard Bass, they don't fit a Thunderbird rout.

[Dark Storm]

I see thanks, the rout would be no problem, as its a new build, and I'll be routing for them myself.

They might suit me better than the Barts, and cost much less, but I loose the four condutor, can still do a series/parallel on the plus side.

[gweimer]

Are these the CBGB pickups?  If so, they are the ones in the Holy Crap bass (see avatar).  They are, as Uwe told me, from a Les Paul bass, but it just happened that they fit my Epi perfectly.  All I had to do was drill a hole in one side of the ring for the mount.  They are WICKED aggressive.  The Holy Crap bass quickly became my fave (over my Hamer) after I dropped the pickups in.  Combined with whatever crap electronics were on the original harness, my bass runs hotter than any active, and is easily capable of peeling the paint off the back wall of a small/medium club.

[Dark Storm]

I honestly don't know.

The first ones I was looking at, were Bartolini Thunderbird replacements, but I found the above on eBay,
Dave W said they are TB Plus pickups, of the Standard Les Paul Bass, but in the other thread he linked, said he thought they were the same as whats under the black covers on modern Thunderbirds, Gibson, I'm assuming, if so, they should suit me perfectly.

CBGB pickups, I don't know what they are, I'm assumong a Classic Bass model of Bart?

[Dave W]

I'm not sure we've ever established that the TB Plus of the Thunderbird are the exact same as the TB Plus of the Les Paul Standard basses. I've never owned either. They are both apparently twin rail humbuckers with ceramic magnets below. It's likely that the coils are the same size, just the enclosures are different. We would have to have photos of the innards and output measurements to know for sure.

I know we have seen the insides of the TB Plus in the Gibson SG reissue bass, the coils are the same type and may be identical but they're widely separated under that big cover so the sound wouldn't be the same.

Unfortunately nobody at Gibson's CS department seems to know.

[Dark Storm]

I see, I know its hard to find these things out for certain, espcially if Gibson don't know!
But, being of similar build, I would assume, a somewhat similar sound?

I've heard a few of the Les Paul basses, and I do like their tone as well.
I've discussed them in the past with member Barklessdog, so, these should do, if I can grab them.

[uwe]

I believe the blades on the TB Plus soaps are longer which is why the 4 string and the 5 string version are identical. Whether that affects sound I don't know. What I do know though is that the chrome version sounds a little more powerful and sharper, to the point of being a little rough sometimes whereas the TB Plus soaps always remain their goodnatured self.

[Dark Storm]

Powerful, sharp, rough, sound more and more appealing!