Has anyone seen this Tbird pickup before?

bdgotoh · August 28, 2011, 10:11:40 PM

I'm looking for a bass with split-coil Tbird pickups and focusing on those built between '88 and the early '90s. A 1991 popped up on TB so I asked the guy for pic of the pickup back. Has anyone ever seen one like this?

godofthunder · August 29, 2011, 05:32:12 AM

I have never seen a one like that !

Bionic-Joe · August 29, 2011, 08:53:44 AM

I've seen one of those. It's most likely a mid 80's t bird pickup. Then I think they went to the split coil and then the standard as they have now. Should sound good.

TBird1958 · August 29, 2011, 09:16:23 AM

Mid '80s? As in Custom Shop? Or when they re issued, 1988 I think?
That I'm aware of this would be the 5th distinct variation of pickups used since the re issue.

The Split Coil in this pic is from my '89

Bionic-Joe · August 29, 2011, 10:31:48 AM

Mark...is that an Orville right next to it???

TBird1958 · August 29, 2011, 11:17:05 AM

No Baz, it's one of the several variants Gibson used as stock, late '90s and '00s. I stripped the black plastic and potted it in a '76 cover.

Bionic-Joe · August 29, 2011, 12:05:07 PM

That frickin' looks like the underside of an Orville!!! I need to find one of those split coil pickups and an Orville to send to Steve Soar to back engineer!!

TBird1958 · August 29, 2011, 12:43:23 PM

I may still have the patially destroyed carcass of a split coil.........

Bionic-Joe · August 29, 2011, 01:19:23 PM

Cool. I want it to send to Steve Soar from Thunderbucker Ranch. That will be 1/2 the battle....then....one Orville with the blue epoxied bottom!!! Let me know!

TBird1958 · August 29, 2011, 01:58:43 PM

Ok Baz, I'll take a pic of it for you later today after I get off work............... With some reluctance (due to my clumsiness in trying to drill mounting holes) I'll post it's sad necrotic state

Bionic-Joe · August 29, 2011, 02:38:58 PM

Just email me at:
jswoquinn@sbcglobal.net

TBird1958 · August 29, 2011, 02:48:40 PM

Will do......but I'm prepared for a public drubbing for wrecking one too

stiles72 · August 29, 2011, 02:58:05 PM

Here is a shot of my '00 Blackbird pickup (left), along with the one from my '07 Thunderbird IV (center top) and one of the pups I just received from Denis (right). My Blackbird has always had at least 1/4 more output than my T-bird IV, and had a bigger, cleaner, rounder sound. I remember reading somewhere that the Blackbird pups were slightly different than the stock TB+ (but right now I can't find the article/source) and I've been on the hunt for a set to drop in my IV. The pups in the IV are definitely different - you can see the plastic housing is changed around the screw holes and there are also what look like two brass metal strips that you don't see on the others. There is also less of the epoxy or whatever that clearcoat filler is as well. After I got the "Denis" pups installed in the IV - I was very pleased to find out that they are a dead on match for the Blackbird.

Bionic-Joe · August 29, 2011, 03:27:59 PM

That...is cool. I wonder...could they be the same pickup??? Just packaged differently?

Hmmm....
Mark...Don't worry...I'll take the blame. This is for all of us by the way...I just want some of us nuts to have an option for a HOTTER pickup. I always HATED those preamps in the old Hamer 8 string basses...or any of that active crap. When I built the first NR T bird IV 8 string, I don't think I had ever used the Orvilles before. That was an experiment. An experiment that went CRAZY GOOD!!!!!! I used a split pickup coil t bird in the neck position of my Hamer 12 string that I built last year. I found myself turning off the bridge pickup!!! THAT is HOW GOOD it sounded. My goal is to have Steve build a Prototype spilt Pickup t bird pickup and an Orville replica. He's got the '63 and '66 down and from what I heard...works of ART!!!! Anybody got a 10k Orville to sell me??? I'll offer up the lamb of sacrifice to the altar of THUNDER!!!!!!!

TBird1958 · August 29, 2011, 11:33:35 PM

For those of you that haven't seen an Orville.......

Some pickup frontal nudity.

A chrome plated Orville, on Baz's Non Reverse 8 string, very similar to the black plastic coated Gibson in appearance

The one that RAWRS, a Greco Thunderbird II - a very loud pickup

And it pains me to show this........But here's a split coil thatmet an unfortunate end after having it's black plastic casing stripped off. ( Had to shoot it on my copy of "The Mighty Eighth" for Kenny)