Different black plastic pups ;)

[TBird1958]

Here's a variation on black plastic pups I hadn't seen........

It would be interesting to take one apart, that makes four variations in pick up design post '88

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ORIGINAL-1987-GIBSON-BASS-IV-THUNDERBIRD-BASS-8-05K-FRONT-PICKUP-AW-/380653557569?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item58a0b85741#ht_323wt_655

[Bionic-Joe]

What may be cool is to put those in some of those chrome/nickel covers!!!

[godofthunder]

Never seen that! Vedy Interestink.

[Dave W]

Same seller has a mudbucker (without cover) at half the starting bid of this one. Wonder why he thinks this is so special?

[hollowbody]

That seller used to have an account on eBay under "rodsguitars" until he had a few snafus.

[Highlander]

Not had the opportunity to see the differences...

What is significant about this one...?

(nice new moniker, Mr Cooper... )

[Bionic-Joe]

Thanks! I thibk I had a set of these years and YEARS ago...in a n '86 Heather Poly Thunderbird bass...that I paid $600.00 for....then swapped out the pickups for Chandler's and made everything CHROME/NICKEL....wonder where that bass is now....WAS in Chicago....That was one of the basses that I had swapped for my Hamer 8 string T bird...that and a stripped '76......

[Highlander]

There are times when your instrument collection has been somewhat akin to a revolving door...

How's the general situation with you now...? work appeared in any decent guise...? hopefully yes...

[Dave W]

Why is this special, anyway? How would you know it's different inside from the other variations?

[Bionic-Joe]

I DON'T know...but it has a metal base plate...which leads me to think so...but hey...who the hells knows with the inconsistencies Gibson is known for...
   As far as my gear...I don't have a job so my gear is at a stand still...1 1964T bird II and 2 1965  T Bird  II's and 1 1990 Hamer T bird 8 string....1976 Hiwatt 200 watt head with 2 SE4122 4x12-Full Stack and my trusty 1970's Gallien Krueger 400B with a 410T cab.

I do want to build a Korina Futura 4 string...all Korina..set neck..with a Vintage T bird Bridge and T bird pickups...someday..someday...

[Dave W]

It does say "Gibson Bass IV/Thunderbird." I wonder if this is actually a pickup taken from a 1987 Gibson IV and is not the same as a Thunderbird pickup.

[Nocturnal]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-1987-Gibson-Bass-IV-Bass-Guitar-Project-/230992488218?pt=Guitar&hash=item35c839a71a

He is also selling a stripped Bass IV body which is probably where the pickups came from.

[dadagoboi]

The steel plate on the bottom of original design TBird pickups is a big part of the sound because of what it does to the magnetic field and all the other EE stuff.  This might be a transition from alnico to ceramic magnet pickups.  I'd expect it to sound different from either all metal or all plastic covered pickups.

[Dave W]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-1987-Gibson-Bass-IV-Bass-Guitar-Project-/230992488218?pt=Guitar&hash=item35c839a71a

He is also selling a stripped Bass IV body which is probably where the pickups came from.

If that's the case, then this may not be a Thunderbird pickup. Yes, I know it looks like one, and in the past some of us have assumed the IV had Thunderbird pickups, but AFAIK Gibson's catalogs never said that.

[uwe]

I was under the impression that the IVs/Vs and the reintroduced TBird had the same pups initially. Then the IV/V fell by the wayside and the TBird carried on getting eventually vamped up versions of the TB pup. To all intents and purposes the IV/V should be a modern ergonomic TBird at its outset (Phil Jones, who designed it, told me) it wouldn't have made sense to have consciously given it different pupps to what it should emulate.