Firebird Pickups, aftermarket experiences?

[Gary Nobody]

It's for my SG-24AMS

 

[madhermit]

I have an Epiphone Firebird that has the new FB720 pickups that are properly constructed Firebird pickups. They are really good and may be found for a great price if someone (foolishly) swaps them out.

 

[Gary Nobody]

I have an Epiphone Firebird that has the new FB720 pickups that are properly constructed Firebird pickups. They are really good and may be found for a great price if someone (foolishly) swaps them out.

Hmm ... GREAT idea! (I've researched Aftermarket options but didn't know about the Epi FB720. Will search :)

 

[Decadent Dan]

Mini-hums are lame anyway. Put a P-90 in there and be happy.

 

[guitarweasel]

Seymour Duncan use to make them, not sure anymore.

 

[MR D]

Mini-hums are lame anyway. Put a P-90 in there and be happy.

yeah, Mini-Humbuckers suck ! Got a set of them in a FIREBIRD and there is just no THUMP in the F-F#'s or open E....have to get rid of it because of that...and I cant put P-90 in it ,according to GIBSON USA, as the way the pickups are installed...and I just cant bring myself to take a router to that guitar either.

 

[Norton]

firebird pickups can be amazing. and they can be underwhelming. My brother built a firebird kit guitar maybe 8 years ago?? real early kit. He added a third pickup and got a GFS hot mini hb. I've got the guitar now and I can tell you the GFS hot mini's are way different than the generic ones and sound good. very aggressive, but still sound good clean.

Standard PAF construction style mini HB's are a different story...and I'll pass on that one every time.

 

[skelt101]

Standard PAF construction style mini HB's are a different story...and I'll pass on that one every time.

This is true. Firebird pickups and Mini Humbuckers are not the same, but often get lumped together. FWIW, I have Seymour Duncan Antiquity Firebird pickups in my Firebird III.

 

[Decadent Dan]

This is true. Firebird pickups and Mini Humbuckers are not the same, but often get lumped together. FWIW, I have Seymour Duncan Antiquity Firebird pickups in my Firebird III.

News to me but this explains it…

 

[guitarweasel]

Seymour Duncan use to make them, not sure anymore.

Yup, they still make them.

Firebird Pickups | Seymour Duncan

Is gritty and punchy in the bridge position, while the neck model strikes a musical balance between the clarity of a single-coil and the low-end tightness.

www.seymourduncan.com

They also make a humbucker version.

Seymourized™ Mini Humbucker Pickup | Seymour Duncan

Alnico 5 magnets deliver classic tonal character with increased output for a great vintage-hot Firebird sound.

www.seymourduncan.com

 

[Norton]

that diagram gives a pretty good visual approximation of how different they sound too. Just looking at the magnets and where they are in each assembly.

The FB's are way thicker, bolder and more muscular than the PAF style. They can be really good.

 

[MR D]

firebird pickups can be amazing. and they can be underwhelming. My brother built a firebird kit guitar maybe 8 years ago?? real early kit. He added a third pickup and got a GFS hot mini hb. I've got the guitar now and I can tell you the GFS hot mini's are way different than the generic ones and sound good. very aggressive, but still sound good clean.

Standard PAF construction style mini HB's are a different story...and I'll pass on that one every time.

That is correct, the 2018 FIREBIRD I have a set of Mini-Humbuckers's in can deliver blistering leads in the Middle and Bridge toggle positions...Telecaster type blistering leads...so maybe I was being a bit harsh. Almost everything is good for something.IDK which construction FIREBIRD Pickup's came in that FIREBIRD, the advert set they are the new Hi-Output ones and they read 18+ & 23.5 on the multi-meter which might mean they are the new fangled ones.

 

[Norton]

That's hot!!! yeah... it's weird that the "firebird" vs. mini hb thing is so wrapped up in mystery. Gibson did make a bunch of very different pickups and put them under both the mini hb cover and the thunderbird pickup cover.

An overwound firebird style (magnet in the coil) can be awesome. Seems like those are very often the personal favorite of the pickup winding wizards.

DLX Plus™ Bridge | DiMarzio

When DiMarzio® first decided to introduce a humbucking replacement for the “soapbar” and mini-humbucker, we found that many players wanted a pickup with more power and definition. We wanted to preserve some of the clean and open character of the original soapbar, so we reduced the mids on the...

www.dimarzio.com

Dimarzio says these are direct replacements for mini hb's ... and they've got a handful in this line - even a super distortion!!! I've only ever played through the older version always sounded much bigger than a mini hb.

 

[MR D]

That's hot!!! yeah... it's weird that the "firebird" vs. mini hb thing is so wrapped up in mystery. Gibson did make a bunch of very different pickups and put them under both the mini hb cover and the thunderbird pickup cover.

An overwound firebird style (magnet in the coil) can be awesome. Seems like those are very often the personal favorite of the pickup winding wizards.

DLX Plus™ Bridge | DiMarzio

When DiMarzio® first decided to introduce a humbucking replacement for the “soapbar” and mini-humbucker, we found that many players wanted a pickup with more power and definition. We wanted to preserve some of the clean and open character of the original soapbar, so we reduced the mids on the...

www.dimarzio.com

Dimarzio says these are direct replacements for mini hb's ... and they've got a handful in this line - even a super distortion!!! I've only ever played through the older version always sounded much bigger than a mini hb.

Yeah, the pickup's in the 2018 FIREBIRD are kinda weird....IDK exactly what they are but they cant be the original 'F'Bird' pickup's as they are too HOT....and they do not have the pole pieces like the ones on the Lester Deluxe models of '69- early '70's.....so whatever they are......I can say I'm not their biggest fan and the guitar is for sale...BUT....any FIREBIRD fan will know the guitar is a definite KILLER version of a real FIREBIRD....Neck thru and all..

and DANG, I haven't been able to post a picture here in months......

 

[njpaulc]

The Mini Humbuckers in the '69-'70 Les Pauls were Epiphone pickups. GiBson found a bunch of them as they were closing up shop in Epiphone.

 

[Norton]

The Mini Humbuckers in the '69-'70 Les Pauls were Epiphone pickups. GiBson found a bunch of them as they were closing up shop in Epiphone.

not exactly.

Gibson did get a bunch of necks/bodies/pickups etc when they purchased the epiphone brand. Some gibson made coronet's had epiphone "New York" pickups but those were completely gone by the end of 1959. These pickups gave gibson the basic size for their mini hb's... but gibson changed the inside of the pickups and the mounting.

The epiphone pickups have one coil on it's side shooting toward the pole pieces. they're weird, weak and noisy. I've got a pair in a '58 zephyr and I wish they were the gibson minis even though I'm not a big fan of those.

 

[njpaulc]

Thwe story that i heard was Gibson found the mini's, put them in the Les Pauls and made the pickup rings by cutting up P90 pickup covers because the bodies were already routed for P90s

 

[Norton]

i wasn’t there. But the only Epiphone pickups gibson used were In Epiphone guitars and they were completely used up by 1959.

The guitars of the era prove that.