Firebird

[gball]

I have an SG with the Mini hums----- I have a LOVE hate relationship with them----depends on the mood that day I guess.....

GEt a Firebird Zero

TBH, I think a big part of what makes 'birds sound so special is the Firebird pickups. They're not made like anything else and don't sound like anything else.

 

[eSGEe]

Oh I assumed they were the same as the ones on my SG Special -- gibson stock mini hums-- no screw adjuster holes----


perhaps I should clean the lens......................................

my wife is right I do have a LOT of BROWN guitars.

 

[gball]

Oh I assumed they were the same as the ones on my SG Special -- gibson stock mini hums-- no screw adjuster holes----
View attachment 22017

perhaps I should clean the lens......................................

my wife is right I do have a LOT of BROWN guitars.

They're actually really different. In a Firebird pickup there are two smaller magnets that are mounted vertically inside the coil, no pole pieces.

A regular mini humbucker is just that, a smaller version of a regular humbucker, with a single bar magnet at the baseplate and pole pieces running through it (even in the ones that don't have adjustment screws) on one side and a single steel polepiece or 'blade' in the other:

And the result is two pickups that are the same size but sound vastly different. I believe the magnets-as-pole-pieces construction of the Firebird pickup is one of the big reason the guitars have so much 'hot-rodded Tele' vibe to them. But since it's a true humbucking, dual-coil design you get plenty of the Gibson sound as well. It's a win/win, and because they are in a guitar that sustains better than anything ever it's a pretty lethal combination with high gain.

 

[eSGEe]

interesting .........according to the guitar handbook Pg 72 it was a design Gibson TOOK from Epiphone-----
The Guitar Pickup Handbook

 

[eSGEe]

better pic

 

[gball]

interesting .........according to the guitar handbook Pg 72 it was a design Gibson TOOK from Epiphone-----
The Guitar Pickup Handbook

Well...seeing as Gibson owned Epiphone they didn't really take them so much as use them, haha. And I think the book kind of reinforces the idea that the Firebird design was intended to be brighter to compete directly with Fender at the time.

 

[syscokid]

View attachment 15002 Gball that is a beautiful guitar. I was always big on Firebird, I was looking for a Telecaster and a Firebird got there first. It is a LTD edition Epiphone in TV blue and it came with classic 57s. The full size pups looked wrong so I installed Gibson mini humbuckers in it. This photo was taken mid install.
I wish you many years of great music.

Ha ha... I just gave kevin a like for this post that I've seen for the first time...

I miss kevinpaul

 

[eSGEe]

Well...seeing as Gibson owned Epiphone they didn't really take them so much as use them, haha. And I think the book kind of reinforces the idea that the Firebird design was intended to be brighter to compete directly with Fender at the time.

I can attest mine are BRIGHTER -- that is the BRIGHTEST SG Ive played -- sometimes I can get a GRETSCHISH sound from it--
it picks up PINCH harmonics like NO other guitar I own-- and can SQUEEEEL like a banshee-- adjust knobs and its as mellow and rich as can be---but- I cant get-- a traditional SG humbucker GROWL out of it no matter what I do

 

[eSGEe]

I can (however) coax the most STRATISH tones (Ironically) from the Les Paul Recording guitar......

And for the record Sysco--- I miss KP as well.