Seems more like a coincidence to me, there's too few examples to make any general conclusion about it.Grey wrote:Notice how all your post-1990 examples of Hi-Gain's with non-molded pickups are black? They are likely holdovers from past production and not current units from that time period.
Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
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- electrofaro
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Re: Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
'67 Fender Coronado II CAB * '17 1963 ES-335 PB * currently rickless
Re: Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
That's an interesting observation! You might be right.Grey wrote:Notice how all your post-1990 examples of Hi-Gain's with non-molded pickups are black? They are likely holdovers from past production and not current units from that time period.
I'll look to see if there are any instances of chrome High Gain pickups in 1990.
Here's a 360 from July of 1990 with chrome pickups:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6itype%3D1
Even in July, it still appears to have a flat top, not molded.
Here's a 360/12 from July 1990, also having chrome pickups with flat tops:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6itype%3D1
There is one 360 (G36962) from July 1990 that has chrome pickups with molded tops, but all the rest of the hardware on it is black, so the pickups are likely replacements.
It could be that a completed pickup-wtih-cover was not assembled and stored, but just the pre-wound bobbin/cable assembly. And then a chrome or black cover is selected during assembly.
Re: Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
Nothing later than 1990, though. All the 1991 examples are black.
- electrofaro
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Re: Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
I'm still not convinced - although it could be the black covers are added to the PUs and in 1991 they were using up old stock PUsGrey wrote:All the 1991 examples are black.
'67 Fender Coronado II CAB * '17 1963 ES-335 PB * currently rickless
Re: Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
Here's a 320 from August 1991 with chrome covers:Grey wrote:Nothing later than 1990, though. All the 1991 examples are black.
http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6itype%3D1
Tops look flat.
And a 320 from August 1991 with chrome covers:
http://www.rickresource.com/register/vi ... 6itype%3D1
These are molded.
My conclusion is that the switch to molded Hi-Gain bobbins was in or around August 1991.
- soundmasterg
- RRF Consultant
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Re: Variation in High Gain Pickup Tops
I think the earlier ones with the flat tops were not molded bobbins at all but were separate top and bottom pieces of the bobbin that were held together with the pole pieces that were glued in. This means they will have a slightly different sound as the center of the bobbin where the wire is first wound on will be closer to the pole pieces than on the molded bobbins, This means a little more of the wire is closer to the magnetic field around the pole pieces than on the molded bobbins and should make for a slightly more sensitive pickup. Without doing measurements though, that would be hard to tell...and even with measurements it might be hard to tell. The bobbin top and bottom were probably fiberglass that was painted black.
Greg
Greg