white or 'cream' humbuckers

[Sgt.]

What is the desireablity of white or cream humbuckers as opposed to zebra or black.

By white or cream I mean on an lp sunburst bobbin is white (or cream). why are black the least desireable? The colour of the copper wire is usually purply or reddish and concealed under a metal casing. What's the difference?

[cjsinla]

What is the desireablity of white or cream humbuckers as opposed to zebra or black.

By white or cream I mean on an lp sunburst the copper wire on the bobbin is white (or cream). why are black the least desireable? The colour of the copper wire is usually concealed under a metal casing. But some humbuckers are not covered ... I used to think that when the term 'zebra' came up regarding humbuckers it was because the plastic on the one coil of an uncoverd humbucker was white or cream and the other black. but that's not right is it?

What's the difference?

 

You are right about the zebra. My personal belief is that people like the white or cream ones because there was fewer of them and the blacks are much more common and less desirable as a result.

 

Humbuckers

[Sgt.]

You are right about the zebra. My personal belief is that people like the white or cream ones because there was fewer of them and the blacks are much more common and less desirable as a result.

 

Humbuckers

 

Ohh I get it ... good article. The bobbins are the plastic tops (usually concealed under metal casing) and are both white from early years and on certain PAF's while later years were black, some were zebra. white were mostly found on the unadjustable bobbin, but there are some rare double white PAFs. the actual copper wire was either purply or reddish, not white. duh

I came across a passage on p. 203 of Paul Stanley's new bio where he talks about being famous and having guys with guitars waiting to sell to him before shows and buying a sunburst lp for 2200.oo that had the 'coveted' white bobbins. just wanted to understand that a little better.

[Big Bill]

Cream pups have a brighter sound that a lot of players like.

[Flight959]

Double Creams all the way for me!

 

Gibson 1960 Reissue by Simon Clarkson Photography, on Flickr

 

 

I think cream/white is viewed as being more vintage... IMHO

 

Regards

 

Flight959

[Bryan Sutherland]

Cream pups have a brighter sound that a lot of players like.

Black ones have a darker tone... Popped the covers off a set of my Sheptones and they have Zebra bobbins... best of both worlds

[Sgt.]

What is the desireablity of white or cream humbuckers as opposed to zebra or black.

By white or cream I mean on an lp sunburst bobbin is white (or cream). why are black the least desireable? The colour of the copper wire is usually purply or reddish and concealed under a metal casing. What's the difference?

aynyone know what's under the cover of Burstbucker Pros?

[cjsinla]

aynyone know what's under the cover of Burstbucker Pros?

 

Probably double black or zebra if you trust the pics in the Gibson store.

[Guest Farnsbarns]

Cream pups have a brighter sound that a lot of players like.

 

 

Black ones have a darker tone... Popped the covers off a set of my Sheptones and they have Zebra bobbins... best of both worlds

 

You guys are joking, right?

[Danner]

Oh man! Is this a troll thread LOL.

 

I think it comes down to personal preference. Cream always looks good to me.

 

Can it really effect value?

[Big Bill]

You guys are joking, right?

 

 

[cjsinla]

Blue bobbins are better for playing the blues.

[Sgt.]

Oh man! Is this a troll thread LOL.

 

I think it comes down to personal preference. Cream always looks good to me.

 

Can it really effect value?

Let me try to float this boat ... I was reading Paul Stanley's new bio and he mentions buying a sunburst lp with the cream humbuckers and saying that the cream humbuckers were more desireable (from a collectable standpoint). Outside of just liking the colour, I think at the time cream humbuckers represented a sunburst that was one of the early ones ... perhaps identification wise black and zebra came on later models and it's the early lp's that are desireable (and identified by Stanley by the cream humbuckers). That's my understanding. The early paf's were, if uncovered, cream coloured bobbins? If so when did Gibson start using black bobbins? Of course now days it's useless as an identifier because there's all three types on lp's. If the cream bobbins were solely on the early paf's then there'd be mismatched windings, different magnet types ... all the magic of the early paf's.

[cjsinla]

Let me try to float this boat ... I was reading Paul Stanley's new bio and he mentions buying a sunburst lp with the cream humbuckers and saying that the cream humbuckers were more desireable (from a collectable standpoint). Outside of just liking the colour, I think at the time cream humbuckers represented a sunburst that was one of the early ones ... perhaps identification wise black and zebra came on later models and it's the early lp's that are desireable (and identified by Stanley by the cream humbuckers). That's my understanding. The early paf's were, if uncovered, cream coloured bobbins? If so when did Gibson start using black bobbins? Of course now days it's useless as an identifier because there's all three types on lp's. If the cream bobbins were solely on the early paf's then there'd be mismatched windings, different magnet types ... all the magic of the early paf's.

 

The white bobbins came after they had been using the black ones for a few years. They started to appear around 1959, also the years of some of the most coveted sunburst Les Pauls.

[Bryan Sutherland]

You guys are joking, right?

 

I was Farns...

[Guest Farnsbarns]

 

Can I take that as a yes?

[kaicho8888]

Some of my newer ones have clear bobbins... for clearer tones... duh..LOL.!