MichaelT Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I've been noticing that a lot of the pickups that come with some Gibson Les Pauls are zebra pickups, black and crème. I'd prefer all crème colored or covered pickups but most of what I'm seeing is the zebra pickups or covered. Is there a reason why they're not one color or the other? I've seen a few of the all black ones as well. It's probably as simple of an answer as, "Because that's how they wanted to make them" but I thought I'd ask and see if anyone knows of another reason. My 81 Gibson V has crème Dirty Fingers pickups and I was looking to find some crème colored Dirty Fingers (without the Dirty Fingers label on them) or 57 Classics in crème but all they had was covered chrome, gold, or uncovered black or zebra. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Taking the covers off humbuckers became a thing there in the late 60's early 70's. Underneath you would find a pair of black, a pair of white, or a zebra. It didn't matter what bobbins they grabbed outta the bobbin bin because they would be covered, not knowing it would become a thing someday. Just a mistake is all. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 History Lesson Alert! Nowadays it's down to what some players prefer to see visually but the practice has it's origins dating back to the 'Bursts of the late '50s. Sometime in late '58 the supplier of plastics to Gibson ran out of black colourant for the bobbins. After receiving a call about the situation Seth Lover approved the temporary change to the same colour of cream as for the p'up surrounds etc. As stocks of the black bobbin tops'n'bottoms ran out bobbins were starting to be wound with the cream plastics. At the start of the 'mixture' period most of the Zebras had the cream bobbins on the 'slug' (non-adjustable) side of the PAF as there were greater stocks left of the adjustable black ones. As the last of the black bobbins were used up the PAFs became what's known as 'Full-Cream'. Eventually, of course, the black colourant became available again in (I believe) mid-to-late '59 and subsequently the PAFs once again became double-black. Amongst collectors of original 'Bursts the Full-Cream are the most sought-after as they are the rarest variant. Zebras less so and the vast majority of PAFs are double-black. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 Thanks everyone. So, Gibson isn't making them in crème any more? Just covered, black or zebra? I don't like the zebra look and would rather not have black pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 From what I've read I believe I'm right in saying Larry DiMarzio took out a patent on the double-cream variety sometime in the '70s. Some of Gibson's Artists Signature LPs have had to have DiM. p'ups installed as they needed to have the Full-Cream look; the Ace Frehely 'Budokan', for example. I believe I'm right in saying some others also have double-cream bobbins but hidden underneath covers and in this fashion Gibson can circumvent the situation. I know someone does this and I think it's Gibson. I'll try to do a bit of digging to check my facts... Pip. EDIT : I was not quite correct; Larry DiMarzio took out a Trademark for the Double-Cream p'ups - not a Patent. For those of us who, like me, don't quite appreciate the difference here's a rough explanation as far as I understand it. A Patent lasts for a finite time and the rights to the patent expire at the end of that period. A Trademark, however, is concerning intellectual copyright and is indefinite in length. In this way L. DiM. has locked-in the Double-Cream look effectively for all time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 From what I've read I believe I'm right in saying Larry DiMarzio took out a patent on the double-cream variety. Some of Gibson's Artists Signature LPs have had to have DiM. p'ups installed as they needed to have the Full-Cream look. I'll try to do a bit of digging to check my facts... Pip. Wow, smart. I have three DiMarzio's in my guitars, so it wouldn't suck to go that route. I've had great luck with them since installing my first in 1981. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 No one can make double cream except dimarzio. This is because American trade mark law is bonkers and allowed dimarzio to trade mark them despite plenty of other peoe having made them before. This is how we end up with apple owning a trade mark protecting radius corners on phones a tablets, something which the European courts simply fell about laughing at. There is a loophole. Anyone can sell a covered humbucker with cream bobbins, they can even advertise that the bobbins are cream, but they cannot sell them uncovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted January 17, 2018 Author Share Posted January 17, 2018 No one can make double cream except dimarzio. This is because American trade mark law is bonkers and allowed dimarzio to trade mark them despite plenty of other peoe having made them before. This is how we end up with apple owning a trade mark protecting radius corners on phones a tablets, something which the European courts simply fell about laughing at. There is a loophole. Anyone can sell a covered humbucker with cream bobbins, they can even advertise that the bobbins are cream, but they cannot sell them uncovered. And removing the cover is usually just a matter of unsoldering it, right? Wow, I'm not sure how DiMarzio got that one passed. Thanks everyone for the information. I wasn't aware of that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 And removing the cover is usually just a matter of unsoldering it, right? Wow, I'm not sure how DiMarzio got that one passed. Thanks everyone for the information. I wasn't aware of that. Yes, or even just 'cut' through it with a Stanley knife. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Yes, or even just 'cut' through it with a Stanley knife. Is that like a spanner or a wicket twister? rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Is that like a spanner or a wicket twister? rct Forgive me, it's like an exactoknife, only better made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 VERY difficult to play unless you are concentrating fully and see the last minute change in 'expected' spin rotation. I trust that answers your question fully? OK; instead of a regular leg-to-off delivery the reversed (from usual) spin of the ball takes the path of the ball in towards the batsman from off-to-leg. Confusion is often the result - regularly accompanied by the questioning cry "HowwwiiizzzzeeEEE?????" Clear now? Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 We are talking cricket. Old chaap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merciful-evans Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I've been noticing that a lot of the pickups that come with some Gibson Les Pauls are zebra pickups, black and crème. I'd prefer all crème colored or covered pickups but most of what I'm seeing is the zebra pickups You can buy whatever colour you like for small change. I have a green set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Clear as mud old chap... At a rough guess it might be the cricketing equivalent of 'throwing someone a curve-ball'? In cricket a ball will be delivered in such a way as to bounce before it reaches the batsman. This is because it's only when the ball bounces - and in particular what happens after the ball bounces - that 'stuff' happens. A ball sent down without bouncing (a 'full-toss') can't often deceive the batsman as not much can change in the course of its delivery / trajectory. OK. Normally a leg-spin bowler will send the ball down the pitch with a spin on it which will make it veer-off away from the batsman and in order to hit the ball the latter will swing in the direction he thinks the ball will travel. When said leg-spin bowler sends down a 'googly', however, the spin is reversed from the usual and instead of bouncing away from the batsman it veers in towards the batsman. If caught-out by this unexpected change of trajectory the batsman is often tricked into making a stroke which will get him / her into all sorts of trouble. BTW : if you DO get an invite to the Palace to meet Our Liz and are trying out your new-found expertise in the English Language it wouldn't do to mix up the expressions "He's got him with a Googly!" and "He's got him by the Goolies!". They have quite different and distinct meanings. Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 The two-hour lunch-break used to be something of a gentleman's tradition. Sadly, these days, we leave that particular civility in the domain of the French. Cricket was invented by upper-class wastrels who had nothing better to do than play a game which lasted five days or so. The bizarre thing is that even after playing for five whole days it could - and often still does - end in a draw. Unless England are playing Australia, of course... Pip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 I think I can figure that one out. Don't they take like a 2 hour tea break in the middle of a Cricket Match? I also understand I should never order 2 pints of beer by giving someone the "V"s. Don't be too surprised if someone offers you a fag. They are wondering if you smoke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Don't be too surprised if someone offers you a ***. They are wondering if you smoke. Surely that depends on where, precisely, FZF might find himself. In Soho, for instance, it means something quite different from, say, an Oxford College. Or does it?... Pip. EDIT : Farns! How on Earth did you manage to beat the spell-check thingy?... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Surely that depends on where, precisely, FZF might find himself. In Soho, for instance, it means something quite different from, say, an Oxford College. Or does it?... Pip. EDIT : Farns! How on Earth did you manage to beat the spell-check thingy?... Ahhh, if one puts some empty BBcode tags in the middle of a word it confuses the censoring. Par example... F[i][/i]ag I couldn't work out why it censored slang for a cigarette. I assume it's broken. I would never look to circumvent it otherwise, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted January 17, 2018 Share Posted January 17, 2018 Farns you are the man Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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