Firebird Pickups in my 335

[UmpaHimself]

Hey guys,

 

Relatively new here. I love the sound of Kings of Leon lead singer's ES-325. I know the guitar is a bit different structurally but I think the tone really comes from those Firebird pickups. I was thinking of getting the Lollars but would they even fit in the slot of the Classic '57 on my ES-335 Satin?

 

... On a side note My SN is on the back of the headstock on this guitar. Is that the reason there is no SN sticker inside the F hole?

One of the nicest satin finishes I've sean. Really rich color, great neck.

 

Thanks for any help.

-Umpa

[Andre S]

Satin finishes, especially on my acoustic are great, the necks aren't sticky, and there is no cleaning to do, because it never gets dirty.

 

Aren't the firebird pickups smaller than the regular 57's? If so, then you will have to drill new pickup ring mounting holes and there may be gaps between the new pickup and the guitar body, the gap would be part of the original pickup's cavity.

[lpdeluxe]

The Firebird pickups are modified mini humbuckers, based on the Epiphone originals (also use in Les Paul Deluxes). The difference between the FB and the Deluxe is that the Les Paul model has visible pole pieces. When Dietrich designed the FB for Gibson, he thought the pole pieces intruded into his idea for the guitar (he also did a lot of other peculiar things, like using banjo tuners, to make it look good if not more functional).

 

Anyhow, the mounting system for the mini is totally different from that of the full-size humbucker, although you can mount the mini with the properly dimensioned ring. The link shows the only one I've found. If you are handy with tools you could make your own.

 

http://www.jackofroses.com/guitarparts/prmhs.html

[UmpaHimself]

Anyhow' date=' the mounting system for the mini is totally different from that of the full-size humbucker, although you can mount the mini with the properly dimensioned ring. The link shows the only one I've found. If you are handy with tools you could make your own.

 

http://www.jackofroses.com/guitarparts/prmhs.html[/quote']

 

That looks perfect. When I was on the Lollar site they said that the firebird pickup was more like a fat single coil. I'm not sure if he was talking about sound wise or build construction.

[lpdeluxe]

That's true in a curious way: the mini is the same size as Gibson's P90 single-coil. The Les Paul Deluxe came about after dealers complained that the 1968 Les Paul reissues had P90s instead of the desired humbuckers. Jim Deurloo noticed that the mini would fit in the cavity routed for the single-coil, and the Deluxe was born. A lot of us prefer the sound of the minis and have stuck with them.

 

The reason I knew of the adapter ring was that I contemplated putting minis in my Sheraton II -- but in the event, I bought a 335 and traded off the Epiphone. I abandoned the mod idea because I really like the full-size pickups in the Gibson.

[UmpaHimself]

Yea I'm starting to think I'm just going to stick with my 335 stock instead of chasing someone else's tone. He also uses a Matchless DC30 but I ditched that VOX sound for a sweet steal from GC on a relatively unknown amp manufacturer, Industrial Amps. But there is definitely a certain trebly kind of chime, I don't know how to explain it and I think thats definitely from the pickups. Plus I thought it my compliment my 335 because the satin finish definitely makes the tone much bassier than a regular 335. Maybe even less defined? But I like it, it's polar opposite from my Tele. I was thinking it would be cool to throw those minis in a Sheraton as well but I have an Epiphone SG Custom and its not to great so I weary on buying another one. What year was best for the Sheratons?

 

This is an Industrial Amps Crunch 15, they sell for $2,400.00 but I got it "used" (bought by GC new) for $949.00!

[lpdeluxe]

I'm not going to comment on why one piece of gear sounds different/better/worse than another, but experience tells me that, once you find that magic sound, hand onto it!