Another new pickup: Memphis Historic Spec Humbuckers?

buckaroo · Jun 20, 2014

I recall Mike Voltz talking about these in a NAMM video. "Memphis Historic Spec Humbuckers" are cited in the specs on the '59 ES 335 linked below. Anybody got info on them?

http://www.wildwoodguitars.com/products/a06455.php?CategoryID=10&n=10

John Potter · Jun 20, 2014

From the price increase I've seen on the Memphis 'historic' 335s, I'd say they must have little gold bars attached to the bottom of the pickups...

zombiwoof · Jun 20, 2014

I was asking in another thread about these, they seem to be slightly underwound Custom Buckers, that they are putting only in the Memphis semi-hollow guitars. They also have a similarly underwound P90 in some. I'm thinking they changed them to sound better in the semi-hollow body guitars.

Al

1jamman · Jun 20, 2014

IIRC the price is same as the 2013's . That 1 was always a bit more $$$ because Gibson uses a better Maple top for the Natual finish . I got mine in the Historic burst finish and it was a few $$$ less .
Imo , This maybe the best Memphis is producing these days .

For me , this guitar turned out to be the best Gibson i've owned . After I sell 2-3 of my guitars I'm looking to move on , If I find another 1 of these with a thinner neck (like I have now ~.875) I'll buy it . And I'm a 60's neck carve lover . Great '59 neck carve on these .

I just have a thing for blonds:rofl and now realize i should have bought the Blond from the get go :## Although , The 1 I have now has all my Birthday #'s . I think it was meant to be . Karma ?

Progrocker111 · Jun 21, 2014

These pickups should be on new 59 and 64 ES345 reissues too.

zombiwoof · Jun 21, 2014

My understanding is that all of the new Memphis semi-hollow body guitars have these "tweaked" Custom Buckers, or tweaked P90's on the P90 semi-hollows. All I know is what I already said, they seem to be lower wind Custom Buckers and P90's that are tweaked to sound better in the semi-hollow guitars. I don't now if there are any other differences other than the lower winds.

Al

Progrocker111 said:
These pickups should be on new 59 and 64 ES345 reissues too.

guitarjb44 · Jun 21, 2014

Cool: more ES-line specs. confusion from Gibson!!

Joe

Elliot Easton · Jul 2, 2015

I saw on the specs that they're scatter-wound with uneven coils, like the old PAF's.

joek86 · Jul 4, 2015

I have that same guitar but it has burstbucker 1 and 2. It's abut a year old..... It is my favorite guitar and the best Gibson that I've owned.

TM1 · Jul 5, 2015

The MHS pickups are probably the worse sounding "high end" pickups that Gibson makes. The set that came in the '63 Block Inlay ES-335TDC sounded dark and muffled. I could not get any clarity from them at all.
I pulled them and dropped in a set of late Sixties T-Tops and then a set of the Throbak "Pre-T's". The T-Tops were great, but the Throbak's are like a cross between a PAF and the T-Top. These have clarity, balls and harmonics! All the things that the MHS pickups sorely lack!

Mark Kane · Jul 6, 2015

TM1 said:
The MHS pickups are probably the worse sounding "high end" pickups that Gibson makes. The set that came in the '63 Block Inlay ES-335TDC sounded dark and muffled. I could not get any clarity from them at all.
I pulled them and dropped in a set of late Sixties T-Tops and then a set of the Throbak "Pre-T's". The T-Tops were great, but the Throbak's are like a cross between a PAF and the T-Top. These have clarity, balls and harmonics! All the things that the MHS pickups sorely lack!

They must be pretty inconsistent. I played a friends guitar last weekend with these in it and overall that guitar hung with couple of my vintage guitars way, way better than most new guitars. His guitar sounded great, it had all the good stuff.

Elliot Easton · Jul 6, 2015

I have the same experience. I just got a new 1963 Memphis 335 and those pickups sound pretty clear and sweet. I A/B'd it with my custom shop '63 335 which has Fralin True '60's, new pots and wiring, and it compared favorably. I was a little surprised that Don found them so lacking.

Aloha_Mark · Jul 7, 2015

TM1 said:
I could not get any clarity from them at all.
I pulled them (MHS) and dropped in a set of late Sixties T-Tops and then a set of the Throbak "Pre-T's". The T-Tops were great, but the Throbak's are like a cross between a PAF and the T-Top. These have clarity, balls and harmonics! All the things that the MHS pickups sorely lack!

This does not surprise me. The extra bit of "crystal" clarity that T-tops have cannot be matched by MHS, which were designed to be a little bit dirtier. Gibson knows that not many buyers have a vintage tube amp which can produce dirt and clean with a twist of the knob, and thus opted to move their pickups away from clean for the normal amp owner. After all, we have been there already with the '57 classic pickups, and their exemplary clean tone.

Good to know that Throbak's work well in the Memphis 335 series. They should since the extra cost is not insubstantial.

Elliot Easton · Jul 9, 2015

That is not my experience. I can get a very clean, sweet tone out of the MHS pups. They seem OK to me.

Progrocker111 · Jul 9, 2015

I liked them too on my former 14 59 ES345.

Bridge pickup was great and very rich and full sounding with nice clean tones too. Neck pickup was a bit muffled though.

tangerine · Jul 9, 2015

Progrocker111 said:
I liked them too on my former 14 59 ES345.

Why did you sell that beautiful 345 Prog?

Progrocker111 · Jul 11, 2015

tangerine said:
Why did you sell that beautiful 345 Prog?

I bought an 1970 Les Paul Custom instead. But i am looking now for late 60s ES335 in good condition.

sharky · Jul 11, 2015

Progrocker111 said:
I bought an 1970 Les Paul Custom instead. But i am looking now for late 60s ES335 in good condition.

no 335, Prog, but have you seen this interesting offer of a late 60s 355 in walnut and beautiful condition? http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/mem...-1968-gibson-es-355-walnut-ohsc-like-new.html

TM1 · Jul 12, 2015

Elliot Easton said:
That is not my experience. I can get a very clean, sweet tone out of the MHS pups. They seem OK to me.

I must have gotten a bad pair. The T-Tops with the Throbak A-4's were great but I love the Throbak Pre T-301's that are in it now! Very, very much like the original's that Jon is cloning. I have had a few sets of those and the Throbak's sound exactly like the post PAF/pre T-Top pickups!

Mark Kane · Jul 13, 2015

On another note, a friend brought three guitars up this weekend to swap,pickups in for him. One was a Warren Haynes 335 that sound quite awful. He had bought the guitar new. But, the pickups had the PAF sticker on them and BB1 and BB2 were scratched into the base plate??!!?? Is that how they di it now? And the sides of the covers were bent around hugging the baseplate with just a blob of solder on each side. I can't believe they shipped like that. A pair of Dr. Vintage pickups fixed all the issues and took it to the level it really should have been at to start.

Another new pickup: Memphis Historic Spec Humbuckers?

Formerly Tweedguy

New member

Active member

New member

Well-known member

Active member

New member

Well-known member

Member

Well-known member

All Access/Backstage Pass

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Member

Well-known member

Active member

Well-known member

All Access/Backstage Pass