Wow!!! Great story and neat quirks.
Any comment on the mini-hum swap? So often I see people do the opposite.
There's a beautiful beat to hell '73 Goldtop Deluxe at a shop here in town. It's light, real light for the era, rings out nicely, and the gold top has been shattered to streaks of green all over with the wood showing through in some areas. I've been drooling over it for some time but they're asking a bit high on the price and I purchased a hell of a guitar ('74 Flying V, w/TP-6 too) a few weeks back on top of that. I've got 3 guitars for sale right now as I think about that gold top!
I believe I prefer the more mellow / vintage look that she's developed into today.
Oh yeah, that's a story in itself. One day at the plant, I was having a casual conversation with one of the repair guys. I noticed he was working on an older guitar. A CSB Deluxe. When I asked him about it, he said it belonged to Charlie Daniels. He had brought it in for a new set of pickups. I asked what he was going to do with the old ones and he said "chunk 'em I suppose". So I took them and checked them out and they worked fine. After doing an epoxy job on them, I put them in my Deluxe. The P-90's were ok, with maybe a tad more punch, but as Big Al has mentioned many times, the tone from the mini-hums is so much more versatile, and sweeeet!! And with the epoxy, there is no unwanted feedback for rock-n-roll. I rarely take it out and actually play it these days, but after talking about it last night I had to go for it. Plugged her straight in to the '64 Super Reverb and OMG, there it is, that sound.
I had forgotten about using these "no-lip" bridge bushings on my Deluxe.
At first glance, gives the appearance of a vintage ABR, but keeps all the advantages of the Nashville TOM.
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Someday soon people will realise how perfect the classic mini-hum pup really is. So sadly overlooked.
I am curious about your use of epoxy versus wax to get rid of unwanted feedback ?Oh yeah, that's a story in itself. One day at the plant, I was having a casual conversation with one of the repair guys. I noticed he was working on an older guitar. A CSB Deluxe. When I asked him about it, he said it belonged to Charlie Daniels. He had brought it in for a new set of pickups. I asked what he was going to do with the old ones and he said "chunk 'em I suppose". So I took them and checked them out and they worked fine. After doing an epoxy job on them, I put them in my Deluxe. The P-90's were ok, with maybe a tad more punch, but as Big Al has mentioned many times, the tone from the mini-hums is so much more versatile, and sweeeet!! And with the epoxy, there is no unwanted feedback for rock-n-roll. I rarely take it out and actually play it these days, but after talking about it last night I had to go for it. Plugged her straight in to the '64 Super Reverb and OMG, there it is, that sound.
+1. I have to admit I hadn't given them much attention before but recently acquired a 1976 Deluxe and am loving the minis! (mine is a natural finish too but a 3 piece top and much plainer than the OP's guitar which has to be the most stunning Norlin I've ever seen!)
Just out of interest how do you tell if it was made at Kalamazoo or Nashville? When I put my serial number into the guitar dater project it says it was made in 1976 at either Kalamazoo or Nashville.
@ El Gringo
- I don’t know the origins of the harmonica bridge. Gibson was using them long before I started there. I’m sure there are others here that could answer that.
- Long ago, players had problems with losing the wire on their ABR bridge. Then, if you were at a gig and broke a string, the saddle fell out onto a dark stage. Usually at that point you were done. Time to pack up and go home.
- Epoxy is hard as a brick when it dries. Nothing moves. That stability is what it takes to cure a microphonic pickup. I’ve never used wax. Not saying it doesn’t work. I just know epoxy has always worked for me.