Pickup ID? Pat # 2,737,842

[PunkRawkGuy]

Howdy, I've got a zebra humbucker out of a used Epiphone guitar. The previous owner said it was a Gibson PAF-copy. It sounds good enough. It doesn't have a Gibson logo stamped on it anywhere. It's got the Pat # 2,737,842 and the
serial # is 07 65 83. Does anyone know if this a Gibson and when it was made?
thanks,
Will

 

[BrianGWN]

The infamous incorrect "Pat. No. 2,737,842" is stamped/impressed into the pickup base plates of the Gibson humbucking pickups starting around 1974 through the end of the 1980s.
When you say serial number do you mean something on a sticker or something on the baseplate that looks like a stamped-in-ink number? Can you describe the surface of the bobbins, does it have the square hole with circle mark at one end? Can you look under the outer edge of the bobbins, between the bottom of the bobbins and the frame, and see whether there is a spacer made of wood versus something that looks like white plastic?
It may be the quasi-reissue Gibson pickups from the earlier 1980s.

 

[PunkRawkGuy]

Thanks for the info Brian. The pat # is stamped into the metal, the serial # is stamped with ink onto the surface of the metal. The bobbins have 3 round holes on each of them, without the recessed square one. The spacer was white plastic as best I remember (I retaped up the pickups). It uses a single conductor braided wire. Not sure of the output, haven't measured it. Sounds medium to high. It's a zebra colored pup.

Will

 

[OrangeFlavorBeef]

Wow, amazing what you can find if you look around a little...

I was just trying to figure this out this morning myself! Went to the USTPO website, and found the incorrect patent in there and scratched my head for a while.

I've got an old trashed Gibson RD...could never get the fancy schmancy active electronics to work right, and much as I like funky oddball sounds/tones for some purposes, I just couldn't dig on the sounds I could get out of what I *could* make work.

So...I'm just gonna gut it (and save all the guts!), and wire it up like a Paul and make a straight-ahead 2HB solid body guitar out of it...I've been trying to figure out what the pickups were that were in it...looks like they were just the hummers Gibson was using in the late 70's.

I've got an extra set of RioGrande BBQs that will probably sound sweet in there, but I wanna try the stocks first. Any experience out there with these particular pickups?

Are .047 caps too beefy in this circuit? (those are the ones I've got)

I know, I know...use my ears and judge for myself...but if there are strong contrary opinions out there, I'd just as soon save myself the trouble of wiring it up twice. But then again, if I don't try it, I'll always wonder....

Peace.

 

[PunkRawkGuy]

tone...

Howdy OFB....those p'ups....hmmm.....
I bought an Epiphone Sheraton with one in the bridge position. It sounded pretty good. Pretty trebley in that all-maple Sheraton, but in a Mahogony Les Paul, I'll bet it's just right. Nice and full sounding, bright, decent mids and lows. Sounded a little honky in the Sheraton. I was thinking it'd sound great in the neck. I think mine might have been a neck model p'up. It's fine clean (still honky), but for distorted rock, it'll cut right through. I was hitten' harmonics all over the fretboard, it's got plenty of presence.
In summary, it's kinda similar to a Duncan '59 with a little more high-end. Good pickup, probably great in an LP! Try one in the neck, and a BBQ'bucker in the bridge, I'll bet that'd rock!
Go for it!
Will

 

[merlinM3]

Interesting... I just noticed that same patent#stamped on a humbucker that came out of a Gibson L6-S circa '73. These pups are resin potted, have no adjustible poles, and are covered with chrome covers.
They are going out on eBay tonight.

 

[PunkRawkGuy]

hmmm

Mine have one adjustable coil side and one slug side. They don't look potted.
It'll be interesting to see what yours go for on ebay.
Will

 

[BrianGWN]

Hey WillC, what variation of zebra is the pickup you have?, that one with the stamped Pat. No. and the white spacers? In other words what bobbin has the adjustable poles pieces, the black or the cream color bobbin? Thanks.

 

[PunkRawkGuy]

Hi Brian,
The black coil has the adjustable screws, the cream is the studs/slugs. It does have white spacers (look like plastic). Looking at it again, I really don't see any signs of wax potting.
http://personals.midlink.com/gibson/e2.jpg (It's the one in the bridge spot, in the neck was a cream Duncan Custom)
Any clue what this thing might be worth?
Will

 

[BrianGWN]

Okay, so it's a black bobbin adjustable zebra, personally my preferred zebra style. Regarding that six digit inked-on number, I understand the last two digits might indicate the year, in the case of yours 1983.
So it looks (and maybe sounds?) like it's one of the so-called Shaw PAF style pickups used on various Gibsons during the first half of the 1980s starting I believe with the 1980 Heritage 80 series of guitars.
As to the worth, I don't think they are considered to be particularly of value. Like with other parts some buyers may offer a few more bucks for one if they are looking to get one to restore a guitar to all-original parts. I've sometimes seen them sell on ebay for fairly cheap, 25 or 30 bucks, but if a seller knows what they are and refers to them as a Shaw PAF then maybe up to 40 or 50 dollars.
Somebody at a local buy-and-sell gear place recently had one turn up, it turned out to be a zebra but the other way around with the adjustable poles in the cream bobbin so I passed on it.