Please check my vintage pickups(Purple wire vs Orange wire)

[Sean583]

Hello nice to meet you. I got a Gibson ’63-’64 Early Pat pickups. The seller says it's a purple wire, but it looks a bit like an orange wire. I asked the seller again and he sent me a photo saying that the bright purple wire was also available and that it was the same color as the wire on a 50's P-90 pickup he had. Is it the purple wire?

(For the neck pickup, one is light purple and the other is dark purple.)

Thank you

 

[Burst_in2_flames]

Looks like the later, copper-colored wire to me. What color are the leads?

 

[Sean583]

Looks like the later, copper-colored wire to me. What color are the leads?

Hello!

Thank you for your reply

Lead wires are black and white

I never heard vintage copper wire before.

Is it purple area or orange area?

 

[poor man's burst]

Black and white leads are late '65.
Also, the bridge pickup's bobins can be early Pat.Nr. The neck pickup's bobins not.

 

[Sean583]

Black and white leads are late '65.
Also, the bridge pickup's bobins can be early Pat.Nr. The neck pickup's bobins not.

You mean neck pickup is early Pat and bridge is not. Neck pickup has purple wire one bobin.
Thank you

 

[poor man's burst]

You mean neck pickup is early Pat and bridge is not. Neck pickup has purple wire one bobin.
Thank you

No. The bobins of the BRIDGE pickup have shrunken, which is consistent with PAFs and early Pat. Nr pickups. The NECK pickup bobins have not, which is consistent with late non-Ttops bobins.
Besides that, if the pickups wires coming out of the bobins are black and white, they are not early Pat. Nr (same caracteristics as late PAFs) but late pre-Ttops Pat.Nr, regardless of bridge or neck pickup.

 

[jimmi]

I am probably in the minority but I really like the late Pat# pickups. Often they have a strong A5 magnet and give you some of the nice chime quality you get from a really good TTop with some of the clarity etc you like out of a PAF/Pat#. You can also often find a slightly hotter (~8.0-8.3) one than you usually see in the early PAT# which are usually mid to upper 7s. If you pair them with a nice early Pat# you get a really cool combo and more distinctive sounds as you select each pickup.

 

[Bruce R]

I am probably in the minority but I really like the late Pat# pickups. Often they have a strong A5 magnet and give you some of the nice chime quality you get from a really good TTop with some of the clarity etc you like out of a PAF/Pat#. You can also often find a slightly hotter (~8.0-8.3) one than you usually see in the early PAT# which are usually mid to upper 7s. If you pair them with a nice early Pat# you get a really cool combo and more distinctive sounds as you select each pickup.

I have never been a fan of the T-Tops in my 69 LPC, especially the bridge. The neck pu is in the upper mid 7s, and it is fine, the bridge in the lower mid 7s. I would venture to say they use A2s.

 

[jimmi]

I have never been a fan of the T-Tops in my 69 LPC, especially the bridge. The neck pu is in the upper mid 7s, and it is fine, the bridge in the lower mid 7s. I would venture to say they use A2s.

If the covers have been off, swap the magnets. I usually don’t like A2s or A3s. Also check the pots. 60s and early 70s should be 500k but I bought an early 70s once with 300k pots and that will really change the sound of the pickup