T-Top *Facts*

[EFK]

I think there just might possibly be more misinformation circulating regarding t-tops than there is re: pafs. Maybe some of you who have much experience w/ dissecting Gibson pickups can answer some questions w/ definitive answers?

(1) Aren't all t-tops supposed to be pretty consistently wound to @ 7.6-7.8K dependent upon temp? Why do I see some advertised here and there at 8K, 8.2K, 8.4K etc? Did they in fact vary that much?

(2) I had mid-70s t-tops back in the mid-80s that has chrome-plated BRASS covers. Some say that stock they were nickel, some say brass. Don't know if mine were stock or not. Are real t-top covers nickel or brass? Or did Gibson use both depending upon year?

(3) Are any REAL t-tops (i.e. w. T marked bobbins) white or zebra? Reason I ask: I thought by the time Gibson adopted full-face SG pickguard, t-tops were being used. So what am I seeing in the neck on Angus Young's SG on the cover of the '74 Jailbreak album? I have seen ebay t-tops advertised as creme etc. ???????? I thought they were all black?

(4) When did Gibson begin potting these?

How about some real informed answers? It would sure be appreciated!

[Zhangliqun]

I heard they were all right around 7.5k.

[David Schwab]

(4) When did Gibson begin potting these?

Gibson never potted pickups. I've never seen a potted T-top, and they also didn't pot the Shaw humbuckers.

The only pickups they had thet were potted were with epoxy, like the Super Humbuckers and covered original Dirty Fingers.

They started potting humbuckers with wax fairly recently.

Gibson always used nickel silver for covers. Nickel silver is not nickel, and is pretty much white brass... mostly copper.

[Possum]

...

Never potted, I have an early one that is 7.2K, in the late 60's I think thats when they were standardized to 7.7K, they never used plain enamel. The ones in the 8.2K range are the newest ones probably early 80s. I have seen some rare creme double bobbin ones on Ebay, probably later as well. The best ones are the real early ones when the braided cable supported one bobbin, the later ones used double shims out of plastic, earlier used wood. All are short magnets, early 70s ones have short skinny thin magnets that usually don't hold a charge over the years....

[Sweetfinger]

The early Dirty Fingers were T-tops, and around 16K. The ones on the SG "Exclusive" were double creme. Basically, After the PAF and smooth top black patent sticker time period, Gibson's new mold for humbucker bobbins was the T-top, and was molded in whatever color they wanted and was wound to spec for whatever model they were producing. Generally, the majority of T-tops were just the standard wind, 7.8 K or thereabout but occasionally, you do see the less common color combinations and winds. Funny how PAF's used to be the shizz and T-tops were considered junk. Now that you can't lay your hands on a real PAF for less $$ than a used car, suddenly the interest(and opinion) of the T-top has gone up. And a note to any ebay sellers....if it doesn't have little "T's" molded into the top of the plastic, it ISN'T a T-Top!

[David Schwab]

The ones in the 8.2K range are the newest ones probably early 80s.

I had an '81 Les Paul Standard, and that had the Shaw humbuckers. When did the T-tops get replaced with the Shaws?

[EFK]

Thanks guys. So: NEVER used chrome-plated brass covers stock? And NEVEr potted? There seem to be an awful lot of say 1975-1979 era t-tops floating around on ebay that are potted. This was done 2nd-hand?

[Possum]

...

I've never seen one potted, so some guitar player probably potted them.
Dirty Fingers aren't really TTops the bobbins are totally different, very tall compared to TTops.
Be aware there isn't ONE TTop, there were many versions. I think Gibson may even have sold those bobbins to other makers, I have a curious pickup with TTop bobbins but there is not patent stamp on the baseplate, and no identification that was ever on it. I've also seen Gibson baseplates on another makers pickups, a real oddball design too, I forget the maker, late 70's I think, uses alnico slugs and some other strange things in the design. It has a patent stamped baseplate on it and is not a Gibson product.

[Electricdaveyboy]

Right Possum,
I read an interview were K. Armstrong said that gibson sold humbucker parts to his company in the early days.I had some weird T-top´s in my hands in the past.And I only found one in the past that was totally original,non waxed and still its cover on.
Not bad pickups,I like them a lot but mostly people try to make a lot of money from something they doctered together,same thing with PAF,s.

[Electricdaveyboy]

Oh ,look here: Zebra T- Top

T-Tops do not have holes in their bobbins,one bobbin is a cream T-top the other not !

http://cgi.ebay.de/Gibson-T-Top-PAF-...QQcmdZViewItem

[Possum]

...

Ummm, this is not true. I just repaired a 1967 TTop which had one bobbin with the T on it and no hole, the other with NO T and a hole showing the magnet wire through it. Its all totally original, both bobbins are the same coil height. No evidence of it ever having been messed with. Its hard to nail this stuff down and say they were always one thing, there are exceptions now and then, so that pickup could totally be original, the key would be if the magnet wire is the same, same paper tape covering both coils, you could tell if you have had the pickup....

[voodoochild]

After reading these replies, once again this seems to confirm that Gibson used whatever they had or could get. This is why there are less consistencies with certain things like pickups. Gibson probably thought pickups weren't something people would be dissecting in the future, and you really can't see anything unless you destroy it, so it was an easy part of the line to vary slightly without concern. Makes cooperate sense to me.

[David Schwab]

They probably had left over bobbins from the PAF run, and would mix them until they ran out and used all T tops.

You have to remember that the T-tops were created just because they had to make new tooling, as it wears out after a while.

The Shaw pickup was an actually attempt to make the pickup look and sound like a PAF, and then of course now they have a number of models.

The T-top bobbin certainly wasn't made to be looked at! It's quite homely. Now they make them to be used without covers.

[Possum]

...

The bobbin with the hole and no TTop was not a PAF bobbin, it had the same coil height as the TTop, I doubt that in '67 they would still be using PAF bobbins from 8 years ago. Its a pretty odd thing but it exists, I"m sending it out on monday....

[DoctorX]

Can someone please post pictures (top, bottom, and from the sides - short and long ways) of a typical T-Top bobbin?

Or -- does someone know of a web site which has pictures of a T-top bobbin posted, and can provide a link?

Thanks,

Doctor X