Help ID/History on Gibson Mini-Hum Please?

[Drak]

Hey All. I just bought this pickup, and then did some basic research on it.

I was not really aware of the differences between a real Gibson Mini-Hum and the Firebird variety, but I now understand the basic differences after doing a little reading. I also happened to read that some pkp builders were blurring the lines between the two, and thusly I present my case/question.

As you can see in the pics, it's a Firebird cover, but the base is drilled for slugs/screws, like a regular mini would have, although I don't see any evidence of magnet slugs/screws actually being used, and I understand the Firebird uses blades anyway.
It also has the Gibson patent stamped into it, but these days you know, you can never tell what to believe.

Another interesting point: I was at Gibson's website checking out the Firebird here:
Gibson - Gibson Guitar: Electric, Acoustic and Bass Guitars, Baldwin Pianos

...and they have a paragraph about the mini-hum pickups history...but interestingly enough, the title of the section claims new, high-output ceramic mini-humbuckers, but in the actual paragraph itself, it never mentions the word ceramic at all, and claims a completely vintage alnico construction...WTF?

So, can anyone chime in and give me their best interpretation of what this is and maybe when it might have been made?

PS, I just purchased it from a private party who said they bought it new, tried it, and didn't like it (as much as a P-90 anyway), so I don't have it in front of me to test yet.

Thanks for your time.

[Possum]

....

That looks like one of the newer ones from the 90's. I bought a guitar Gibson made to compete with Teles and it had one of those on it, I didn't like the pickup at all, and yes maybe its ceramic. I got rid of the guitar eventually, the pickups were kind of sterile and weak sounding, that guitar never caught on. Maybe someone else knows more about those...

[Peter Naglitsch]

Hi Drak (possibly Drak from the PG forum???) and welcome to the forum.

There are several errors in that piece of advertisement. First they mix up the early mini HB sized single coils that were used in the Epiphones with real mini HBs. Then they claim that the Firebird pickup is the same thing as what is usually referred to as a mini HB or a deluxe style HB. Not true. In my world a deluxe style HB is a mini HB (one bar slug pole and six individually adjustable screw poles) and a firebird pickup (two magnet blades) is a firebird pickup… The mini HB had a A5 magnet and the firebird had A2, so that part is at least correct (apart from the incorrect reference to ceramic magnets in the headline). They also refer to the cream plastic mounting for the firebird pickup. C’mon!

I didn’t care to read the rest but I bet that it will show as much errors as the section I did read. Replace that crappy advertisement writer and get someone in that actually knows a thing or two about guitars.

[jason lollar]

new firebirds since the 90's have ceramic magnets and are wound around 24K
The magnets are so strong if you leave the guitar sitting out without a case any dust particles will settle over the magnets

[Drak]

Hi Peter, yup, same me

I totally agree, that Gibson copy had a tremendous amount of errors in it, basically useless for information purposes.

Jason, thanks for the info, I'll ohm it out when it gets here, maybe that will tell me something. I'm probably going to remove the cover and see what's under the hood just to settle it for myself, I'm aware some people have said depending on what type it is, the cover is the only thing holding it all together...but I must know.

PS Jason, I bought two of your Mini's some years ago and promised you I'd send along pics of the pkps installed, I'll post 'em here in a day or two so you can see where your creations are happily sitting. I absolutely love them, and they are the Mini's I judge everything else by.

Unfortunately, the purchase of my house 2 years ago now forces me to bargain shop, or I'd be buying more from you.
You may remember, I had you ship me the 2 covers and mounting rings to have them gold plated locally, then I sent them back to you to build.
I think you offer gold in-house now if I remember reading your site correctly.

They absolutely are spectacular pickups and I thank you for glorious tone.

[Drak]

Well I got it in and measured it, it's 25.5K (ouch), so I imagine no need to take it apart, that pretty much tells the story as a recent Gibson ceramic version.

Oh well, you get what you pay for I imagine.