Hit the Mother Deal!!

[Possum]

patent no...

They use that stupid wrong patent number on all those buckers and maybe they still do, I guess by now its a tradition :-) yeah let me know, maybe trade some screws if I ever get the damn things.....

[NightWinder]

Here are some pics.

[NightWinder]

ttop

The set

[Spence]

These are T Tops. No doubt. The chinese symbol is actually a large letter H with a small P on top and a T underneath.



The screw poles are self cutting.

Hope this helps.

[NightWinder]

I really like how the covers aged soo well. TTopa are a pretty penny on ebay? Thats cool, extra cash....or some trading. I seen a guy starting his bud for $150.00 on ebay. Thats crazy shit, but if you like them, I guess they will pay..

[David Schwab]

I only have the one here which is neck spacing... :-)

Hey Dave, what is the measurement from the centers of the two outside poles on yours? I have 1 15/16 here. Both pickups on this ,81 guitar have the same spacing, as did my '84 Les Paul Standard.

I'm curious when they made neck and bridge spacings?

[Possum]

pole spacing

Dave, actually you are right this one is 1 15/16" I was told its neck spacing, maybe it isn't?

[Possum]

Shaws..

They could be Shaws, maybe, did you ever take a picture of the bottom of the base plate, thats where it can be determined.
A six digit number two sets of 3 numbers rubber stamped over the patent number. I read on Ebay that some Shaws used TTop bobbins, whether that is true or not I don't know. Your resitances are wrong for TTops, they were all uniformly 7.7K, yours read right for Shaws. I might be interested in trading for screws, but my screws do have the cold crowning mark on them, but alot of old Gibson did too, though PAF screws I've seen don't, not sure why either. Anyway, not sure I want to unload any screws anyway, took me about four months to get these and I still only have half the order. Goulet Specialties is the company I used, their prices are about the same as everyone else's.

[NightWinder]

BOTTTOM RIGHT HAS A STAMPED MAKING. APPEARS TO BE A DATE SOMETIME IN FEB/ i BELIEVE THEY ARE SHAWS. I'LL NOT NAG YOU ABOUT SCREWS.......ITS COOL. LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO TRADE FOR SOME COVERS OR BASEPLATES. IF I DONT.HEAR FROM YOU....I'LL SLAM THEM ON EBAY AND GLADLY HAVE MORE $$$ FOR THESE ITEMS THAN WHAT I WOULD ASK FROM YOU. JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU GET THEM IF YOU WANT THEM. THEY HAVE NO VALUE WHATSOEVER TO ME, OTHER THAN STATED, AND PERSONALLY MY VERSION ALREADY SLAMS THESE TO HELL AND BACK.

[David Schwab]

Dave, actually you are right this one is 1 15/16" I was told its neck spacing, maybe it isn't?

Neck and bridge are the same spacing... actually there were no neck and bridge, they used the same pickup for both. At least on the guitars I've seen.

[erikbojerik]

NW, to answer your question about the LP, mid-70s puts it in the Norlin era at a time when they got away from using 1-piece mahogany backs...4/4 (inch-thick) being cheaper and easier to source than 8/4 stock. A little poking around should reveal a pancake construction for the body, a couple of layers of mahogany and one or two layers of maple on top. Maybe more. Some guys love Norlins, LP purists tend to frown on them as they are a departure from the holy grail 50s.

[NightWinder]

Thanks for the reply erik. I have done some investigating and used some connections too. Your are absolultly right from a purists point of view..................But, why was norlin there in the first place. Apparently, the Norlin version was and is designed with the pancake layer. What they were trying to achieve at the time was a better HARD rock instrument. The pancake is actually all mahagany, the layer in between is also mahagany, with the grain going in the opposite direction. This is supposed to not let the body soak up the vibration as much, resulting in more vibration on the fretboard.....Clearer tone. Funny, the Pancake layer is also more labor intensive....so they clearly had a spacific plan in mind. If you look at any norlin cap, you will see that none of the pieces are going in the same direction as well. Personally, I have a nice collection, and the Norlins DO have a sweet articulation. Totally different from other customs.....I would consider a Norlin a Male guitar, whereas the standards and 59's have a warmer tone, female. LOL. I would honestly take the Norlin over anyother Custom. Seriously.....

[Trisomy21]

Hmm, my brother sold me an SG look alike for $50, took it apart and found the exact same thing. One pickup has PATENT. NO. 2,737,842 stamped on it, the other one has what looks to be the remnants of a sticker.

T-Tops? I hope so, going to take them to the guitar shop tomorrow to find out.

[David Schwab]

Hmm, my brother sold me an SG look alike for $50, took it apart and found the exact same thing. One pickup has PATENT. NO. 2,737,842 stamped on it, the other one has what looks to be the remnants of a sticker.

T-Tops? I hope so, going to take them to the guitar shop tomorrow to find out.

If they are Gibson pickups, the one with the stamped number is a Shaw pickup, and the other would be an old patent decal pickup. The T tops were in between those two.

[Trisomy21]

You're speaking another language my friend. I'm lost when it comes to pickups.
Here are some pictures though, the stamped one was in the neck position.





Based on this and your previous post, what would these be worth?