Firebird PU small metal top plate - necessary?

[big_teee]

I made a firebird hybrid I liked a lot, a couple of years back.
Used the standard baseplate, bobbins & firebird cover.
Inside I used a standard humbucker A8 Bar mag on the bottom.
Used 2 custom cut slug bars in the bobbins.
I cut the slug bars a little wider so they barely stuck through the top of the bobbins, allowing to sit near, or against the cover.
An advantage with the slugs, you can use any standard Humbucker magnet underneath.
A2-A8, C5, or C8.
Worth a try, if you're trying to come up with something different.
I liked it! Can be tuned warm or bright, depending on bar magnet.
T

[charrich56]

Thanks, guys, I appreciate all your answers.

I've thought for a long time that the mini-humbucker/Firebird PU was treated like the red-headed stepchild of the pickup world, but maybe a good modern design could offer some great tones and some advantages for fit (fits P-90 cavity easily with the adapter, and you can put 3 of them on a Strat pickguard.)

[copperheadroads]

I don't find a unbalanced strings without the small B plate so I don't use it .

[12xu]

[wild speculation]
Maybe because you use an electrically well-balanced string set?
I wouldn't doubt the "old-school" guys at Gibson tested the pickup with "old-school" strings....
[/wild speculation]

-rb

I've always heard that was the reason they did it.

Not needed with modern strings.

[rjb]

I've had good results without using the plate.

[wild speculation]
Maybe because you use an electrically well-balanced string set?
I wouldn't doubt the "old-school" guys at Gibson tested the pickup with "old-school" strings....
[/wild speculation]

-rb

[12xu]

I've had good results without using the plate.

[salvarsan]

Could someone comment on the Firebird pickup, whether the small sheet metal piece which is installed on the treble side on top of the two magnets, is either necessary or desirable, if you don't want to necessarily duplicate the Firebird PU sound?

Yes, it's a magnetic field soak to decrease the B,G string contributions.
Lacking adjustable screws, it's an economical pickup tweak.
The StewMac picture helps explain things.

[charrich56]

Yep, it would shunt some of the field which would magnetize what looks like the G and B strings. But knowing what Gibson's rationale for doing it in the first place, would save me some experimentation time I'd like to devote to some other things.

[rjb]

My guess is that the ferrous metal sheet reduces the magnetic field reaching the treble strings.
The obvious answer is "try it".

-rb

[charrich56]

Could someone comment on the Firebird pickup, whether the small sheet metal piece which is installed on the treble side on top of the two magnets, is either necessary or desirable, if you don't want to necessarily duplicate the Firebird PU sound?

Does it make the string outputs more balanced bass to treble, or anything along those lines?

Thanks in advance for replies/comments.

-Charlie