Dogear P-90

[Electricdaveyboy]

Hello,
got this pickup for repairs.The owner told me it is an old Gibbo pickup from the 50ties.I never had seen a bobbin made of a three layer pickguard material on P-90 before.The wire , the papertape and all the other parts look alike my old dogears.Anyone seen this before?
thanks..

[John_H]

Could it be they ran out of material, and grabbed what was handy?

[Sam Lee Guy]

I reckon it's probably narrow spaced too! (normal Gibson spacing is 49.4mm) and is the neck pickup from an old jazzer, maybe an 1951 ES-5 or similar. Early Gibson pickups were often made with bobbins made from sheet celluloid, either solid black, or laminated. I have also repaired early Alnico pickups with the adjustable rectangular poles made this way.

[Spence]

Well, look at the hookup. That isn't old and it has three strands per platt rather than two. So whatever the case may be it isn't all old. Also, I just don't believe that bobbin is old. Look at the white layer. It's virtually virginal.

Pole spacing looks like 48.5mm. Sam Lee Guy's on the ball.

[Possum]

tape...

is that electrical plastic tape? It doesnt look like authentic paper tape from the photos....

[trevorus]

That looks like potting wax on the tape over the coil. And the white in the 3-layer stuff just might be flash making it look new, and it has been under a cover, too.

[Electricdaveyboy]

Thank you Folks !

Hello,
the pic was taken after the repair.I had to unwind it to the point were the wire wind was broken,fixed it and rplaced the braided wire with a stew macs.The pickup is out of a `50 ES 175.The owner told me it is original.
The paper tape is the same as on my old Dogears and the magnet wire and barstock ,too.
Pickup spended his life under his cover inside the guitar.No wax potting there.

[Possum]

...

Well, then its settled. Seth Lover did say alot of early pickups were made by hand so guess they did this one, pretty cool piece of history eh?

[jason lollar]

I have seen maybe 20 or 30 of those- they are old

[Electricdaveyboy]

bobbin center ?

Hello Jason,
as I not had to unwind it completly I would like to know how the center of the bobbin was made.Were they made of wood,maybe a routed woodspacer ?
thanks david

[Sam Lee Guy]

Solly, not Jason but can still answer question. Centre is solid celluloid with holes drilled for screws. Normally these pickups aren't seen after start of 1953. Hey Jason, all the ones I've seen have been in jazzers or steels, have you seen them in anything else?

[jason lollar]

mr.Lee is correct about the core- the pickup is a glued together assembly like what I make.
Jazzboxes are all I recall they came out of but I often only see the pickup.
Steels also have them made of solid tortiseshell celluloid- very nice looking.

[Electricdaveyboy]

Thanks !

Thanks Sam Lee ,thanks Jason Lollar !

Sadly those celluloid materials are not available no more,arenīt they.

I too route my P-90 bobbins myself and using a glued woodspacer.

goodnight!

[Possum]

unwinding....

When you unwound it some was it machine wound or hand wound? Hope you checked for that, thats a pretty rare pickup and any knowledge to be had should be exploited....

[Electricdaveyboy]

Bulky

Hello Possum!
I did not unwind it that much.The coil was verry bulky on the sides and the windigs lurked out between bottom top and papertake.The cover killed those outer windings.There was not much tension on the wire but I can not say if it was handwound or not.
But I think a handwinder would have seen the bulk and add more tension to hold the coil dimensions down.(?)