Gibson bass pickups
Part descriptions for Gibson bass guitars
EB Series pickups
1950s EB Single coil pickup. This was the first Gibson bass pickup. As used on the original EB bass guitar in the early/mid 1950s. The polepieces are not positioned on the vertical axis, as they are with other Gibson Humbuckers, but sit along the far left hand edge.
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Late 50s early 60s EB humbucker. This pickup remained basically the same for many years, however early versions had this black bakelite cover
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Early 60s EB humbucker Gibson part number (1965) PU-601-N (nickel cover), PU-601-CR (chrome cover). From 1962 until 1965-66 the EB basses had this nickel cover. The EB3 stopped using this cover shortly before the EB0 (2 1/4" x 3 3/8")
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Late 60s EB humbucker This pickup itself is still the same as the earlier 60s ones, however the cover is now chrome and has different dimensions (2 1/8" x 3 1/2")
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70s EB humbucker (spring mounted) Gibson part number 13559(1971), 13573(1981) . This pickup is still essentially the same as the late 60s ones, however it had a plastic surround. The cover is still chrome and the same dimensions, 2 1/8" x 3 1/2". The change to split-headstocks happened at the same time - now the cover was attached to a new underplate, rather than directly into the body. This is the first time this humbucker was height adjustable. The word Gibson was stamped on some pickup covers in 1971
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Mid 60s EB mini-humbucker Gibson part number (1965: PU-657, 1971: 13533 ). The bridge humbucker was considerably smaller than the EB neck humbucker. The Gibson script was only stamped for a short period in 1971. Stickered on the underside with 'PATENT NO 2737842'
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Les Paul Bass, Les Paul TriumphLes Paul bass low impedance humbucker Gibson part numbers 13555 (front), 13560 (back). From 1969, the Les Paul bass and later, the Les Paul Triumph used this low impedance pickup, easily identifiable by the chrome surround and Gibson script. Both basses were 'recording' basses made for studio use (although still great live) with a wide range of sounds
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SB-300, SB-400Single coil pickup Gibson part number 13570. Launched in 1971, the SB-300 and 400 were the first Gibson basses to have single coil pickups. These units were also used in the following Gibson guitars: SG-100, SG-200, SG-250, ES-320. They clearly borrowed stylistically from the Les Paul low-impedance pickups (above) that had first appeared on a production bass in 1969. Typical resistance for an SB 300/400 pickup is around 7kΩ.
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SB-350, SB-450SB humbucker Gibson remodelled the SB range in 1972. Gone were the single coils (above) embossed logo, and chrome plated surrounds; replaced by plain black SB humbuckers, with black plastic surrounds. Typical resistance for an SB 350/450 pickup is around 6.2kΩ, for either pickup.
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EB-4LEB-4L super humbucker Unlike the previous EB humbuckers (which had two coils on an axis parallel with the strings), the EB4L superhumbucker had four small coils on an axis perpendicular to the face of the guitar. Each coil wraps around a pole piece. The concept of this pickup is described in the 1972 Gibson bass catalogue: This revolutionary new pickup design seperates the top two strings completely from the bottom two. You get more tonal response than ever, for a full, natural sound. And Gibson's new Super Humbucking Pickup design delivers more highs and "overtones" for a new sound thats packed with cutting power
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GrabberSliding humbucker Gibson part number 13691. The sliding humbucker of the Grabber remained unchanged for the 10 years of production, 1973-83
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Grabber G3G-3 single coil pickups Gibson part numbers 13109 (front), 13110 (middle), 13111 (back). The G3 was available from 1975-83, the three single-coil pickups were wired into humbucking configuration only. Later models had black covers rather than the clear ones shown here. Dimensions (approx): 79mm x 20mm x 16mm (excluding protruding mounting tabs).
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L9-S RipperRipper humbucker Gibson part number 13679 (the front and back pickups are identical). Dimensions: 73.5mm x 42mm x 22.6mm. There were two versions, initially they were mounted to the bass body via two screws along the pickups vertical axis. Later this was changed to threw screws attached to the scratchplate (first picture).
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RD StandardRD Standard humbuckers Gibson part numbers 13063 (front pickup) and 13064 (back pickup). The pickups are not the same; bridge resistance is around 11kΩ, the neck just 6kΩ. Dimensions: 80.4mm x 21.2mm x 27.3mm.
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RD ArtistRD Artist humbucker Gibson part number 13066 (front and back pickups identical). Resistance is around 6.5kΩ. Dimensions: 73.5mm x 42mm x 27.3mm. The RD artist pickups connect to the Moog circuit board, but are not soldered directly to it; instead they use three-pin connectors which clip to the board.
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Thunderbird1960s Thunderbird humbucker Gibson part numbers (1965) PU-760-2N (front), PU-760-1N (back)
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Bicentenial thunderbird humbucker Gibson part numbers 13531 (front), 13530 (back). Note that this pickup has three screws going through it, rather than the two of the older version
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Victory (standard, artist and custom)Series VIIB humbucker Victory bass series pickups were designed by Tim Shaw of the Kalamazoo plant R&D team. The Victory standard pickup used thinner diameter wire than the Artist, in order to produce more mid-range and presence. According to Gibson, "due to the exceptional efficiency and balance characteristics of this new design pickup, no adjustable pole pieces are necessary". Dimensions: 87.3mm x 34.8mm x 27mm (excluding protruding mounting tabs). From the 1982 Gibson Victory owners manual:
instead of using the traditional side by side placement of the humbucking pickup coils, and "end to end" coil placement design is incorporated. This enables each string to pass over only one coil of the pickup producing the pure, sweet, full frequency response of a true single coil pickup. However the pickups incorporate standard "humbucking" wiring to cancel the unwanted noise and hum frequencies unfortunately inherent in a simple coil pickup design
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![$a_row[part_name]](http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/part13aS.jpg)
