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Thunderbird Club

#341,922
dagrev said:
Great pic.
I want to see that pic again where you an Jeff are no smiles in a car looking like two cats going to fulfill a "contractual obligation" on someone.
If you were, ignore this post and I live in Philly not Lou....
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:D ...
1777572518291.jpeg
 
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#341,923
dagrev said:
FYI, those are almost certainly not Epi pickups but knockoffs from the land of "copy and sell." According to a person I spoke with at Epi/Gibson, they do not sell those pickups.
They "may" be from the same company that makes them for Epi, but that's very questionable. but that Epi hasn't sent them a CD letter makes me wonder. But my 760s are not soldered on the ends, just the sides. Of course that could change, or not.
This is not to say they are bad pups. May be fantastic.

View attachment 7485280
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Could be ! The seller has 3500+ feedback at 99% so I’m sure they’ll at least arrive ok. Possible that they are the same as the EY pickup (which sound great), but the price was certainly right, so it’s worth a shot :)

Thanks for posting the pics … they definitely look a little different, and the ones I ordered seem to match the EY look (but cost slightly less than the set of EY that I bought)
 
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#341,925
Engle said:
I have a set of those "760's of unknown provenance". They are currently in my Orville and sound pretty good IMO.
My theory is they are factory seconds as they came with some minor imperfections in the chrome.
Click to expand...
It's certainly possible even with the soldering pattern indicating a different manufacturing process (which could easily change). I'd go as far as to say they could very well sound better than 760s even if they are not. Worth taking a chance on at that price.

Not meaning at all to beat the horse or in any way seem argumentative by the quote below from Ben at Gibson. I was curious and wanted to make sure I wasn't misremembering or misstating something so I looked for the email and paste it because it was easy since I found it.
The VP pickups are definitely some of the best modern Thunderbird pickups out there—Epiphone nailed the vintage tone with them. I totally get why you’d want a set for your ’66 Non-Reverse.
As for buying them separately, Epiphone doesn’t sell those pickups as standalone parts, which is frustrating for those of us who know how good they are. You’re right to be skeptical about those “Epi Thunderbird” pickups from China—more often than not, they’re knockoffs or just generic humbuckers that won’t get you the same tone.

"More often that not" does seem to leave the door open if not being overly casual in tone.

That said, regardless if real or not, that has no bearing on if they sound good or not. The "Korea buckers" (90s?) I took out of the '66 sounded pretty good. May sound as good as the one's I ordered. I just recall thinking I liked how they sounded, but thought "better" pups would surely sound "better." In fact, if I get around to Pbass build with Thunderbird pickups and I'm going to drop those in before buying pickups and see how they do.
 
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#341,926
Dark Horse said:
Could be ! The seller has 3500+ feedback at 99% so I’m sure they’ll at least arrive ok. Possible that they are the same as the EY pickup (which sound great), but the price was certainly right, so it’s worth a shot :)

Thanks for posting the pics … they definitely look a little different, and the ones I ordered seem to match the EY look (but cost slightly less than the set of EY that I bought)
Click to expand...
Irv may be also onto something with his post. Again, none of this says anything about how they sound. They could very well be the best deal around for Thunderbird pups. I sincerely mean that too. Well worth trying. You may have found something we all want to try.

Curious to see how you think they compare to the EY's you bought. Make sure you give us a review once installed. I know I'm not the only one who would love to hear your thoughts.
 
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#341,929
Dark Horse said:
Could be ! The seller has 3500+ feedback at 99% so I’m sure they’ll at least arrive ok. Possible that they are the same as the EY pickup (which sound great), but the price was certainly right, so it’s worth a shot :)

Thanks for posting the pics … they definitely look a little different, and the ones I ordered seem to match the EY look (but cost slightly less than the set of EY that I bought)
Click to expand...

It’d be nice to know if the back plate read “Epiphone”. I know the ones out of my 2017 VP do.
 
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#341,930
Lammchop93 said:
I’m guessing Gibson won’t be doing a 250th anniversary Thunderbird like they did with the bicentennials in ‘76?

Wouldnt that be cool to do a reissue?
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The national mood is really different from how it was in 1976. There was red, white, and blue everything back then.

TRN_SantaFe_Bicentennial_KC-Engine-5704.jpeg


1974-Chevrolet-Spirit-Of-America-Vega-1-1200x750.jpg

bicentennial.jpg


I haven't seen anything like any of this lately. Gibson sure won't be picking up on it if it isn't happening.
 
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#341,931
Thumper said:
I'd like to give @Ringhammer a thumbs up for such a smooth transaction to buy his '97 Thunderbird. It's a joy to play, and brings a flavor somewhere in between my VP and my 2014 Thunderbirds. It is wearing reissue Gibson PUPs. More on that after more time with it.

So I'm now the proud owner of 4 Gibsons ('69 EB3, 2014 SG, 2014 Thunderbird, '97 Thunderbird).

View attachment 7485282
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Congratulations Thump! Great to know it went to a great home.
 
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#341,932
Gaolee said:
The national mood is really different from how it was in 1976. There was red, white, and blue everything back then.

TRN_SantaFe_Bicentennial_KC-Engine-5704.jpeg


1974-Chevrolet-Spirit-Of-America-Vega-1-1200x750.jpg

bicentennial.jpg


I haven't seen anything like any of this lately. Gibson sure won't be picking up on it if it isn't happening.
Click to expand...
I remember standing in line for what seemed like forever when the Bicentennial Train came to Santa Barbara.
 
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#341,934
dagrev said:
It's certainly possible even with the soldering pattern indicating a different manufacturing process (which could easily change). I'd go as far as to say they could very well sound better than 760s even if they are not. Worth taking a chance on at that price.

Not meaning at all to beat the horse or in any way seem argumentative by the quote below from Ben at Gibson. I was curious and wanted to make sure I wasn't misremembering or misstating something so I looked for the email and paste it because it was easy since I found it.
The VP pickups are definitely some of the best modern Thunderbird pickups out there—Epiphone nailed the vintage tone with them. I totally get why you’d want a set for your ’66 Non-Reverse.
As for buying them separately, Epiphone doesn’t sell those pickups as standalone parts, which is frustrating for those of us who know how good they are. You’re right to be skeptical about those “Epi Thunderbird” pickups from China—more often than not, they’re knockoffs or just generic humbuckers that won’t get you the same tone.

"More often that not" does seem to leave the door open if not being overly casual in tone.

That said, regardless if real or not, that has no bearing on if they sound good or not. The "Korea buckers" (90s?) I took out of the '66 sounded pretty good. May sound as good as the one's I ordered. I just recall thinking I liked how they sounded, but thought "better" pups would surely sound "better." In fact, if I get around to Pbass build with Thunderbird pickups and I'm going to drop those in before buying pickups and see how they do.
Click to expand...
Even if Ben at Gibson knew the Chinese "760"s were the same ones they were putting in Epiphones, he gave the correct answer 😄
 
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