Zebra??? Reverse Zebra?!?!??!

I'm planning to order a Warmoth Les Paul (I know I know, bolt-on neck, right) in the coming year and I'm in the process of researching for all the electronics and accessories.

I wanna use a Seymour Duncan P-Rails @ Neck and some open-coil humbucker @ bridge. I am really digging the black and white pickup color so I'm gonna find myself a zebra pickup.

But then I looked online and suddenly I'm all confused... What is reverse zebra?? Is zebra the one with white strip towards the neck, black strip towards the bridge, or vice versa?

Help!!

P.S. I also see different brands of TOM bridge out there... Is there a "better" one and how so?

Thank you very much in advance for your advices!!!

From this site:

Gibson Les Paul Sunburst Standard guitar info 1958 1959 1960 sun burst vintage value

The indication is that in 1959 zebra pickups had the adjustment screws in the black side. So a reverse zebra has the adjustment poles in the cream side. That being said, I have found plenty of sites selling modern pickups where that is reversed.

In terms of bridges there is a lot of love here for Pigtail bridges, Tonepro bridges, and there is a new thread floating around about a new Callaham bridge which is getting a lot of positive attention. Apparently you have to fiddle with it just a little bit to get rid of some buzz but after that it's supposed to be great.

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/custom-shop/46704-callaham-abr-1-replacement.html

Good luck with your build! People here seem to favor Bulldog electric guitar bodies (BullDogBodies) as opposed to Warmoth both in terms of price and quality of product. You have to do a bit more finishing work on your own but the Luthier's Corner here is top notch and you can get help from some really excellent luthiers.

-Nate

You totally might be right Jonesy. Here is a thread where Skatterbrane chimed in on his opinion with the orientation of zebra pickups. It sounds like there is a lot of disagreement and no one is consistent so you really just have to ask:

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/pickups/46189-zebra-rev-zebra.html

-Nate

Thanks for your help! Since I'm not putting 2 HBs into the guitar I suppose which side is white isn't a HUGE issue, except I really want to know how it will look like.

@NateM: I checked the website but I can't tell if it's a carved top or a flat top from the pictures. And is it chambered or solid? The website doesn't tell much... I can only assume that it's a glue-in neck too, except that's a good feature

I dearly love this forum,but I just cannot appreciate this dilemma. What a momentous decision-Black and White, or White and Black? Pickguard, No Pickguard? Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but C'mon, People!O'L

Ole'Lefty said:

I dearly love this forum,but I just cannot appreciate this dilemma. What a momentous decision-Black and White, or White and Black? Pickguard, No Pickguard? Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but C'mon, People!O'L

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I was a little more practical about it, but I did have preferences. I've got a super strat (H-S-H) with a fairly dark burst quilt top and put zebras in the two 'bucker positions and a white in the middle single coil positions. I put the white coils closest to the bridge and the neck and wired it so that those were left active when the pickups were in tapped mode. From a distance, it looks like I've got a three-single-coil strat, and in tapped mode, that's what it sounds like. Flicked into 'bucker mode, the guitar sounds like a slightly bright LP (the guitar is all mahogany except for the maple top). Every now and then I get a head whipping around to see where that sound is coming from <G>. And...uh...no pickguard.

You know I can't tell either. Hopefully someone else who has actually built one of their kits will chime in. Here is another site that makes kits for you to consider too. Keep in mind, I have no first hand experience with them so I don't know about quality or anything like that.

DIY Guitar Shop | DIY Strat, Tele, LP, and Jazz bass style Electric Guitar kit Builder Kits... Left-handed too!

Ole'Lefty: I guess I can understand. What if you were trying to replicate a particular Les Paul that had a particular set of pickups? And while we're at it, why do we spend so much time matching binding color or pickup ring shape? I mean what difference does it make? Personally, and I don't want to offend, I think this is a case of, "if you can't say something nice, don't say nothing at all."

My 2cents.

-Nathan Miller

You have made my point. If replicating, then it has merit-otherwise it is just a simple choice that has to be made by the buyer.This thread made no mention of Burst replication. It is a Warmoth assembly. " Does Ole'Lefty like red-skinned potatos or brown skinned potatos?" I'm wearing a navy blue suit today-navy blue or black socks? Those analogies are generous-it is more like which brown skinned potato should I like-which pair of black socks should I like?

I am open to any discussion of the need for the OP to have this input-guess I'm just an asshole.Ole'Lefty

I don't think you are Ole'Lefty. I just think that we should accept that it does matter to some people. And, if it does, shouldn't we help them make the correct choice? I'm sorry if I have offended you, I just don't think we should jump on someone for asking a color question. It honestly might matter to the OP and, if it does, he should be able to make the best informed decision possible. That warrants a more in depth discussion. I guess I was looking at the question from the replication standpoint for my own personal reasons.

You're a great guy Lefty. The kindness you have shown others on the forum in praising their builds and attempts at being luthiers and the knowledge that you have shared repeatedly is testament to that. You definitely don't need to demean yourself.

-Nate

Ole'Lefty said:

I dearly love this forum,but I just cannot appreciate this dilemma. What a momentous decision-Black and White, or White and Black? Pickguard, No Pickguard? Sorry to be a curmudgeon, but C'mon, People!O'L

Click to expand...

IMO Kind of like "long tenon, short tenon, which glue is better hide or resin etc"

Seymour Duncan called 'reversed zebra'=black bobbin with srews (which is a normal vintage zebra!!!!)


Seymour Duncan SH-4 JB Humbucker Bridge Reverse Zebra bei eBay.de: Parts Accessories (endet 02.11.09 00:33:33 MEZ)

a vintage zebra humbucker is as you can read in the BOTB, page 85 guitar 9 1228 , Sandy' As seen on this example, most of the zebras have cream bobbins on the non-adjustable side.

Hey I'm sorry if my post made you mad... I just wanted to clarify and where else is a better place to ask for all the great members' opinions other than this forum?

But still, I think this zebra/rev zebra issue is delivering headaches to a lot of people yet there has never been a definite answer....

I should have just shut up. What you like-I respect your choice. I just do not know how we can tell you what you like.(part of this is "lawyer thinking"-they mold you to analyze everything and make decisions upon whether what is analyzed will make any difference to an issue outcome) If you are planning a custom guitar, then only your pleasures are relevant-that is the essence of "custom." Sorry-Mike

Not the best shot, but you can see the zebras that do not mirror each other. I prefer this look to the "regular" arrangement.

Oh no I'm just merely asking what they look like... I am not asking for opinion which looks better... sorry for the confusion...

jonesy said:

Probably varies from pu maker to pu maker just like the color codes on humbuckers all vary??

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I suppose so... Anyway thanks for everyone's help

A big hug for all

I believe this is how Seymour Duncan makes Zebras: