"Tar Back" epoxy potted pickups

[retrobob]

Just curious if any one has info on these?

I had a 73-74ish SG that had these pickups.
Were they just T tops that were potted in epoxy?
I never saw them in any other guitar other than SGs.

It seems Gibson only did this for a year or two.
Wondering why they did it at all?

 

[Progrocker111]

They werent T-Tops. They had more bassy sound, not so clear than T-Tops. They were listed in Gibsons 70s catalogs as enhanced humbuckers with more bass response. I like T-Tops much more.

 

[52trapeze]

They were heavy as mofos as well.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

Pictures?

 

[Mildperv]

Those seem to be aging well. I put one in the neck of a project Epi Wilshire and it sounds pretty damn good.
.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

They cane in more models like the ES-335 as well as the SG

Gibson tar back specifications:

Inductance 4.7 Henries
Resonant Peak 5.8 Khz
DC resistance 7.8 K ohms (at 1000 cps)
Impedance High
Two Active upper coils
One Ceramic Magnet (indox 7)
Adjustable pole pieces
Removable pickup cover
2 point height adjustment

 

[Mildperv]

Removable pickup cover

With a chisel, maybe...
.

 

[gtr-tek]

No shi#!!! I have a pair of these in my mid '70's SG. I think it is a '74. I love them in it. I tried replacing them with some Carvin's but came back to these as they sound better.

 

[retrobob]

With a chisel, maybe...
.

Funny you should say this. Because when I had that guitar, everyone at the time was taking the covers off their humbuckers.
I had to peel mine off with a pair of plyers. Like ripping open a tin can.
I don't know how I managed not to wreck the pickups.

 

[retrobob]

They cane in more models like the ES-335 as well as the SG

Gibson tar back specifications:

Inductance 4.7 Henries
Resonant Peak 5.8 Khz
DC resistance 7.8 K ohms (at 1000 cps)
Impedance High
Two Active upper coils
One Ceramic Magnet (indox 7)
Adjustable pole pieces
Removable pickup cover
2 point height adjustment

Thanks for the info HB.

Just wondering why Gibson put these pickups just in certain guitars?
And if your going to pot a pickup, how about using paraffin for petes sake!

 

[victrola1915]

Are these the "Super Humbucking"
pickups of the 70's like the ones that came in my '75 SG standard?

 

[Progrocker111]

Are these the "Super Humbucking"
pickups of the 70's like the ones that came in my '75 SG standard?

Yes.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

Are these the "Super Humbucking"
pickups of the 70's like the ones that came in my '75 SG standard?

the super humbucker was a different pickup it was fitted in the L-6 model
Super Humbucker. Output is roughly 1.5X an original Gibson Humbucker. By comparison, a DiMarzio Super II is about 2X an original Gibson Humbucker. There are no adjustable polepieces (which is part of the reason you don't see screws poking through the cover) this is a way to immediately distinguish them from the Gibson tarback pickups. Each pickup uses 3 Indox 7 magnets -- these are a type of ceramic magnet, but they're smaller than normal and used in a way to get more power out of a smaller magnet (greater efficiency, yada yada). So it's not a typical ceramic magnet pickup at all. The bottom (under) plate is brass. The cover (except for the black ones and maybe *including* the black ones) was nickel silver. They were potted in epoxy rather than wax.
Bill Lawrence joined thev Gibson company in 1971 he was originally asked to design a "multi sound" system for the SG, but wanted to build a completely different guitar instead, and that ended up being the L6S though that guitar as it was produced was quite different from the guitar Lawrence designed. The Super Humbucker was designed for the L6S by Bill Lawrence

 

[David Mccarroll]

They cane in more models like the ES-335 as well as the SG

Gibson tar back specifications:

Inductance 4.7 Henries
Resonant Peak 5.8 Khz
DC resistance 7.8 K ohms (at 1000 cps)
Impedance High
Two Active upper coils
One Ceramic Magnet (indox 7)
Adjustable pole pieces
Removable pickup cover
2 point height adjustment

I can say with confidence that they are also in L5S's too - which may mean that they were also used in L5s, Switchmasters, ES175s etc during that period. I'm also almost 100% certain that they are in a colleague's Les Paul 25/50. Maybe Gibson's default pickup at that period?

 

[HOT-BRIT]

I can say with confidence that they are also in L5S's too - which may mean that they were also used in L5s, Switchmasters, ES175s etc during that period. I'm also almost 100% certain that they are in a colleague's Les Paul 25/50. Maybe Gibson's default pickup at that period?

they were fitted on other models than the SG as I said earlier and some times they were wired for coil splitting like on the late 70's ES-335's, but it is rare to find them fitted in a Les Paul

 

[69 Goldtop]

25/50 Anniv. has them. Mine does.

 

[Progrocker111]

25/50 Anniv. has them. Mine does.

Artisans have them too.

 

[HOT-BRIT]

Artisans have them too.

yes thats true they are in Artisans

 

[69 Goldtop]

Also had a 74 ES-335 Ebony that has Tarbacks.

 

[josep_cla]

the super humbucker was a different pickup it was fitted in the L-6 model
Super Humbucker. Output is roughly 1.5X an original Gibson Humbucker. By comparison, a DiMarzio Super II is about 2X an original Gibson Humbucker. There are no adjustable polepieces (which is part of the reason you don't see screws poking through the cover) this is a way to immediately distinguish them from the Gibson tarback pickups. Each pickup uses 3 Indox 7 magnets -- these are a type of ceramic magnet, but they're smaller than normal and used in a way to get more power out of a smaller magnet (greater efficiency, yada yada). So it's not a typical ceramic magnet pickup at all. The bottom (under) plate is brass. The cover (except for the black ones and maybe *including* the black ones) was nickel silver. They were potted in epoxy rather than wax.
Bill Lawrence joined thev Gibson company in 1971 he was originally asked to design a "multi sound" system for the SG, but wanted to build a completely different guitar instead, and that ended up being the L6S though that guitar as it was produced was quite different from the guitar Lawrence designed. The Super Humbucker was designed for the L6S by Bill Lawrence

I have one of these in the neck of my strat (paired with a 500T on bridge.
It reads 6.5K and volume wise is well balanced with the 500T.

Sounds a bit darker, but not muddy. Lots of personality.