Help identifying P90s

orys

I had a set of P90s on an MIJ  and i popped the covers off, keep in mind there were no screws holding the backplate and found these.
https://i.imgur.com/xOrFdyv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/qH43lDO.jpg

Any idea what year they are?

Thanks
Tio

OilCityPickups

Measure centre to centre between top and bottom e pole pieces ... as a general rule ... if the spacing is 49.2mm they are American, if it's 50 they aren't. That's a good way of narrowing things down.

orys

They seem to be around 49mm.
the covers are original Gibson.

OilCityPickups

The bobbins look to be Gibson too ... it's just that the baseplate soldering looks a bit nasty ... but I'd say they are Gibson if pushed

orys

Yeah but i'm trying to figure out year.

orys

Were there japanese clear bobbin p90s?

SteveRobinson

Gibson did use clear bobbins in the 60s but I don't think these are Gibson. The base plates are totally the wrong style (brass not steel) and don't have the two screws holding them on.

OilCityPickups

SteveRobinson said:

Gibson did use clear bobbins in the 60s but I don't think these are Gibson. The base plates are totally the wrong style (brass not steel) and don't have the two screws holding them on.

The original baseplates on Gibsons were Nickel ... steel would have 'shorted out' the polarities of the opposed magnets. and the soldering and baseplate looks wrong ... but baseplates get changed and messed about with. The baseplate retaing screws would have gone in the two unused holes next to the top and bottom e pole screws if it's a Gibson. The covers, bobbins, winding wire and pole spacing point to US ... the baseplate to Far Eastern ... pays yer money and takes yer choice

Funkfingers

The baseplates on my 2006 Gibson P90s are brass. 

I remember the clear bobbins from the accessories pages of a 1979 Gibson catalogue. Gibson had started offering their production line pickups for retrofitting. They gave them some silly names. The P90 acquired the name The Laid Back. 

Regarding the scruffy soldering on the output cable. I reckon somebody did that to prevent the cable getting in the way during removing or refitting. Some Seymour Duncan production line P90 clones have a cable guide eyelet for this exact purpose.

OilCityPickups

Funkfingers said:

The baseplates on my 2006 Gibson P90s are brass. 

I remember the clear bobbins from the accessories pages of a 1979 Gibson catalogue. Gibson had started offering their production line pickups for retrofitting. They gave them some silly names. The P90 acquired the name The Laid Back. 

Regarding the scruffy soldering on the output cable. I reckon somebody did that to prevent the cable getting in the way during removing or refitting. Some Seymour Duncan production line P90 clones have a cable guide eyelet for this exact purpose.

Gibson have used brass and nickel on P90s ... makes beggar all difference to the sound. On balance ... and mostly from the bobbins and winding wire I'd say they are probably Gibson. If the pole screw threads are 5/40 imperial that'd clinch it for me. 

orys

OilCityPickups said:

Funkfingers said:

The baseplates on my 2006 Gibson P90s are brass. 

I remember the clear bobbins from the accessories pages of a 1979 Gibson catalogue. Gibson had started offering their production line pickups for retrofitting. They gave them some silly names. The P90 acquired the name The Laid Back. 

Regarding the scruffy soldering on the output cable. I reckon somebody did that to prevent the cable getting in the way during removing or refitting. Some Seymour Duncan production line P90 clones have a cable guide eyelet for this exact purpose.

Gibson have used brass and nickel on P90s ... makes beggar all difference to the sound. On balance ... and mostly from the bobbins and winding wire I'd say they are probably Gibson. If the pole screw threads are 5/40 imperial that'd clinch it for me. 

Hmm hard to do the 5/40 imperial measurement

OilCityPickups

orys said:

OilCityPickups said:

Funkfingers said:

The baseplates on my 2006 Gibson P90s are brass. 

I remember the clear bobbins from the accessories pages of a 1979 Gibson catalogue. Gibson had started offering their production line pickups for retrofitting. They gave them some silly names. The P90 acquired the name The Laid Back. 

Regarding the scruffy soldering on the output cable. I reckon somebody did that to prevent the cable getting in the way during removing or refitting. Some Seymour Duncan production line P90 clones have a cable guide eyelet for this exact purpose.

Gibson have used brass and nickel on P90s ... makes beggar all difference to the sound. On balance ... and mostly from the bobbins and winding wire I'd say they are probably Gibson. If the pole screw threads are 5/40 imperial that'd clinch it for me. 

Hmm hard to do the 5/40 imperial measurement

If you have a 5/40 pole screw kicking about it's pretty easy to tell that from a metric one which is way finer in thread pitch and a little smaller in diameter. Admittedly that's a specialist thing mind.

orys

I've taken them out of the ObG. Installed the BKP Blue Notes and they sound so much better.
Will sell these although i don't know for how much since they seem to be of unknown origin.

orys

Looks like the poles are the same tread as on Gibson P90 from my CS Junior. Also i had a Lindy Fralin P90 laying around which seems to have the same poles as well. So these must be Gibson pups according also to the ObG catalog that mentioned they were using original Gibson pups on their models. So, how much should i sell these?