Any Firebird pickups out there?

daveyh

Looking to replace the ceramics in my 2005 FBV, but a little undecided about what to go for as I’m a bit eclectic in my tastes. Before I splash out on some Mojo Johnny Winters etc, anything else out there you don’t want?

Caffeine_Vampire

I have a set of DeArmond 2000's I was going to put in a Firebird but I really don't need another guitar. The 2000's are very highly rated and would have the perfect vintage clarity for a 'bird imo. I might consider moving them if you're interested?

Funkfingers

daveyh said:

Mojo Johnny Winters 

Do you mean Mojotone USA? They had an endorsement deal with JW. 

I don't think that the UK-based Mojo Pickups offers Firebird pickups … although, I'm certain that he could if he chose to.

Talk to @OilCityPickups about his Masterwound Winterizer set. I dare say that he could overwind the bridge/Treble position unit to the same extent as the Mojotone product.

daveyh

I did mean Mojotone, yes. 

daveyh

Caffeine_Vampire said:

I have a set of DeArmond 2000's I was going to put in a Firebird but I really don't need another guitar. The 2000's are very highly rated and would have the perfect vintage clarity for a 'bird imo. I might consider moving them if you're interested?

I don’t know those but I shall have a look see 

chromatuna

Ash at @OilCityPickups does Firebird replacements and has just announced an autumn sale elsewhere on this splendid forum, perhaps have a word with him.

https://www.oilcitypickups.co.uk/product-page/winterizer

edit: someone already mentioned these, doh!

richman6100

I recently installed a Sunbear Pickups Sunbird (Firebird) in the neck of one of my Teles. It's my only experience of Firebird style pickups, but it has become my favourite neck pup in this type of guitar. It can do beautiful, articulate cleans, but gets raunchy when you need that. Works with every overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedal I've thrown at it too. Stuart Robson (the chap behind Sunbear Pickups) is a true gent to deal with - very patient with my numerous numpty questions.  https://www.sunbearpickups.com/firebird-mini-more-pickups/mini-humbucker-moonbird

OilCityPickups

I'm always more than happy to chuck a few extra winds on an Oil City Winterizer Firebird bridge pickup (they are wound a little hotter anyway to balance the neck. They are a pickup you don't want to go mad on over winding as they are normally really full bobbins with a normal wind of 42awg wire - to add a large amount more you have to drop to 42.5 (.060mm) or even 43awg - the former of which alters the tone a tiny bit, the latter which destroys the basic clarity.

Cirrus

Personally I reckon the Winterizer bridge is about right where it is - they are traditionally quite bright/ wiry pickups, but it's already got more winds to balance - unlike the vintage ones, which is where the reputation for "too bright bridge" came from. Also, they do thicken up as they get closer to the strings, so as long as the guitar's setup allows there's no harm in cranking the bridge up as close as is comfortable for more thump/thickness. On my explorer I stuck a bunch of foam under the bridge pickup to get it angled to match the strings, and honestly I've not heard any issue with it screwed up quite high, in terms of killing sustain or generating wolf tones.

roberty

I just received a Firebird neck pickup from @OilCityPickups but it's not installed yet. Need all the mounty gubbins

Funkfingers

For full disclosure, I have a pair of OCP Winterizer II humbuckers in a PRS S2 Singlecut.

I always like the neck position pickup. 

I occasionally wish that the bridge position pickup could be less wiry. (Rolling back its tone control a bit is not always enough to tame it.) There is now the OCP Black Track humbucker to fulfil that brief.