Gibson L6-S pickup questions

[bigjim]

Bought a L6-S, and would like to learn all I can about the pickups. I do know they're Bill Lawrence designed but, what are the spec's(output, materials,etc)? Those in the know, please fill me in.

 

[Rumblefish]

Bump for you.I'd like to know also.

 

[TonyD]

This site has lots of info about the L6-S and an interview with Bill Lawrence. Check out the links in the text and there's more info although I could not find resistance values. Good Luck.

http://www.vintageguitars.org.uk/gibsonL6S.php

 

[dspellman]

Bought a L6-S, and would like to learn all I can about the pickups. I do know they're Bill Lawrence designed but, what are the spec's(output, materials,etc)? Those in the know, please fill me in.

One person on the Seymour Duncan forum had this to say: "These range from sounding like a real PAF and measuring around 7.50 Kohm (I have one on Ebay right now), aka good stuff, to 6 Kohm measuring pieces of junk that fall apart. Mid-70ties is bad, 1980 much better." They may have had ceramic magnets.

 

[JefeMaximo]

+1 on the UK vintageguitars site. That is a great resource. I would measure the output on my pickups, but I just sold my L6-S here earlier this month.

 

[snarkle]

+1 on the UK vintageguitars site. That is a great resource. I would measure the output on my pickups, but I just sold my L6-S here earlier this month.

So I'll measure their output when the guitar arrives!

(I was hoping it would show up today, but what with the holidays and everything I might not see it until 2010...)

 

[scmavl]

All I can say is they sound GREAT. I really dug the one I played.

 

[JB Eckl]

I'm not crazy about mine. The sound is pointy and cold on the bridge, muffled and indistinct on the neck. Dang it, they look so cool with no pole pieces and all, but... I'm switching 'em out.

I love these guitars, but I think there's a better set of pickups out there unless you get really lucky.

 

[bigjim]

All I can say is they sound GREAT. I really dug the one I played.

I'll second that.

 

[mockoman]

I bought an L6S new in 1976.
A couple of years later,I switched out the bridge PU for a DiMarzio Super Distortion (everybody was doing it!),and it didn't sound any different...

 

[Baxtercat]

I think mine were ceramic, wound hot. The first Dirty Fingers maybe? Kind of 'barky' sounding to me.

 

[c_mac]

I'm not crazy about mine. The sound is pointy and cold on the bridge, muffled and indistinct on the neck. Dang it, they look so cool with no pole pieces and all, but... I'm switching 'em out.

I love these guitars, but I think there's a better set of pickups out there unless you get really lucky.

The pickup routes are pretty shallow making pickups changes trickier. Trust me, I tried everything to made that ******** guitar sound decent. I failed miserably.

 

[JB Eckl]

"Barky!" That's right. Whatever it is, the combination of these pickups and a maple bodied guitar is not working.

But the settings on the 6-way chickenhead are so cool. I've found that playing funk, reggae and generally brighter type guitar sounds on the L6 can be incredible. These guitars were billed as an all-around 'Gibson meets Fender' solution. What they really like to do is honk out a funky twang not unlike Jimmy Page, somewhere between his LP and Tele tones.

So there must be some way to bring out the best in these guitars. Maybe some Duncan Phat Cats? Fralin Twangmasters? Or just a good chimey PAF?