Metropoulos Forum

I'm looking at getting a T-Top pickup to replace the Dimarzio PAF-Pro in my '87 Jem and I wondering what the difference is between the pickups that have the patent number 2,737,842 stamped on the base plate but no "T" on the bobbins vs the ones with a "T" on the bobbins.

Are they the same or is there a difference. If there's a difference, is it good? bad?

Most of the later T-Top pickups had the pat. no. stamped on the base plate so if there's a difference, it must be slight, right?

My understanding is that most of the materials (wire, magnets, bobbins) changed by the T top era.

VG

I have both, and both have roughly the same resistance. I dont know the specifics about the materials, but the sound is very very close.

Chris,

My understanding is that both use Alnico V magnets, but the ones without the T are more valuable and are hand-wound to my degree of knowledge. Clapton and others used non-T-tops to achieve GREAT tone (the Fool SG had non-T-top patent no. pickups and as did his 1964 ES-335). I also like T-Tops though... Jimmy Page used one in the bridge position of his LP after the original PAF conked out around 1971. The Song Remains The Same and How the West Was Won were both recorded using a T-Top in the bridge, lending a sort of quacky sound that misleads a lot of people think that his pickups were out of phase, but that's just the sound that that pickup creates. I personally think that Page and Clapton have some of the best tones coming from their Patent number pickups.

I was referring to the post T-Top pat num pickups. The ones that are stamped on the base plate.