When did Ed first start usin a Strat ?

[guitar007]

Is there any correlation between bobbin tape that wraps both coils together (as opposed to individually wrapped coils) as in the 1800 and a manufacturer? Is it just Mighty Mite that does this? The cream bobbins in Eds start are individually wrapped similar to a PAF.

[EJSLPlexi]

Is there any correlation between bobbin tape that wraps both coils together (as opposed to individually wrapped coils) as in the 1800 and a manufacturer? Is it just Mighty Mite that does this? The cream bobbins in Eds start are individually wrapped similar to a PAF.

very good question and heres the funny thing , mighty mite,dimarzio, and some others use fabric tape to wrap the coils individually and IF it is a four conductor wire pu they also wrap the outer part of the coils around the entire p'u.
Now on PAF's that always came with braided 2 conductor lead wire they used paper tape on the bobbins individually and HALF of the outer coils, just the top part where the wires are.
So for this instance it gives credit to that p'u in the burst being a PAF because as we all can see it has tape only on the two individual bobbins and not taped around the whole pickup like a four conductor
here is a pic if a four conductor pu with the fabric tape around the whole pu

and here is a 2 conductor duncan for comparison and as you see there is paper tape only over half the pu.


I hope i explained this clearly? the pic's really tell the story

[rgorke]

My 1800 has both...each coil is wrapped as well as a wrap around both.

[EJSLPlexi]

My 1800 has both...each coil is wrapped as well as a wrap around both.

Right and typically this is the case BUT i bought my 1800 used of course and it only has the tape around the bobbins.
so i have seen MM's both ways, depending on if anyone tampered with it?
Ed was a true tinkerer so to think/say he would not take a look inside of a pickup is asking a lot!
I have done the same thing for mag swaps and other little mods i did to pu's so may be eddie did something to it(if it is MM?)
and left the outer tape off?
the only real way to tell is from the material of the tape around the bobbins, and until we see a real high res pic that will be impossible.
PAF= paper tape
Mighty mite= fabric tape

[TWANGGG]

If this was a typical PAF in the sunburst strat shouldn't the PAF type bobbin holes also be visible at the top of the slug bobbin between the E and A strings? Considering the two lower bobbin holes are visible in this picture I think we would also be able to see bobbin holes at the top in this shot if they were there.


The typical PAF bobbin holes are visible in this shot at the top of the pickup, above the low E string on the screw bobbin and below the low E on the slug bobbin. It appears the pickup in the sunburst strat doesn't have those holes.


Here's a pickup that has features that match up very well with the one Ed had in his sunburst strat. Gibson T-tops. This is also at least somewhat consistent with Ed's statements about his high regard for Gibson PAF's.

[vh1tone]

Zebra or 1800 in Black/White frankie ?

[EJSLPlexi]

TWANGGG is right there is no upper holes at the top of the coils and the T -tops did not have these.
So it could have been a T-top which is a 7.5K with a shorter bar alnicio 5 magnet.
These pu's are VERY LOW OUTPUT.
here is a funny story about a year ago i was told to try a pu called a williams "attack bucker"
that it was exactly like eddie used on VH I and i saw the spec and said NO friggin way!
it is a T-top clone 7.5K short bar alnico 5


If eddie did use a T-top he definitely goosed the front of his amp or the Marshall was modded.
The T-top is even lower in output than a duncan 78 and they do not overdrive the front of a amp as much
they are really clean low output pu's but have a great tone, michael schenker used them for years in his V's
You can make a T-top real easy, just get a gibson 490R and install a short bar A5 in it.
the 490 is a T-top with a A2 magnet, they have the same wire(POLY 42) and same winds.
I made a few and they sound great, here is a guy uses one. they get a awesome "twang and boing"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5xbRYU8N88
real T-tops can be had for $125-250 each.

[fivecoyote]

That would be super interesting if true. T-Tops sound great imo, and very VH-ish clarity- and tone-wise, but agree they need an extra something (EP, wireless, etc) to get the goods.

[garbeaj]

That would be super interesting if true. T-Tops sound great imo, and very VH-ish clarity- and tone-wise, but agree they need an extra something (EP, wireless, etc) to get the goods.

I would say that Ed was not using a Schaefer-Vega or any other wireless for the recording of the demos or the first album, so we can rule that out. The Echoplex pre-amp was certainly a factor.

[EJSLPlexi]

That would be super interesting if true. T-Tops sound great imo, and very VH-ish clarity- and tone-wise, but agree they need an extra something (EP, wireless, etc) to get the goods.

I also love the tone of a T-top but what has me wondering is IF eddie used it where did he get all that gain?
it takes more than a ep3 and a phase 90 to get a T-top to push the front of a plexi like eruption.
The T-tops are less output than a duncan 59 and many here have tried a 59.