Chets Gibson pickups

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Chets Gibson pickups

Postby JeffS » Fri Dec 07, 2012 4:56 pm

I know that Chet used Ray Butt's neck pickups on his Gibson CG's (at least in the early years of the CG??) - on many of the videos in the late 80's you can see a Humbucker with the pole pieces in the center instead of off-set to one side like a Gibson. But later in the early 90's and on they looked like Gibson pickups.

Does anyone know when Gibson started making the lower resistanace (5.6k) neck pickup for the CG, and did Chet use the Gibson pickups from that point on?

Did Ray make a pickup with the pole screws off-set to the side to look more like a Gibson?

Thanks,
Jeff Stovall
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby Norm » Fri Dec 07, 2012 6:14 pm

I wasn't aware that they ever made special low output pickups for him. Except for the Butts examples I thought they used straight Humbucking pickups on those guitars. Paul mentioned turning the bridge pickups around so the screws were closer to the bridge but as far as I know if you bought a Gibson CG you got straight humbuckers on it.

...but, who knows? Learn something new every day,they say... It would be interesting if those who still have the Gibson CG's were to meter them and report.
...that's how it looks to me...The opinion expressed above is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this station. Your mileage may vary...

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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby Eddie Estes » Sun Dec 09, 2012 2:53 pm

If you see the video of Chet on TNN with Mark O'Connor he is playing a CG with block inlays and black
low impedance pickups.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXMwSzko4Jo
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby Norm » Sun Dec 09, 2012 3:35 pm

I took Jeffs original question as an inquiry as to whether Gibson made lower output pickups as a production standard on the CG.

In that respect think not.

Experimental pickups don't count since those were usually one-offs.
...that's how it looks to me...The opinion expressed above is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this station. Your mileage may vary...

Audio samples: http://www.youtube.com/user/acountrygent/videos
That should do it.
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby Norm » Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:06 pm

Addendum...

Micah Yandell told me the Gibson Chet is playing in that Mark O'Coonor clip is not a Country Gentleman. It was a transitional model Chet used before the Gibson Country Gentleman was actually built. (hence the block inlays) Paul is using a Gretsch with an Ocatabass setup.
The pickups on that guitar are EMG’s according to Micah, not Gibson low impedance. Paul had installed them on that guitar.

Of interest, the fingerboard pickup had lines drawn on them in nail polish to help Chet hit his harmonics accurately. Micah still has those pickups.
...that's how it looks to me...The opinion expressed above is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this station. Your mileage may vary...

Audio samples: http://www.youtube.com/user/acountrygent/videos
That should do it.
Norm
 
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby Norm » Sun Dec 09, 2012 7:54 pm

...that's how it looks to me...The opinion expressed above is my own and does not necessarily reflect the views of this station. Your mileage may vary...

Audio samples: http://www.youtube.com/user/acountrygent/videos
That should do it.
Norm
 
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Location: redwood city ca

Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby JeffS » Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:23 am

I've searched on-line to try to confirm my memeory, but have been unable to find anything. I have a note that I made when talking with a Gibson Customer Service rep. He said that the 492R pickup, which Gibson made only for the CG and Tennessean, had a dc resistance of 5.6k. The bridge pickup is a standard 490T which has a dc resistance around 7.8k - 8.0k. They quit making the 492R pickup when Chet's name returned to Gretsch, and they discontinued production of the Chet Atkins models. I'm not sure if the 492R was used the entire time they made the CG's or not.

As Norm said, it would be interesdting for those who still have CG's and Tennesseans with standard pickups to meter them to confirm this.

Thanks,
Jeff Stovall
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby JeffS » Mon Dec 10, 2012 3:43 pm

I talked to Gibson Customer Service today. They confirmed the 492R neck pickup had a dc resistance of 5.7k. The 490T bridge pickup (which is a standard Gibson pickup) was around 8.0-8.5k. They said the 492R was used on all CG's and Tennesseans during the entire production time of the guitars.

Does anyone know if Chet used the Gibson pickups from 1989 or 1990 on? I know you can't go by looks, but the pictures of his CG's in Me and My Guitars and the ones that were on display at the CMHOF looked like Gibson humbuckers.

Thanks,
Jeff Stovall
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby Bob Foster » Tue Dec 11, 2012 3:04 am

Norm wrote:Addendum...

Micah Yandell told me the Gibson Chet is playing in that Mark O'Coonor clip is not a Country Gentleman. It was a transitional model Chet used before the Gibson Country Gentleman was actually built. (hence the block inlays) Paul is using a Gretsch with an Ocatabass setup.
The pickups on that guitar are EMG’s according to Micah, not Gibson low impedance. Paul had installed them on that guitar.

Of interest, the fingerboard pickup had lines drawn on them in nail polish to help Chet hit his harmonics accurately. Micah still has those pickups.


With sincere respect to Micah, I want to share with you what I know about this guitar. I have first-hand knowledge of this instrument, as I own the Gibson guitar (with block inlays) which Chet is playing in this clip. I purchased it in 1990, and received full documentation and authenticity in a letter from Chet. I am the only other owner other than Chet. In a letter from Chet, he stated that this guitar was one of two prototype "Country Gentleman" guitars delivered to him by Rendall Wall of Gibson. I am somewhat sure that both prototypes were delivered at the same time. The model is an ES-350WR, before the actual Country Gentleman model designation was assigned a few years later to the production models. It is identical to the first production CG guitars with the exception of the inlay markers and the pickups. One other difference is the presence of a volute which Gibson was doing at that time on many of their guitars. The signed date on the underside of the top has the Gibson luthier's signature and May 1981 handwritten. According to my conversations with both Mr. Wall and Chet, the guitar was delivered with these black pickups installed, along with the low impedance version pickups which sported white plastic covers for Chet to try. Chet used the low impedance pickups for some time, and later restored the guitar to its original configuration with the black ones. Both pickups are potted and stamped GIBSON, not EMGs, and I have both sets in my possession. Chet stated to me that he thought he was losing highs with the low impedance versions, and that he was certain that a change in pot values would solve the problem. I have those low impedance pickups with the attached harness in a box that Chet gave me, as well as those black pickups which Chet re-installed on the guitar to restore it to its original configuration. Rendall, who delivered the guitars, told me that this guitar was the first Gibson CG prototype, in spite of some other statements to the contrary. Chet's brother Lowell also told me that the guitar was the second one that Gibson made for Chet, the first one being the nylon string guitar and this one being #2 and the first electric steel string. The other sister prototype was later given to Paul Yandell. It also is a ES350 model, however I may be in error about that; I need to check the information that Paul shared with me to be sure. This guitar had the gold humbuckers and lacked the fretboard inlay markers. Chet later added the red tape to the fretboard, which was subsequently adopted by Gibson. The serial number and date on the underside of the top seems to prove this to be true. With due respect to Micah, I am simply stating what I know firsthand and what I have been told. I have those black pickups still installed on this guitar which is in my possession today. I am not sure what pickups that Micah has, but they are not the ones that originally came with the guitar and appear in most of the video clips. I too was personal friends with Chet, and I'm merely restating the information which was told to me by Chet, his brother Lowell, and Gibson's Rendall Wall. I suppose there could have been some things that I am not aware of, or were perhaps relayed to me in error, too.
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Re: Chets Gibson pickups

Postby guitarchuck » Tue Dec 11, 2012 6:48 am

Bob, thanks so much for sharing the history of your guitar. I love to find out the details and history of Chet's guitars, especially the prototypes!
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