Why double cream and zebra pickup combo in Standards?

[deadringer]

So I'm pretty new here still, but what's the deal with the double cream bridge and zebra neck pickup combo in Standards?

Is that something Rick Nielsen or Gary Moore made popular?

Just curious how that came to be...

[Disturber]

So I'm pretty new here still, but what's the deal with the double cream bridge and zebra neck pickup combo in Standards?

Is that something Rick Nielsen or Gary Moore made popular?

Just curious how that came to be...

My guess is this:

http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/59619-holy-shitballs-59-lp-standard-at-elderly-only-265k/page-2

"

"bridge PAF (8.67k) has double cream bobbins, neck PAF (7.82k) is zebra"

Very Hamer-esque.

"

[deadringer]

I guess what I'm asking is why is that a Hamer thing?

[dragan]

back in the day when50s lps were only 5-10yrs old , there were no "hot" pick-ups so people would unsolder the pu covers & remove them to get more "gain" out of the pickup ( questionable whether this actually had any effect ) but in doing so the dissimilar bobbin colors became desirable because it set the vintage gtrs apart from the newer gtrs which were all black bobbins. edited to say: It became fashionable

[Disturber]

back in the day when50s lps were only 5-10yrs old , there were no "hot" pick-ups so people would unsolder the pu covers & remove them to get more "gain" out of the pickup ( questionable whether this actually had any effect ) but in doing so the dissimilar bobbin colors became desirable because it set the vintage gtrs apart from the newer gtrs which were all black bobbins. edited to say: It became fashionable

Yes, and in the 70's Dimarzios were as hot (as in fashionable) as the best boutique pups today. And Dimarzios were 90% double cremes (or something in that order).

[Bobby Marshall]

Not just Standards, but the early Sunbursts and Vectors too!!

(Sunburst pic borrowed from BCRGreg and Vector pic borrowed from HamStd ).

[BadgerDave]

My guess is that either Paul or Jol liked the look.

[rj2858]

Not all Gibsons were that way, but it might be that more came that way than any other, and it caught on, or it was just thought to look right, perhaps because of certain players. I know that any other combo doesn't look right to me, but what do I know, I'm a Strat guy.

[murkat]

My guess is that either Paul or Jol liked the look.

It is Paul.

kooKoo, Ka choo

I ask Him a few things first time up in chitown,

answer to most of the visual appealing patrs Q's~

"Because it looks cool".

[gorch]

It looks cool!

[Andrew]

Why Double Cream and Zebra? Because they could and it looked good, courtesy of Larry Dimarzio.

Dean went with double Zebra (eventually). In many ways Dean and Hamer were sister companies, both using bespoke Dimarzios.

And down the line no early Hamer looks right without that pickup combination, or Dean with their look for that matter. But when fashion changed Hamer had all their pickups made black.

Later Sunbursts and Standards (90s) never looked right with the all black bridge pickup. Was there some reluctance by Seymour Duncan to make all cream PAF style pickups (JB, Pearly Gates etc.)?

[kevinbower1959]

Combining cream with your zebra is more balanced nutritionally;

Cream = protein, fat, carbs, vitamins.

Zebra = protein.

Tastes great, too

[BTMN]

yep.

[cynic]

Was there some reluctance by Seymour Duncan to make all cream PAF style pickups (JB, Pearly Gates etc.)?

Dimarzio trademarked double cream in '74. SD (or anyone else for that matter) can't legally make them.

[Disturber]

So if creme is illegal, can't they just make 'em double vanilla?

[Bobby Marshall]

Was there some reluctance by Seymour Duncan to make all cream PAF style pickups (JB, Pearly Gates etc.)?

Dimarzio trademarked double cream in '74. SD (or anyone else for that matter) can't legally make them.

Now? I know there is more than 1 booteak outfit that will make you double cream. Even a very well known maker that has done double creams with covers but ships with the covers off. So either the trademark lapsed or Larry needs to hire one of the guys Prince and EVH use to patrol YouTube and eBay.

[murkat]

"they" can make them,

"they" can not advert sale of.

"they" can not offer of.

"they" can accept a request of,

as long as "it" is covered,

where it up to the requester

to un viel what has been requested...

Oh, Larry can still rain His parade of threat,

and has done so as of recent times.

[BTMN]

I find the whole Double Cream deal from that trademarking to be crap completely. When I started to become guitar and parts aware about mid 1975 I immediately learned of the Dimarzio name and I "had" to get them in my guitar when I did get one as I had not bought my first at that time. I have enjoyed Dimarzio pickups but I enjoy others as well since then being a Duncan loyalist pretty much since getting my First Duncan loaded guitar about 1999. The trademarking the color comb does NOT make me wanna buy that "exclusive" brand. If anything I think it might have made me look at other brands discovering even better sounds. I have gotten DC pickups from a number of companies and they are all a shade away from the Big D's color.

Man, I LOVE Some Double Creams in a Natural/Trans Amber Guitar!!

Not the Big D's pickups in that one.

[deadringer]

Yeah I hear you BTMN on the double creams in a natural/amber guitar.

I'm gonna be dropping some in my natural pretty soon, and no they are not Big D's. I've already got the pups, just need to do the work.

[BTMN]

Yeah Man, that is a WCR Darkburst neck and Ironman Bridge in the 2001 Standard in front. '70's era Dimarzio Super Distortion and Duncan 59'er in the other Standard.