I really want this CC pickup

[fws6]

But I am not sure what guitar I should hack up, to put it in ????

eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices

[ES125er]

I'd be tempted to say an L-50 like the one below (same basic construction as the ES-150)



... but alternatively, why not an ES-125 like this guy?

YouTube Video

YouTube Video

[oldane]

I had the same dream for many years and finaly found an old 1934 L37 with an original 1938 CC PU (the one with the notch under the B-string) retrofitted some time in the past.

It sounds good as such, but you must know about a couple of quirks with these old, archaic PUs:

They are unsheilded and noisy, hums a lot. There may be balance problems between the strings. On mine, the low E-string is considerably louder than the rest of the strings, and the rest of the strings are not too well balanced either. It's mounted with the well known three screws in the top of the guitar. In order to avoid the screws dig their way down into the top with time, shims should be used under the screws, but these shims tend to come loose and wil vibrate and buzz. The fixation of the whole PU as such is not too tight either, and it has a tendecy to vibrate a bit with a rumbling sound, especially if there is not a tight fit between the screws and the top.

In short, in practice, I find it funnier to own that old PU than to play it, and I have come to view it as a museum piece. There may be sample variances, though.

I recently had Tom Painter make me a guitar (a P-350) and for a short while I considered having him build in that old CC pickup. However, I ended up with the Vintage Vibe HCC he normally uses (which I also use in two other guitars with great pleasure). To be frank, it sounds even better than the old CC, is very well balanced, is nicely shielded, and it is mounted in an ordinary humbucker ring, so it's easy to swap the PU later, if one should wish so (there's hardly any type of PU that isn't available in humbucker disguise). In addition, the HCC has interchangable magnets. Weak Alnico II and III for a sweet, mellow tone. Strong ceramic magnets for a punchy and bright tone. Alnico V in between. The pickup comes with magnets of your choice plus an extra set, likewise of your choice. If one wants to try out more magnets, they can be had cheaply from Vintage Vibe.

Another option is the CC from Jason Lollar which is also highly rated. There is a CC pickup made in United Kingdom which should be an exact copy of the original. I figure it then also has the same inherent problems that I described above.

[jorgemg1984]

Bare Knuckle Pickups, UK - Hand Wound Guitar and Bass Pickups

I would look at these...

[jazzbow]

As Oldane says, the Vintage Vibe CC pickup is just plain great! I think there's a few of us on this forum that have championed his CC humbucker sized pickup and the fact you can swap out the magnets, what's not to like?
I think that the Gibson CC P/U you are watching there on ebay would be best served as parts for a restoration on a guitar of the same vintage, or as a curiosity piece for discerning jazzist at casual dinner parties.
Save yourself $ and grief and invest in a contemporary P/U to swap out on an existing guitar in your collection.

If you do try for a VV CC rider you must get an AlNicoII magnet as part of the deal, it's sooo sweet! I ended up keeping it in place and selling the original H/B pickup and loom it replaced!

[oldane]

Originally Posted by jazzbow

If you do try for a VV CC rider you must get an AlNicoII magnet as part of the deal, it's sooo sweet! I ended up keeping it in place and selling the original H/B pickup and loom it replaced!

Me too. I also prefer the Alnico II magnets in my HCC PUs. Tom Painter uses these PUs a lot for his guitars, though he seems to prefer the ceramic magnets for the extra punch.

Vintage Vibe has three versions of CC PUs: 1) The HCC which fits in a standard humbucker ring (with or without a CC like top plate). 2) The CC Rider which is intended for the neck position of a Tele. 3) The blade PU for a Strat (can be ordered with a CC like top plate).

[BigDaddyLoveHandles]

... Lollar. They have two versions for archtop:





and versions for Teles and other solid bodies:




Charlie Christian Pickups

[AlohaJoe]

Ah, I have a recurring dream of putting a tri-mount CC on an ES125 or a hard to find ES130. The ES130 is a fairly rare variant of the 125, with neck binding and trapezoid neck inlays... a 16" ES-150!
GIBSON ES-130 (1955) (40U-4028) - Elderly Instruments

[=DK=]

Bare Knuckle Manhattan

Bare Knuckle was brought up earlier, but check this out. It's a p90 voiced for jazz. Not a CC but simillar.

[SamBooka]

Aloha there was a 130 or 135 on Ebay in the past couple of weeks. the guy wasnt sure if it was a 125 or a 50s 150 (although he said it said 135 in the soundhole)