Gibson L-5 with switched pickups

[Fleastomper]

Has anyone come across an archtop with switched pickups? The neck pickup and bridge pickups appear to have been switched on my guitar. I read that it may have been done to change the tone. Perhaps to make the neck pickup and bridge up less “dark.” They sound good and the switch is correct (north for neck, mid for two, south for bridge).

Also, how do I find out what kind of pickups they are? Is there a source online?

thanks to anyone who can give me some insight!

[Woody Sound]

I think they were used for just a few years right around 1970, but I don't know just how much earlier or later. But ICBW by a couple of years.

[andrew]

The pickups with “Gibson” embossed on the covers were only used in 1972 and a little bit of overlap into early 73. They’re actually fairly desirable.

[Jimmy Mack]

Andrew: Are they T-tops?

[deacon Mark]

That is odd. To me the neck PU is in with polepieces wrong they should be turn to be closer to neck. However, the embossed Gibson should be able to read both to me it should look like this L5ces.
1973 Gibson L5-CES Sunburst – Mak's Guitars

[wintermoon]

Wes had the neck p.u, on his single p.u. L-5 flipped upside down for a brighter tone, I have an L-5 that came to me like that.
I've seen others that had the neck p.u. flipped but have seen several guitars w embossed covers done both ways, some w the neck p.u. only flipped upside down and some w both pickups switched but right side up like this guitar. No idea why.

[deacon Mark]

With Gibson it might be like the Trinity. A mystery but one that does not need to be solved.

[Woody Sound]

Wes had the neck p.u, on his single p.u. L-5 flipped upside down for a brighter tone, I have an L-5 that came to me like that.
I've seen others that had the neck p.u. flipped but have seen several guitars w embossed covers done both ways, some w the neck p.u. only flipped upside down and some w both pickups switched but right side up like this guitar. No idea why.

Neither pickup was flipped around (reversed). Rather, the neck and treble units seem to have simply switched places, but still in the correct n/s orientation.

[wintermoon]

Neither pickup was flipped around (reversed). Rather, the neck and treble units seem to have simply switched places, but still in the correct n/s orientation.

Yep, that's what I said

[Woody Sound]

Yep, that's what I said

[andrew]

Andrew: Are they T-tops?

I do believe so.

[Jimmy Mack]

I'm about to reverse the neck p/up on my L5, just to see if it brightens up much. Not that I have to, but I'm curious. The guitar had Gibson 1981 Shaw p/ups originally and the neck p/up was too dark for my taste, so I reversed it. It was a little better then.

[bluejaybill]

Wes had the neck p.u, on his single p.u. L-5 flipped upside down for a brighter tone, I have an L-5 that came to me like that.
I've seen others that had the neck p.u. flipped but have seen several guitars w embossed covers done both ways, some w the neck p.u. only flipped upside down and some w both pickups switched but right side up like this guitar. No idea why.

Normally on Gibsons I have seen, the lead to the front pickup is often too short to just move to the neck position, so it is possible that it needed to be extended. Not a problem if done right, but a noise problem is not done right.

Man, I was never crazy about the way those embossed pickups looked! I had a '69-70 L5CES, happily not embossed. But if they are T-tops they are good pickups; I had them in a '68 LP as well as the L5, great sounding for jazz.

[Cunamara]

Both halves of the humbucker send signal to the amp. Turning them around has minimal if any impact on tone. People seem to think that the screw coil sends signal and the slug coil just bucks hum, but it ain't so.

Regarding the OP's L-5, I'd just play it and not worry about it.

[58flame]

Those are excellent pickups. As good as it gets.

[daveg]

Somewhere out there is a Guild DE400 with three of those pu's in ES5 configuration that I converted in two stages in the couple of years leading up to Spring of '73. For various reasons I was not satisfied with the result. It looked great albeit that the Guild Guitar with the blatant Gibson pu's was perhaps a step too far. But sound wise it was not what I wanted and I sold it to fund the Les Paul Recording that was my working guitar for 30 years. During those 30 years I also had an ES175 and a beautiful L5S (HB) that came and went but the LPR remained. Sorry if this post went off topic but it started off with the best of intentions

DG

P.S. Please bear in mind that Wes' motivation for reversing his pickup must have included the fact that he played with is thumb and not a pick.

[Woody Sound]

P.S. Please bear in mind that Wes' motivation for reversing his pickup must have included the fact that he played with is thumb and not a pick.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Both halves of the humbucker send signal to the amp. Turning them around has minimal if any impact on tone. People seem to think that the screw coil sends signal and the slug coil just bucks hum, but it ain't so.

This is obviously true. But the row of threaded poles is height adjustable, and raising them to be as close to the strings as possible without contact does increase brightness along with output.

So just rotating the pickup 180 degrees with the adjustable poles level with the top will not change tone at all. If you turn it around and raise the poles significantly, the tone will brighten from both the proximity of strings and poles and from the slight shift bridgeward. In my experience, most of that effect is from raising the poles. You get 90% or more of the same effect by raising the poles in the stock position.

The other side of the coin is that raising the poles raises the output level. You can dial it back to parity at the guitar, the amp, or both. Cutting the amp’s volume will preserve the brighter tone. Cutting the volume on most guitars will reduce brightness a little bit because of the way they’re wired.

Don’t forget that pickup height is also adjustable. This adds another factor, since raising the pickup puts both rows of polepieces closer to the strings, further brightening the tone and raising the output level.

It makes no sense to me to turn the pickups to get an effect you can get with simple changes in pole height and settings of volume & EQ pots. But I too would leave it alone now that it’s done, unless the goal is to get every possible depth of tone. If that’s the case, turn the neck pickup back to stock, lower the poles to or below the pickup top, roll back the guitar’s volume pot and raise the amp’s.

But I agree with Cunamara that it’s fine for most of us the way it is. There’s plenty of flexibility in the stock setup. The potential difference from rotating the pickup 180 degrees is very small to any ears and negligible to mine.

[Jimmy Mack]

I do rotate bridge hum buckers. I hear a difference. I don't like it when they are very bright and rotating them softens them. Then I adjust the volume and tone controls.

[Fleastomper]

Great feedback. I’m interested in selling this…actually, NOT, but I need the cash now. I wish I could hold on to it ….

thanks for all of your input. I was considering the resale value, but I see now that this might be a desirable feature in the end. In the meantime, I am playing a great instrument!

I recently looked beneath the pickup and see stamped no 2737842. It is on a sticker. The cover appears to be epoxied to the body but not “tarred” (as I’ve heard it described). I do not want to break their epoxy, so I do not know if it is a “T type.” Perhaps one of you would know given this brief description. I do not see anywhere a “PAF” brand.