The T-Top, a staple of rock and roll guitar sounds from the late 60s and into the 70s. The '70/Select set from ThroBak captures the magic of those pickups built to the incredible standards that we've come to expect from ThroBak. If you're after Young, Page, and others from this era this is the set for you.
Unlike their vintage counterparts, every set of MXV humbucking pickups are made to ThroBak's exacting specifications so you know you're getting the best set possible every time. Regardless of what style guitar you put them in, these are some of the finest replica vintage pickups being made today.
Neck 7.6K, Bridge 7.8K, Short A2 magnets.
Maximum Vintage Patent Applied For Set Specs
- Vintage PAF clone Butyrate bobbins tooled and molded in the USA to vintage specs.
- Coils wound on vintage Meteor ME-301 winder to assure unsurpassed vintage winding accuracy.
- PAF repro baseplates tooled and stamped in the USA for ThroBak.
- 50's PAF repro covers stamped in USA and Nickel plated (with no Copper) at the same Kalamazoo shop that plated vintage PAF covers.
- Pole screws with vintage alloys cloned from 50's vintage PAF screws with cold form die tooled for ThroBak. Made in USA.
- Slugs with vintage alloys cut with a vintage Brown and Sharpe automatic screw machine for correct vintage look. Made in USA.
- Vintage Spec. Plain Enamel 42AWG magnet wire made with vintage coating and processes. Made in USA.
- Alnico magnets custom cast in the USA with vintage formulations.
- Vintage correct braided wire. Made in USA.
From ThroBak
ThroBak '70/Select pickups were made with one goal in mind: to re-create the unique resonance of the early ‘70's T-Top pickups that have become part of the tonal fabric of some of the most famous rock and blues recordings of the 1970's. Players like Angus Young of AC/DC, Jimmy Page and B.B. King have made some of their most iconic live and studio recordings with the early '70's vintage Patent Sticker T-Top pickup. Guitars with these early Patent Sticker T-Tops were built for a short period, but the timeless tones they created changed rock and blues history. You can hear these early T-top tones in AC/DC recordings from "Let There Be Rock" through "Highway to Hell" and beyond. Jimmy Page in the "Song Remains The Same" and B.B. King "Live In Africa" also showcase the power, warmth and nuance of these early vintage T-Top pickups. Now you can capture those same tones in your guitar with the ThroBak '70/Select T-Top replica electric guitar pickups.
ThroBak '70/Select pickups are sought out by fans of the elusive early '70's T-Top sound. The ThroBak '70/Select set has become the definitive choice for players seeking the tone of 1970 Gibson SG's with the “Made In USA” stamp, the guitar and year favored by Angus Young of AC/DC for decades. Fans of Jimmy Page's double black T-Top bridge tones also need look no further than the ThroBak '70/Select set. Not all T-top's were created equal and at ThroBak we know why and we applied this knowledge in the creation of the '70/Select set.
We started research by dissecting and analyzing the pickups from ThroBak’s own 1970, “Made In USA” stamped SG and two early Patent Sticker T-Top pickups from and ES-335. Analysis of the magnets, coils and winding pattern revealed the key details that make these pickups tonally unique in the timeline of T-Top production. Details like short A2 magnets, higher resistance readings than the typical T-Top, and winding materials and processes are precisely matched by ThroBak. The result is a 100% USA Made ThroBak re-creation wound with the same ME-301 machine model that wound the Kalamazoo originals.
Vintage Meteor ME-301 Wound
Just like vintage early '70's T-Top pickup the ThroBak '70/Select set is also wound on the same model of vintage Meteor ME-301 winding machine that wound T-Tops in Kalamazoo in the early 1970's. These vintage machines are key to duplicating the traverse rate, tension and winding pattern of vintage T-Top guitar pickups making these machines integral to authentic T-Top tone.
Authentic Early 70's short Alnico Magnets
ThroBak's research of early vintage T-Tops has revealed that many of these classic pickups use short Alnico 2 magnets. Early patent sticker T-Tops are sought after for their distinct tone and dynamic response and an important part of this tone is short Alnico 2 magnets. Conventional wisdom is that all T-Tops have short A5 magnets. But analysis of ThroBak's own '70 "Made in USA" stamped SG revealed that both neck and bridge T-Tops in this guitar have short A2 magnets. We even managed to get copies of vintage Kalamazoo era magnet drawing detailing short Alnico 2 magnets in the late 60's. Tonally the result of short Alnico 2 in the '70/Select set is a more open sounding pickup than short A5 would provide but with more prominent mids than long A2 magnets provide.
