Advice: What color are my p/u's?

[Birdseyeview]

Sorry if my research was not thorough, but I could not find thread history to directly answer this question:
"Without removing the p/u covers, is there an easy way to determine what lies beneath in-terms of color?"
I have my ring screws removed, and wonder if I can tell what I have under the covers without melting solder. I am working on a 1998 Gibson Standard LP.
Any and all advice appreciated.

 

[jrnic]

That would be hard to determine without taking off the cover. You can try and remove the pole screws and look into the holes with a flashlight, you'll probably be able to see the color of that bobbin, but the other is a crap shoot unless you take off the cover. Chances are they would be all black but you never know.

 

[Kalamazuu]

I remember reading something quite a while ago with a way, but honestly I can't remember anything about it. Probably black, maybe zebra, and if you get double cremes you just found the pot at the end of the rainbow. I just took the cover off an old Epi pickup today ('96) and to my surprise, instead of it being black, the bobbins were clear!

 

[Lizzy4Life]

Probably black.
Another strange combination on an Epi: my Epi's bridge pu was black and grey. How do you call that? Dirty zebra?

 

[pmonk]

Yes, they should be Shaws. Just take one brass screw out that goes through from the backing plate into each bobbin, shine a light, and then you can see the color of each bobbin.

Many a rare and expensive PAF could have maintained its top value if only people would have used this method of checking bobbin color rather than removing the cover!

It is the 4 brass screws on the back of the pickup that holds the bobbins in place.

From another post

 

[The Refugee]

Probably black.
Another strange combination on an Epi: my Epi's bridge pu was black and grey. How do you call that? Dirty zebra?

The Dirty Zebra sounds like a sexual innuendo..

"Yeah this girl was leaning on me all night so I took her home and gave her a dirty zebra, then she couldn't walk for 4 days."

 

[Seceded]

Most likely double black but you can be that lucky guy that gets Zebra But if you get Double creams Run do NOT walk and buy a lottery ticket.

 

[River]

The Dirty Zebra

 

[The Refugee]

Well I ain't washing it!