I Use Gibson Pick-Ups, Why?

For years or decades Ive played electric guitar in bands at bars, schools, concerts and recording sessions yet I couldnt tell you what pick-ups (p/us) were about. I mean, I didnt have a clue as to what a pick-up did what to my sound. I grew up in a Gibson family. I mean that my relatives, when they didnt ridicule me for my participation as a rock and roll guitar player, said if I played a guitar, it had to be a Gibson. So, I only had a clue about humbucker type pick-ups Gibson used. Oh yeah, its little brother the P-90.

My first electric was a Tiesco Del Ray I got for Christmas in 1967. I did get a Mattel Tiger guitar that was made of plastic and used a contact type pick-up. My brother and I each got one that XMAS so often times wed use one of the pick-ups as a vocal mic.

Those days electric strings were extremely limited in types and gauges available to young poor city folk like yours truly. I think I only remember Gibson, Fender and Black Diamond strings. This is before the Maestro Fuzz and the Vox Wha-Wha were available to the buying public like me. Back to pick-ups!

With the limited info as to how the stars were getting THAT SOUND we just kept trying...