WITH STEVE AGREEING AN ENDORSEMENT WITH GIBSON IN THE 1980’S HE HAD THEM FIT SOME OF HIS CUSTOM SPEC. LES PAULS WITH THE ULTRA-POWERFUL “DIRTY FINGERS” PICKUP AT THE BRIDGE POSITION
Where the majority of the Gibson range of pickups are based around Alnico magnets, the “Dirty Fingers” is one of a select few based around ceramic magnets giving it a hotter, more aggressive tone.
The original “Dirty Fingers” pickups emerged in the early 1980s, and only appeared on a few select-model guitars. According to the Gibson official website the “Dirty Fingers” gets its ultra-high distortion from a special combination of wire gauge and windings that far exceed the winding count of the standard double-coil humbucking pickup that Gibson invented in 1957.
“The original Gibson Dirty Fingers pickups were overwound with a vengeance – they were some of the most outrageous and extreme pickups ever made,” said Henry Juszkiewicz, [former] chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar Corp.
The “Dirty Fingers” reissue pickup is instantly identifiable by the gold “Dirty Fingers” logo stamped on one coil and by its twelve height-adjustable
polepieces, which allow the player to fine-tune individual string response (traditional pickups have only six adjustable polepieces).
As well as the enhanced gain, this pickup provides excellent sustain and clarity. The “Dirty Fingers” comes with a four-conductor lead and is wax potted to eliminate unwanted microphonic feedback.
[NB: The original Dirty Fingers were only made with the standard two-wired connections.]
David Plastik
