Grateful Dead Music Forum

A friend of mine posted a video from 7/26/1987. Looking at tiger on this video it appears that the humbucking pups are covered. any ideas about what these pickups are?

about a minute or so it. It almost looks like tape over it, I honestly don't know though

They're Super 2s, just a different cover Dimarzio used for a little while.

The early DiMarzio Super IIs with plastic "soapbar" cover:

Love the guitar, Jim!

BTW, I ended up with a used 9ft roundpin longboard from a local shop. Love it!

That sounds perfect.

So its well known that Jerry had his pups swapped out often, what kills me is the "one or two years" thing. which is it? one year or two years? More then that? I bet a lot of people in the bay area have his old ones as mojos, or in their guitars. I would be inclined to think that he might have even had switched more then every one or two years

I think Garcia was a little nutty when it came to pickups "losing their magnetism" or whatever. The vintage Super IIs that I have, sound just as good and strong as brand new ones and they're almost 25 years old. I've never noticed pickups getting weak or changing their tone. Maybe his hands were "anti-magnetic" in addition to corrosive?

mijknahs wrote:I think Garcia was a little nutty when it came to pickups "losing their magnetism" or whatever. The vintage Super IIs that I have, sound just as good and strong as brand new ones and they're almost 25 years old. I've never noticed pickups getting weak or changing their tone. Maybe his hands were "anti-magnetic" in addition to corrosive?

Pickups don't wear out, I think he was a bit nutty on that point. I would give my left nut to have one of those old Dimarzios. I would use it as a talisman against the evil eye, or to bless crops, or to make rain. Wait, I got it. I could make a piece of jewelry out of it wires and and all. then wear it to the airport on thanksgiving or Christmas. Then when the airport gets shut down because of a strange man wearing a suspicious device around his neck, I can use the publicity to promote my band. maybe thats not a good idea. damn. back to the drawing board

Gibson used these p/u's in the neck position of the Marauder from the 80's.
I pulled one out of a friends guitar and its just setting on my bench.

I don't know.... Jerry had more than sweat coming off his hands. There was some seriously metaphysical chi energy stuff happening, and if you look into the work of Leedskalnin and how he was able to counter gravity with magnetism and harmonic relationships, maybe Jerry really was de-magnetizing those things.

He wasn't your ordinary guitar player. We're talking about channeling and stuff. I've felt for years that a major underlying force behind their jams and their musical might and boundless stream of creative ideas had something to do with the dead, I mean the spirits of dead people, ex musicians and muses and the like. The dead musical spirits that were grateful to find a channel thru which they could express themselves into this physical world. The music played the band. The Grateful Dead set up a real deal ceremony that invited that kind of light and energy to come forth, and thru them, thru their hands. Weird and obviously magical and powerful stuff happened at shows. Maybe I'm showing my colors here, but my experiences have forced me to be wide open to these kinds of possibilities.

Ever hear Bear's account of what happens to audio amplifiers when people high on DMT are in close proximity to those amps? The amps change, they perform differently, louder, cleaner, more efficiently, and this is detectable to the straight, scientific observer.

And don't forget that magnetic forces are still yet to be truly explained and understood. Science can explain the "what" in great detail, but not the "how" or "why".

Amplified music is some serious quantum shit... Food for thought....


B

SarnoMusicSolutions wrote:I don't know.... Jerry had more than sweat coming off his hands. There was some seriously metaphysical chi energy stuff happening, and if you look into the work of Leedskalnin and how he was able to counter gravity with magnetism and harmonic relationships, maybe Jerry really was de-magnetizing those things.

He wasn't your ordinary guitar player. We're talking about channeling and stuff. I've felt for years that a major underlying force behind their jams and their musical might and boundless stream of creative ideas had something to do with the dead, I mean the spirits of dead people, ex musicians and muses and the like. The dead musical spirits that were grateful to find a channel thru which they could express themselves into this physical world. The music played the band. The Grateful Dead set up a real deal ceremony that invited that kind of light and energy to come forth, and thru them, thru their hands. Weird and obviously magical and powerful stuff happened at shows. Maybe I'm showing my colors here, but my experiences have forced me to be wide open to these kinds of possibilities.

Ever hear Bear's account of what happens to audio amplifiers when people high on DMT are in close proximity to those amps? The amps change, they perform differently, louder, cleaner, more efficiently, and this is detectable to the straight, scientific observer.

And don't forget that magnetic forces are still yet to be truly explained and understood. Science can explain the "what" in great detail, but not the "how" or "why".

Amplified music is some serious quantum shit... Food for thought....


B

All kidding aside, I guess I have to take back my statement about Jerry being nutty. I can't think of any guitar player that comes close to doing what he did night in and night out. The "wall of sound life size" post is a pretty good example of what you are talking about, as far as tangible(non scientific) cause and effect. The people were dancing cause the fat man was playing. My own experience with his music speaks volumes to what you are saying. Got into the Dead at the age of 17, never got to see Jerry, but 16 years later I get more enjoyment out of his playing then I ever have. As far as DMT goes, for me that was a before and after type of deal. It totally turned my life via my perspective around. I know I am flip flopping and preaching to the choir, but damn. The man is right. There was mos def a channel that was open. and sadly we can only relive it through memories and recordings. For me, I knew I liked it before I even understood it. And even now, it seems to me that on another plain, among giant redwood trees in a grand hall that can know no age, The music never stops! hows that for true colors?

You got it, Brad!

Jerry was nutty about the pickups. I'll bet there is nothing wrong with those pickups that were replaced.

However, I do know that my guitar and rig sound a bit different (to me) depending on the day. Some days it sounds amazing. Some days I don't like the sound even though I didn't change anything. I guess I could just blame the "spirits" or the "energy". But maybe it's just my mood and setting?

mijknahs wrote:Jerry was nutty about the pickups. I'll bet there is nothing wrong with those pickups that were replaced.

However, I do know that my guitar and rig sound a bit different (to me) depending on the day. Some days it sounds amazing. Some days I don't like the sound even though I didn't change anything. I guess I could just blame the "spirits" or the "energy". But maybe it's just my mood and setting?

The mood and setting has everything to do with the energy or lack of. It's really a combination of "everything"!