Gibson 1980s Patent Number Humbucker Bridge Zebra NOS Split Coil

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This is a genuine new old stock (NOS) Gibson Patent Number humbucker from 1982, in zebra bobbins — never installed, never played, sitting in its original state exactly as it left Kalamazoo. The Tim Shaw era at Gibson, roughly 1981 through 1985, represents one of the most serious and deliberate attempts the company made to recapture the magic of the original PAF humbuckers. Shaw studied surviving vintage pickups with unusual rigor, reverse-engineering construction details that had been lost or ignored through the 1970s, and the result is a pickup that the broader collector and player community has come to regard as the finest humbucker Gibson built in the post-vintage era. Finding one NOS, in the zebra configuration — one black bobbin, one unpotted cream — is genuinely uncommon.

This particular pickup measures 7.97k output, which puts it squarely in classic PAF territory — enough output to drive an amp without compressing the dynamics that define the best vintage humbuckers. The two-lead, split-coil wiring configuration is correct for the period and matches the original spec used on ES-335s of this era, where this pickup would have been at home. The gold cover finish is clean and unplayed — no rub-through, no contact wear. Shaw-era pickups like this one are characterized by a warmth and three-dimensionality that players consistently describe as more complex than the typical ceramic-loaded output monsters that defined much of the 1970s Gibson output. They clean up well, respond to picking dynamics, and have a particular mid-range presence that works equally well in jazz contexts on a 335 or pushed through a driven amp. The condition here is exactly what NOS means: mint, unplayed, original in every respect.

If you're restoring or building out a period-correct ES-335, or simply want one of the best-sounding humbuckers Gibson made in the modern era without chasing a 1959 original, this is the realistic answer. The zebra bobbins add visual character that collectors and players both appreciate, and NOS examples in this condition don't surface often.

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