And speaking of DiMarzio...

[kottkewannabe]

http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Dimarzio

[kottkewannabe]

Just for the record, I didn't start this petition; someone at Wolfetone did. I just believed in it and thought that some here might support it as well. That is all.

[blackstrat]

I could be totally off base with this, but I could have sworn that I have seen creme color pickups by other company brands. They may refer to it as off-white, or vintage, or aged white, but it's still creme.

[kottkewannabe]

I would really bet not. I know that SD talks about that on their FAQ section on why they don't offer it and I think that that's the whole point of the petition. Hey, let me know if you find something though.

[Butch Snyder]

DiMarzio holds a trademark for the double-cream bobbins for humbuckers. They claimed, in court, that for a number of years they were the sole manufacturer of humbuckers with exposed coils in double-cream. They won. Seymour Duncan fought this battle with them and won every time. Unfortunately, this was at a time when DiMarzio was the biggest player around. Seymour Duncan was a much smaller operation. Duncan would win and DiMarzio would appeal. Finally, after realizing that they couldn’t bear the legal costs anymore, they conceded to DiMarzio.

Now, there are pickup makers out there who will sell you an exposed-coil, double-cream bobbin humbucker. What they do, is put a cover on it. You get it home and take the cover off. It’s called a “shop floor custom” and it’s legal because DiMarzio’s trademark states that it has to be sold as an exposed coil pickup. It’s not illegal for you to take the cover off. Carvin sells a humbucker with double-cream exposed coils; but it has 22 poles where DiMarzio has the standard 12. Even though Ted McCarty invented the humbucker for Gibson, DiMarzio said, in court, that Gibson’s humbuckers were meant to be covered where DiMarzio’s weren’t.

Wolf McLeod, of Wolfetone Pickups, is the individual who started the petition.

[Chris Kinman]

Thanks for your accurate account of past events Butch, you are very well informed.

BTW Duncan's Seth Lover models also have double cream bobbins but a cover is fitted.

[Butch Snyder]

Yes, that's the "Shop Floor Custom" models I referred to in my earlier post. I even e-mailed DiMarzio about it. I was really aggravated by the notion of their trademark. I said something like instead of prohibiting other manufacturers from makng something, why don't you concentrate on making better products...

[kottkewannabe]

Thanks, Butch. I always like knowing what I'm talking about and you have helped me do just that. Have a great one!