[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1382002333' post='2246487']
Current Gibson Thunderbird pickups are completely different to those which appeared on the original T-Birds in the 60s. It's not just the colour of the covers that have changed, whereas the current crop of replacement pickups from Thunderbucker, Lull and Lollar are based on the original classic designs. Which you like best of course is entirely subjective.
BTW Gibson/Epiphone in the past have been very reluctant to sell replacement parts without a genuine instrument to receive them, and TBH if the Epiphone T-Bird pickup sounds good to you, it would probably to simpler and maybe even cheaper to buy a second hand one and butcher it for the parts.
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+1 to all that.
Thunderbuckers [b]are[/b] pricey, but they're astonishing pickups; as punchy and growly as a really good "P" p/up but with more depth and clarity. Each one is hand-wound to order, and Steve at the Thunderbucker Ranch is as helpful as can be. It seemed an expensive gamble at the time fitting to my gigging Fenderbird ( [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/180496-the-welsh-fenderbird-mk-2-a-quest-for-perfection/page__p__1736514__hl__welsh__fromsearch__1#entry1736514"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/180496-the-welsh-fenderbird-mk-2-a-quest-for-perfection/page__p__1736514__hl__welsh__fromsearch__1#entry1736514[/url] ), but never looked back.
Sounds like a good project this, but if you prefer the Fender-type body then personally I'd make a non-reverse Fenderbird with jut one p/up (I use just the neck p/up 90% of the time) - in a nice aged white or Pelham blue would look and sound the absolute mutts