Pickup blades

Hey all,
Just pulled a '79 T-40 out of the closet where it's been since I bought it used. Great bass, as we all know and, if I remember correctly, this baby was played by a member of Parliament/Funkadelic. I'll research that. But I'm here with a pickup question. I notice that most of the T40s I see have visible 'blades' showing in the black 'windows' of the pups. Mine doesn't. Solid black. So, are these older pickups? Different from standard? Anything I should know or be concerned about? I still need to replace the broken selector switch, clean her up and set her up but I am excited to begin playing this wonderful instrument. And glad I found the forum, too. Thanks for any help/info. Take care. Peace.

You've got the first pickup. The T's came with those from it's debut in 1978 to late 1981 or so. We call those toasters because they kinda look like the top of an old toaster. The ones with the visible blades came later, somewhere around 1982 or so. We call those blades.

Everyone has their own tastes when debating the T pickups. I personally prefer the toasters. To my ear they sound warmer while the blades sound a lot brighter. Your mileage may vary.

I should have a topic on here somewhere that lists sources I've found for parts. You'll find a few sources for the switches on that.