Anyone know what this pickup is?

Penn · May 2023

It was random. EBay buy. Apparently tests at 5.56 but I’ve ordered a meter to check.

Anyone know what it is?

bertie · May 2023

no idea, but looks like it could do with and iron filing clean up

Penn · May 2023

bertie said:

no idea, but looks like it could do with and iron filing clean up

I paid extra for those.

OilCityPickups · May 2023

Either my customers have very dirty pickups and acid sweat - or that baseplate looks a bit too clean for the 'relic colour' of the poles. It looks a bit baggy and loosely wound on the turns at the bottom neck end of the pickup, and the soldering of the eyelets is a bit more rustic than I'm used to seeing on older Fender pickups. No date stamp or other markings so if I had to guess I'd say either a late era Fender - perhaps Japanese, or a small independent winder. Though saying that the wire 'stress relief hole' in the baseplate looks a bit 'slack fitting' for a US Fender or Japanese.

Penn · May 2023

This was the advert and seeing it in the flesh I think I’ve been mislead

Fender USA Custom Shop Single Coil Pure Vintage Pickup. Great sound and aged vintage feel, staggered poles. bridge position, measures 5.56.

Winny_Pooh · May 2023

Could be a Tokai

OilCityPickups · May 2023

Hummm I personally wouldn't have thought that's 'Custom Shop'.
...... er ..... how can you get a vintage 'feel' in a pickup? Vintage sound yes ... feel .... well crumbly and knackered is how many vintage pickups feel when they first come onto my bench .... I usually try to stop the crumbly bit (they often stink too).

skunkwerx · May 2023

It's half of a humbucker.

Raise an ebay dispute.

Penn · May 2023

skunkwerx said:

It's half of a humbucker.

Raise an ebay dispute.

For 30 quid I’m not sure I can be bothered.

Funkfingers · May 2023

Interesting damage around the soldering eyelets on the baseplate. Not sure why the end of the white insulation has frayed?

I wonder whether the output conductors in the photograph are original.

OilCityPickups · May 2023

Funkfingers said:

Interesting damage around the soldering eyelets on the baseplate. Not sure why the end of the white insulation has frayed?

I wonder whether the output conductors in the photograph are original.

Because although the pickup has clearly been wax potted - but it may well have been before the output wires were soldered. some cloth covered hook-up wire frays like a bastard if it doesn't get thoroughly wax dipped. The 'damage' to and around the eyelets is just piss poor soldering combined possibly with flux paste burning off. I think the solder might be lead free 'cooked' at too low a temperature, it looks too lumpy for old lead/tin solder. Of course it could be a 'repair' but I think that dates the pickup as modern as nobody was concerned about getting brain damaged in times of yore.

BillDL · May 2023

Bag it and throw it away immediately. The base plate is blue asbestos !!

Alex2678 · May 2023

I think they title is contradictory anyway, pure vintage is the name of the regular USA stuff, not custom shop

BillDL · May 2023

bertie said:

no idea, but looks like it could do with and iron filing clean up

Just as @OilCityPickups said in the thread about cleaning fretboards, where wire wool was mentioned:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/3579600/#Comment_3579600

"But mask your pickups on a non removable neck guitar - steel wool plays absolute havoc with them".

@bertie qualified this by providing a link to Lollar Pickups website in his comment:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/comment/3579831/#Comment_3579831

bertie · May 2023

Bertie in actually being helpful shock horror

Penn · May 2023

Maybe I’ll have to just buy a set of new pickups for the green thing I’m building.

LastMantra · May 2023

The solder joint on the left (bottom) looks a bit iffy like it's not got enough solder but maybe it's just the pic?

At least if you don't know what it is (make etc.) you can be totally objective about how it sounds.

OilCityPickups · May 2023

It's a lowish wind plain enamel strat pickup ... it'll sound good. Maybe not outstanding, but good.

ICBM · May 2023

If it's not been damaged by pushing the G pole down slightly, which appears to have been done as it's sticking out a bit on the bottom - it won't be if it meters OK - then it's got to be worth roughly that much no matter what it is.

LastMantra · May 2023

OilCityPickups said:

Maybe not outstanding, but good.

A bit less objective now

Penn · May 2023

OilCityPickups said:

It's a lowish wind plain enamel strat pickup ... it'll sound good. Maybe not outstanding, but good.

Ash are you suggesting you might be able to do something better?

Penn · May 2023

ICBM said:

If it's not been damaged by pushing the G pole down slightly, which appears to have been done as it's sticking out a bit on the bottom - it won't be if it meters OK - then it's got to be worth roughly that much no matter what it is.

I might have pushed it back up… I may also have checked it and it might still read on a meter.

OilCityPickups · May 2023

LastMantra said:

OilCityPickups said:

Maybe not outstanding, but good.

A bit less objective now

What I do is make Strat pickups I personally like ... they aren't really better than any other hand made pickups ... just different. if people like them, great, if not, there are plenty more different flavours to try from other makers :-)

For me I personally like 6k with plain enamel rather than 5,5 or similar. Chunkier mids and big 'piano' open strings. I prefer Heavy Formvar for lower winding levels.

LastMantra · May 2023

OilCityPickups said:

LastMantra said:

OilCityPickups said:

Maybe not outstanding, but good.

A bit less objective now

What I do is make Strat pickups I personally like ... they aren't really better than any other hand made pickups ... just different. if people like them, great, if not, there are plenty more different flavours to try from other makers :-)

For me I personally like 6k with plain enamel rather than 5,5 or similar. Chunkier mids and big 'piano' open strings. I prefer Heavy Formvar for lower winding levels.

Ah sorry, I was just trying to make a funny continuing from my previous comment.

Penn · May 2023

Sooo anyone? Any idea?

maw4neu · September 2023

Winny_Pooh said:

Could be a Tokai

I thought that too . . .

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Anyone know what this pickup is?

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