Help identify this P-Bass pickup

[frank orlando]

Hello, First post on this forum!
I acquired the P-Bass pickup shown in the attached pics below. I was told it was a mid 60's era Fender pickup. The tops of the pole pieces have beveled edges (not flat), it has black bobbins, dark burgundy colored (enamel?) windings and it has cloth covered wire leads. They read 10.46 ohms. At first glance it looks like it can be any number of manufacturers "vintage" pickup offering but the previous owner stated it was a vintage Fender pickup. If you have expertise in identifying P-Bass pickups and can tell me if it is in fact Fender or the brand and anything else about it, I would be very appreciative. I'm hoping the pictures showing the bobbin design, 3 holes punched in the top and bottom of the bobbin, beveled top surface of the magnets, method used to attach the leads, etc. will be tell-tale in determining the brand. Thank you! Frank

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

Welcome to the forum.

I agree with the Fender USA description but I would not want to nominate an exact model. The output cables appear to have been resoldered. The bevel on the magnets resembles that on Fender AVRI '62 Jazz Bass pickups.

 

[frank orlando]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

Thank you for the response. I took a few closeups of the lead wire solder joints and the winding attachment to the bobbin rivets. It looks as if the solder joints for the wire leads are original. They are smack in the middle of the rivet and you can even see the surface of the rivet around the joint. There is no trace of any solder other than the solder on the present set of leads.
Also one of the picture shows how the winding wire passes through the rivet and is wrapped several times around the edge of the bobbin. Are vintage reproduction pickups made that way today? I'm hoping this is actually what it was represented as... a mid-60's Fender pickup.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

Three or four passes of the copper wire through the soldering eyelet would be normal. It holds the wires steady whilst soldering. In the event of one loop being broken, the others maintain the connection.

It is possible that the soldering blobs look "wrong" to me because Fender has used lead-free solder.

 

[frank orlando]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

Lead free even in the mid 60's?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

Of course not.

In my opinion, the pickup in your photographs is Fender USA's own recreation of an early Sixties Precision Bass pickup. It was either taken from an American Vintage Re-Issue series instrument or it is an aftermarket part that Fender markets as the Original Series.

 

[frank orlando]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

Thanks for the response...
With regard to these possibly being Fender USA vintage re-issue stuff, did you notice the pole piece height "stagger" in picture #1 (original post). The re-issue vintage stuff either has only raised A string pole pieces, or the poles are highly polished like the bumper on a '57 Cadillac or they're all flush and have no stagger at all (all same height). I can't find a Fender USA re-issue/vintage repro or AVRI that has these rough "sand-cast" finished pole pieces that are beveled AND staggered. Anyone?

My understanding from doing A LOT of reading over the past few days on this is that early/mid 60's were in fact staggered and beveled.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help identify this P-Bass pickup

To be honest, I have never seen a magnet length "stagger" pattern on a split coils Fender Precision Bass pickup of any era. Only the Raised A poles type from the late Fifties.

Purely from a design point of view, the fully adjustable splits coils design negates the need for magnet length compensation. The "stagger" pattern on your pickup achieves nothing that cannot be achieved by screwdriver adjustments on a flush poles pickup.

The only thing that I have seen that resembles your pickup is a photograph that purports to be of a Fender Deluxe American four string bass. In this photograph, the shorter poles are beneath the A and D strings, whilst the longer poles are beneath the E and G. Kinda counter-intuitive.