[uzerPRO]

Hello, I've got the pickups, which are very similar to vintage PAFs. DC resistance is 7.8k. Magnet bars looks like made of AlNiCo. They also have weared chrome cover. There are wooden blocks under the coils. They have numbers "161223" on bottoms of both pickups. I think, there is serial number of the pickup set. As you can see, the pickup has been modified. Would you please to help me identify this pickups? Thank you.

[Cú Chulainn]

uzerPRO, on 22 January 2013 - 11:08 AM, said:

Hello, I've got the pickups, which are very similar to vintage PAFs. DC resistance is 7.8k. Magnet bars looks like made of AlNiCo. They also have weared chrome cover. There are wooden blocks under the coils. They have numbers "161223" on bottoms of both pickups. I think, there is serial number of the pickup set. As you can see, the pickup has been modified. Would you please to help me identify this pickups? Thank you.

could be anything. need more pictures.

[uzerPRO]

[Cú Chulainn]

what guitar did they come from?

[uzerPRO]

Dean US Hardtail, last owner sold as a set 498+490, but it is not they)
The set 498+490 i have installed on Gibson LP Studio.

[Cú Chulainn]

I'm thinking something Dean stock?

[uzerPRO]

No, I do not think so.
These pickups look very old, magnets already weak.

[cjsinla]

Your pickups do not have the braided wire leads or a sticker or patent number. They can't be early paf. They also look like they were sealed in epoxy which would make them a lot newer and would certainly have the patent number on the bottom plate.

[stein]

The bobbins thenselves do not have the same "mold" or holes as PAF/Patent # Gibby's from the period. Nor are they "T-tops".

The brackets also do not have the characteristic tooling marks that PAF vintage pups have.

Beyond being sure they ain't Gibby pups of T-top or earlier, I don't have knowledge of different humbuckers to say.

I'm thinking Dean stock is a pretty good guess, unless it is known they were taken out of the guitar at some point, and these aren't them.

I also don't know what earlier 490/ types look like, or if they look the same as current ones.

Couple things for sure: regardless of age, magnet strenght would not be significantly diminished to be able to tell anything, even IF they were as old as PAF's. And regarding the age, the "looks" of the age or the wear, I wouldn't say there aren't plenty of pups from even the 90's that look this "old".

[cjsinla]

Also they don't appear to have nickel chrome covers, they are too shiny in my opinion.

[cjsinla]

stein, on 27 January 2013 - 10:40 PM, said:

The bobbins thenselves do not have the same "mold" or holes as PAF/Patent # Gibby's from the period. Nor are they "T-tops".

The brackets also do not have the characteristic tooling marks that PAF vintage pups have.

Beyond being sure they ain't Gibby pups of T-top or earlier, I don't have knowledge of different humbuckers to say.

I'm thinking Dean stock is a pretty good guess, unless it is known they were taken out of the guitar at some point, and these aren't them.

I also don't know what earlier 490/ types look like, or if they look the same as current ones.

Couple things for sure: regardless of age, magnet strenght would not be significantly diminished to be able to tell anything, even IF they were as old as PAF's. And regarding the age, the "looks" of the age or the wear, I wouldn't say there aren't plenty of pups from even the 90's that look this "old".

Stein, do you know when Gibson started making 490's? I'm trying to ID some pickups from the early eighties that look like Shaws but do not have the stamp. I assume they were machine-made but the overall construction looks the same.

[Jon S.]

I don't believe these are Gibson pickups.