Fender PSGs - which came first?

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 28 Nov 2009 10:59 pm

When I see pics of Fender PSGs with the cable puller mechanism (e.g. 400, 1000, 800, 2000, etc.) I'm a little stymied as to how electronics evolved in these guitars.

Some models have a real skinny single coil pickup (kind of like a Strat pickup), while others have a wide single coil pickup (looks somewhat like a Gibson P90 or Fender Jazzmaster pickup).

Which version came first - the one with the thin pickup or the one with the wide pickup?

And as far as sound goes, I imagine that the thin pickups sound very bright and twangy while the wide pickups have a mellower tone.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 29 Nov 2009 12:09 am

The jazzmaster style pickups came first on the long scale 400s and 1000s.The skinny one came around the mid '1960's when the switched to the rocking cam bridge and shorter scale.

Michael Maddex · Post by **Michael Maddex** » 29 Nov 2009 10:12 am

This has come up before on the forum. Here are links to a couple of threads on the development of the Fender PSGs:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

I've got what I can only assume to be a '64 'transitional' model: It's got the shorter scale, new style changer and pickup, but the older stamped chrome pedals and pedal bar. It seems like, even though a new model was out, Fender wanted to use up any old parts still in the bins.

HTH.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 29 Nov 2009 11:42 am

The "wide" pickup is really a skinny pickup with a wide plastic case around it.

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 29 Nov 2009 11:54 am

b0b, either that's a transitional model or someone swapped out the pickups from the covers. All my Fender pickups look like this. Sorry for the crummy photography!

My guitars are late '59'/'60 with no rollers.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 29 Nov 2009 1:14 pm

I think it's original, Dave. It's a perfect fit for the casing, and nothing else on the guitar had been modified. Maybe it was transitional. I don't know the year of the guitar.

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 29 Nov 2009 1:38 pm

b0b.. I would do some research.. Those don't look like the original Fender wide "Jazzmaster" style steel pickup , unless indeed they did some sort of transition where they used up all the remaining square plastic covers.. Interesting.. The original rectangular Fender steel pickups under the cover look much like P-90 pickups under the cover.. Don't know whats in your 1000. Perhaps just a later "Jaguar style" pickup under a plastic cover that needed to be used up???? bob

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 29 Nov 2009 4:20 pm

b0b wrote:I think it's original, Dave. It's a perfect fit for the casing, and nothing else on the guitar had been modified. Maybe it was transitional.

Yes, that's an original (transitional) pickup. They made them like that for only about 3-4 months so they could use up all the bodies they had stockpiled that had already been routed for the larger pickups. Despite the differences in the design of the two (narrow/tall and wide/short) pickups, they are quite similar, soundwise.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 29 Nov 2009 5:20 pm

What year was that, Donny? It would date the guitar pretty accurately, I imagine.

Leslie Ehrlich · Post by **Leslie Ehrlich** » 29 Nov 2009 10:24 pm

Out of all the PSGs I've heard, the old Fenders have the brightest and twangiest sound I've ever heard. They are the Telecaster equivalent of a PSG. I wonder if Leo and his engineers had that in mind when they designed the thing?