Fender PSGs - which came first?
Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn
- Leslie Ehrlich
- Posts: 1295
- Joined: 21 Nov 2002 1:01 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Fender PSGs - which came first?
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.
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.
Sho-Bud Pro III + Marshall JMP 2204 half stack = good grind!
- Dave Zirbel
- Posts: 4170
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Sebastopol, CA USA
- Michael Maddex
- Posts: 1141
- Joined: 18 Apr 2007 5:02 pm
- Location: Northern New Mexico, USA
- Contact:
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.
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.
"For every expert, there is an equal and opposite expert." -- Arthur C. Clarke
The "wide" pickup is really a skinny pickup with a wide plastic case around it.
-๐๐๐- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video
- Dave Zirbel
- Posts: 4170
- Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
- Location: Sebastopol, CA USA
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.
My guitars are late '59'/'60 with no rollers.
Dave Zirbel-
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps
Sierra S-10 (Built by Ross Shafer),ZB, Fender 400 guitars, various tube and SS amps
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.
-๐๐๐- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video
-
- Posts: 6965
- Joined: 26 Dec 2003 1:01 am
- Location: Candor, New York, USA
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
I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time......
-
- Posts: 21192
- Joined: 16 Feb 1999 1:01 am
- Location: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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.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.
What year was that, Donny? It would date the guitar pretty accurately, I imagine.
-๐๐๐- (admin) - Robert P. Lee - Recordings - Breathe - D6th - Video
- Leslie Ehrlich
- Posts: 1295
- Joined: 21 Nov 2002 1:01 am
- Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada