Best Fender Factory-Made Stratocaster Pickups?

[ShannonH]

I come in peace

Hi All ( raising my hard hat over the top of the trench),

I think that regardless which of the two aforementioned winding machines were used, there were good and bad pickups from Fender at the time. The sense I'm getting is that maybe some folks are trying to justify their way of making a pickup based on their understanding of what Leo and the gang used to do.

Not being one to step around the elephant when you can just slap it in the ass, I think you may all be right, even though the timeline details are fuzzy. Manual traverse, auto traverse, guides, fingers, whatever. All the sound samples from everyone involved in the heat of this debate sound good to me, just different.

I think we need to passionately debate the probability of fact, but be real careful about getting personal. Seems like some are skating on the edge.....

Peace!

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

I'm not much of an authority on vintage pickups, but I had a humble thought. No one has bothered suggesting different winding methods for different pickups. My ears have told me that all the 50s and early 60s strats I've played (honestly only a handful) have been hand wound. They just sound that way to me - unscientific I know. I'm hearing that really wide Q that seems to come from varying the TPL a lot. But, the Jaguars, Mustangs and some j-basses (especially the Mustangs) have sounded different to me. The teles frankly have been all over the map, I can never find much of a pattern in what those sounded like. Is it possible that they did this? One has to remember that Fender at the time tended to consider some models the cadillacs and others the kias. If the folks at Fender were at least aware of the differences created by different winding methods it stands to reason they might mix it up a bit. From the sounds of it the Coweco won't wind faster, but it might enable a factory manager to put a less experienced worker on it than on the other machines, which saves time and money in different ways.

No, this isn't just an effort at being overly diplomatic.... just a thought.

[David Schwab]

One has to remember that Fender at the time tended to consider some models the cadillacs and others the kias.

But you can't clump the Jaguar in with the Mustang. The Jaguar was considered Fender's top of the line model in 1962.

[Possum]

....

Some of those guitars weren't using heavy formvar pickups, they were wound with plain enamel, thats probably the difference you are hearing, which is a big diff.

This argument is about honesty in marketing, period....

[FunkyKikuchiyo]

But you can't clump the Jaguar in with the Mustang. The Jaguar was considered Fender's top of the line model in 1962.

You're right, the Jag was the Cadillac, the 'stang the kia. If I was clumping it is as the two have been mostly forgotten. We seem to be talking only about strat pickups here and occasionally tele pickups, Fender was producing a whole line in those years, not just those guitars. Bits of machinery hanging around the Fender shop could have been there for any of these. I could be completely wrong, but I thought it would be worth throwing out there.

[David Schwab]

I have a 70's 'Stang. I love that little guitar! It sounds killer with two old Lawrence L-250's.

[ShannonH]

You're right, the Jag was the Cadillac, the 'stang the kia. If I was clumping it is as the two have been mostly forgotten. We seem to be talking only about strat pickups here and occasionally tele pickups, Fender was producing a whole line in those years, not just those guitars. Bits of machinery hanging around the Fender shop could have been there for any of these. I could be completely wrong, but I thought it would be worth throwing out there.

I think it's a completely valid point! Thanks for bringing it up.

[RedHouse]

That is a Meteor ME-301 winder.

Another pic of the 301
(sorry about the hotlink)

[greenfingers]

[RedHouse]

[IMG][/IMG]

Wow, got a few bobbins going on there! whos machine is that?

[greenfingers]

It's one of Gibsons.

[greenfingers]

Ok, just got info from a person who used that Coweco all the time when he worked at Fender. I wont say his name because he has his own line of guitars now and the info could get twisted and look like a slur.

Apparently Abigail dosent ever remember using or seeing that winder back in the day, and John Page told my guy it was from R&D, and the Custom shop have mostly used it for R&D, my source said he used it becaues it was a fast winder and used it mostly for Handwinding 50's and Base prototypes.

So Abby dosent remember it, and John Page said it was from R&D. If i get anymore info Ill post it.


P.S,.. he also said it was never used for production only for R&D and the counter was not to be trusted.

[JGundry]

Interesting. When did John Page and the other mystery guy start at Fender?

This entire topic has gotten me in the mood to trash some vintage pickups. I think it may be pretty easy to prove which pickups were made on a single bobbin automatic winder. That winder would likely be the Coweco IMO.

The Fender Meteor has a Meteor wire guide assembly. The Gibson one used to have a different Meteor wire guide set up that did only 6 bobbins. After Gibson left Kalamazoo they made the wire guide set up in that picture so the machine would run 10-12 bobbins. They current set up is way different from the old set up.

[greenfingers]

Interesting. When did John Page and the other mystery guy start at Fender?

This entire topic has gotten me in the mood to trash some vintage pickups. I think it may be pretty easy to prove which pickups were made on a single bobbin automatic winder. That winder would likely be the Coweco.

John Page opened the Custom shop in 86 or 87 i think, and he had been at Fender since 78 i beleave. My guy was there around the mid 90's.

[JGundry]

Thanks for the info.. I think by 1978 Fender would have been gang winding everything if they had that Meteor by 1966.

It sounds like you have a good in. See if your guy can get a number off that Coweco by calling the Custom shop. It is the blue and silver tag on the top of the machine. Some also have the number engraved on the housing. On the tag there should be letters for a model number and then a serial number.