Maxon Pickup Codes

Tokai Forum

Help Support Tokai Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
A couple of pictures from '82 pickups starting with "8":
sweetbluebluemaki-img600x450-1314508427yigh2n93856.jpg


 
Hmm not much makes sense really. The only thing that has any merit is the supposed Email from maxon that they are production line numbers. There is no rhyme or reason to the first number. I guess it comes down to what ever had to be made on any particular day or week due to demand determined what production line they were made on, hence variying numbers on the same model pickups.
Nothing else fits.

As for number 1 being a prototype, maybe there is merit to that too but as with most things from this era there are exceptions.

:-?
 
Here is a copy of the email
Dear Michael,

Thank you for your enquiry. We made the pickups for Greco and Ibanez, etc. Please read the attached article from the UK magazine "GUITAR BUYER" for detailed information.

Maxon guitar pickup serial number consisted of five-digit number.
Period used: up to and including 1977
The serial number: ABCDD
A: production line code (1: prototype line (very rare pickup), the other numbers are the production line numbers.)
B: year of manufacture (e.g. 1977 was shown as "7".)
C: month, 1=Jan ... 9=Sep., 0(zero)=Oct., X=Nov., .(dot)=Dec.
DD: day of the month (01 to 31)
If A is 1 (prototype line), B is the year code and CDD are not disclosed.

Maxon guitar pickup serial number consisted of six-digit number.
Period used: After 1977.

The serial number: ABCCDD
A: production line code (1: prototype line (very rare pickup), the other numbers are the production line numbers.)
B: year of manufacture (e.g. 1977 was shown as "7".)
CC: month, 01=Jan ... 09=Sep., 10=Oct., 11=Nov., 12=Dec.
DD: day of the month (01 to 31)

If A is 1 (prototype line), B is the year code and CDD are not disclosed.

Best regards,

Miyuki Nagasaki
[email protected]

Maxon / NISSHIN ONPA CO., LTD.
http://www.maxon.co.jp
TEL +81-263-40-1403
FAX +81-263-40-1410



Here is another for info as well

Dear Michael,

We tried to find the old technical information and checked thoroughly about all the pickups. However, there was no information that we can trace from model number such as U-4000. All the information we have in the warehouse is just delivery numbers for guitar assembly factory.

All the information we can provide is as follows.
Alnico3, Alnico 5 and Alnico8 were used for Alnico pickups. For Ceramic pickups, Ferritic2 and Ferritic3.2 were used.

Regarding the serial number, we sent you the information before. That's the all the information we can provide.

Best regards,

Miyuki Nagasaki
[email protected]

Maxon / NISSHIN ONPA CO., LTD.
http://www.maxon.co.jp
TEL +81-263-40-1403
FAX +81-263-40-1410
 
thanks alot for all these great responses to my original post-some fantastic info here!
 
What about this, it has me a bit confused too.

"If A is 1 (prototype line), B is the year code and CDD are not disclosed"

CDD are not disclosed? So a prototype pup serial would read AB with no numbers following.?
 
JDB said:
What about this, it has me a bit confused too.

"If A is 1 (prototype line), B is the year code and CDD are not disclosed"

CDD are not disclosed? So a prototype pup serial would read AB with no numbers following.?

Yes, i think your right, in what she (Miyuki) is saying. A prototype pup would likely have only 2 digits showing, that being of the prototype number 1 and the number for the year only.

The prototypes might be stamped, for example, 15 (1975) or 16 (1976) or 17 (1977) and so on.

I have not seen a pic of a prototype pup, ....... that would sure help.

(sorry about edits)
 
Ah I'm glad you agree coz that makes more sense about them being very rare and any like mine or wulfs starting with 1+bcdd are just normal production line numbers.
 
I have not seen a pic of a prototype pup, ....... that would sure help.

[/quote]


I would say there are not many about at all. probably only a handfull.
 
1977 seems to be a good year for '1' coded pickups, here's a few

DiMarzio PAF with Maxon code from an october 1977 EG900

Oct1977EG900DiMwithMaxon1code2.jpg


U2000 from a january 1978 EG700

Jan1978EG700Maxon1codepickup.jpg
 
Well, after looking at a fair few Maxon Greco pickups with stamped serials on them I noticed the following.

Most Maxon pickups up to 1981 have a serial starting with a 1 or 2 but there are early 70s Maxon pickups in SG's that have serials starting with a 3.

In late 1981 the Maxon pickups seem to also go to serials starting with a 8 or 5 but this is only for a short time and this is about the time that Fujigen starts making their own pickups in late 1981.
I think that Fujigen took over all of the Greco pickup making from Maxon sometime in 1982 and from then on there were no Maxon serial number stamps on Greco pickups and the Greco pickups just had model stickers like Dry 82, Screamin etc but there are transitional pickups around 1982 that have Maxon serial number stamps and model stickers like Dry 82 so that makes it a bit more confusing.
Eventually the model stickers on the Greco pickups were dropped around the mid/late 1980s I think.

The Maxon pickups starting with a 8 seem to follow the usual Maxon pickup code

First number = Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup production line code (1, 2, 8 etc)
Second number = Year (9=1979)
Third and Fourth number = Month (01=Jan ... 12=Dec)
Fifth and sixth number = Day of Month (01-31)

but the Maxon? pickups starting with a 5 seem to have a different code that might be according to the serials starting with a 5 that I've seen


First number = Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup production line code (5)
Second and Third number = Day of Month (01-31)
Fourth and Fifth number = Month (01=Jan ... 12=Dec)
Sixth number = Year (9=1979)


but I'm not totally sure of this.

So maybe production line 5 had their stamp back to front for some reason.

The Greco DiMarzio pickups with a Maxon serial number stamped on them seem to have been ordered by Maxon from the US and then stamped and then sent to Fujigen.

As usual, nothing is really straightforward and easy when there are transitions and other factory things involved so some of this might not be 100% accurate.

The 70s Maxon pickups like the U-1000 and U-2000 Dry Z etc seem to be Alnico magnet pickups with the U-1000 having Alnico 8 magnets and the U-2000 having Alnico 5 magnets and the Dry Z having Alnico 3 magnets.

Some of the later 1970s and early 1980s Maxon made U-1000 pickups might have Ceramic magnets.

It looks like Alnico 8 was replaced with Ceramic in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

The Mint Collection 1982 Screamin pickups have Ceramic magnets but most of the rest have Alnico like the Double Trick (probably Alnico 5) and Dry 1982 (probably Alnico 2 or 3) and these pickups don't seem to have been made by Maxon but by Fujigen.

When the Mint Collection starts around 1982, Maxon start dropping out of making Greco pickups and Fujigen starts making Greco pickups.
 
JDB said:
I have not seen a pic of a prototype pup, ....... that would sure help.


I would say there are not many about at all. probably only a handfull.[/quote]

How about this? Does this help? I believe it is a 1978 U-1000.

IMG_6286.JPG


IMG_6287.JPG


IMG_6308.JPG


IMG_6309.JPG


It reads 7.8 ohm.

What do you think one of these is worth these days, considering it's rarity and also its great condition?
 
I have one super 70 (supposed to be the same as the u1000) which may be considered as a prototype, "super 70"and the serial number (Year 76 and beginning with 1) is hand graven on the backplate still with the inked 75 serial number! And it really sounds like the other super 70 I have
 
Hi, I know this is an old thread but was hoping someone might be able to help me.

The pic of the 1978 EG700 pup(code#171214) that jacco posted is one of the pics from the ebay listing for the black 1978 EG700(serial#A786076) I purchased from chingo123. The production dates for the guitar and pups are very close which leads me to believe they are original to the guitar.

I have read that eg700's came stock with u-2000 pickups but have also read that the maxon codes went as such:
codes starting with 1 were u-1000, 2=u-2000,3=u-3000 etc...

Can anybody shed any light on the matter for me?

Thx,

Jibby.
 
japanstrat said:
Well, after looking at a fair few Maxon Greco pickups with stamped serials on them I noticed the following.

Most Maxon pickups up to 1981 have a serial starting with a 1 or 2 but there are early 70s Maxon pickups in SG's that have serials starting with a 3.

In late 1981 the Maxon pickups seem to also go to serials starting with a 8 or 5 but this is only for a short time and this is about the time that Fujigen starts making their own pickups in late 1981.
I think that Fujigen took over all of the Greco pickup making from Maxon sometime in 1982 and from then on there were no Maxon serial number stamps on Greco pickups and the Greco pickups just had model stickers like Dry 82, Screamin etc but there are transitional pickups around 1982 that have Maxon serial number stamps and model stickers like Dry 82 so that makes it a bit more confusing.
Eventually the model stickers on the Greco pickups were dropped around the mid/late 1980s I think.

The Maxon pickups starting with a 8 seem to follow the usual Maxon pickup code

First number = Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup production line code (1, 2, 8 etc)
Second number = Year (9=1979)
Third and Fourth number = Month (01=Jan ... 12=Dec)
Fifth and sixth number = Day of Month (01-31)

but the Maxon? pickups starting with a 5 seem to have a different code that might be according to the serials starting with a 5 that I've seen


First number = Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickup production line code (5)
Second and Third number = Day of Month (01-31)
Fourth and Fifth number = Month (01=Jan ... 12=Dec)
Sixth number = Year (9=1979)


but I'm not totally sure of this.

So maybe production line 5 had their stamp back to front for some reason.

The Greco DiMarzio pickups with a Maxon serial number stamped on them seem to have been ordered by Maxon from the US and then stamped and then sent to Fujigen.

As usual, nothing is really straightforward and easy when there are transitions and other factory things involved so some of this might not be 100% accurate.

The 70s Maxon pickups like the U-1000 and U-2000 Dry Z etc seem to be Alnico magnet pickups with the U-1000 having Alnico 8 magnets and the U-2000 having Alnico 5 magnets and the Dry Z having Alnico 3 magnets.

Some of the later 1970s and early 1980s Maxon made U-1000 pickups might have Ceramic magnets.

It looks like Alnico 8 was replaced with Ceramic in the late 1970s/early 1980s.

The Mint Collection 1982 Screamin pickups have Ceramic magnets but most of the rest have Alnico like the Double Trick (probably Alnico 5) and Dry 1982 (probably Alnico 2 or 3) and these pickups don't seem to have been made by Maxon but by Fujigen.

When the Mint Collection starts around 1982, Maxon start dropping out of making Greco pickups and Fujigen starts making Greco pickups.

hi
all the u 1000 i have had in my hands have ceramic magnets
all the best
otto
 
"all the u 1000 i have had in my hands have ceramic magnets "

People here say that U-1000 = Super 70. All my Super 70 (2 spare sets) have alnico magnets
 

Latest posts

Back
Top