wulfman said:
IMO the Z is not correct, there are subtle differences. Good attempt though. Here is a picture of Z's in a guitar. Note how narrow the ends of the letter are. It CAN be smudged or have variation due to stamping but IMO buyer beware these days.
Hi Harold, I certainly agree with your point AFA "buyer beware" when looking at the overall set of attributes when considering the purchase of most any item, Dry Z pickups included.
Take for example the link you provide in post #2.
The base plates look legit with one of the latest serial numbers I have ever seen for a Dry Z.
You mentioned the third bobbin hole which I agree is a huge red flag for a Dry Z example.
The screw heads are also wrong; they should be single slotted.
I guess we can agree to disagree on the Z stamp itself,
as I have had examples that have some variance within matched sets.
I have also seen this 'font variance' in multiple photographed examples, as Dalko has also provided.
AFA the example you provide in post #2: I believe the base plates are legit BUT I believe someone switched out the actual pickups & attached a different pickup to the Dry Z base plates.
AFA the set in the OP link there are two things that stand out:
The serial #s are one of the earliest I have seen for a Dry Z.
The claimed meter values of 7.87 & 7.97 are a bit higher than most reported 'nominal' values but are still within noted & reported values.
None the less likely the highest values I recall for a matched set.