MIM Pickups & Electrics - advice & thoughts on what they are...

Hi,

Here are some pics of the pickups in my 1998 MIM Standard Tele.

They look suspiciously like the pickups I had in my USA 2005 Standard - could they be the same pickups?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/c2b1ef62.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/3901a132.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/cf048910.jpg

The numbers on them are:

Neck 048609
Bridge 048610

The other aspect I am noticing on the guitar is it has full sized good quality (seemingly) pots, VERY like the CTS pots I have on my other Tele's and the switch looks like a standard Oak switch - would this be likely on a 98 MIM Tele?

Thanks for any info from those in the know :razz:

Brian.

Here's a picture of the electronics/pots & switch:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/1402921b.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/709d05f1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/798f6c92.jpg

Brian.

Am I right in thinking the ROC on the pots indicates Taiwan (Peoples Republic of China)?

Definitely look like Alnico pups. Did the MIAs ever come without a base plate on the bridge pickup, though?

The USA and MIM pups do look alike from that era. Prior to the upgrade in 2006 ( to ceramic magnets) the MIM's had Alnico V pups and sounded pretty dang good.

You have the standard pups there..................MIM.

Did the MIAs ever come without a base plate on the bridge pickup, though?

NO base plate on any of the Am Standards, or Series.

Thanks. My MIA pickups from the 2005 American Standard have no base plate on them (when I took them out - now in my Affinity)...

I am going to give the MIM pickups a decent run :)

I done got edumacated. :grin:

Well as to the pots and switch, unless they crackle and spraying switch cleaner won't fix it, I wouldn't worry about them. I don't think those tend to fail out of nowhere, they'll do so gradually--if they do at all, there's original pots in vintage guitars that still work perfectly fine.

I would suggest looking up the Ted Greene/Fezz Parka mod. You move one wire on the vol pot, and mod is done. If you're already going to have to play with the wiring to put in an Electrosocket (unless the jack already fits, which I think stock MIM jacks might not), might as well. :mrgreen:

They are very nice MIM alnicos. I had to buy and understand several teles before I "got it" and bought my 02.

They are very nice MIM alnicos. I had to buy and understand several teles before I "got it" and bought my 02.

Yes! I bought a spare (MIM Alnico) set for my 2000 Tele. The guitar was had seen little use before I bought it a couple of years ago. The spares are like the ones on it, and came from a modder who yanked them when he bought his new MIM in 2005.

"I would suggest looking up the Ted Greene/Fezz Parka mod. You move one wire on the vol pot, and mod is done. If you're already going to have to play with the wiring to put in an Electrosocket (unless the jack already fits, which I think stock MIM jacks might not), might as well."

What does it do specifically?

The body is now done... http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v318/wrxmania/63d709ef.jpg

There's a good chance they are the same,I love the sound of those pickups that they were using in the first few years of the Mim line.