@@USTTRM Yeah - I am mainly Greco and some Fender Japan. The early pre-Excel silver bottom Maxons are pretty unique too. Very reverby sounding in the Matsumoku produced Grecos.
I have a Japan Capri LP with Maxon in it. Double binding everywhere, on sunset burst. Gold hardwhere, narrow neck and a killer tone. It was my dad's . He used to play rhythm for country violonists. Now, his guitar sings, and howls.
Actually the lawsuit was between Gibson and Ibanez and it was ONLY about the headstock of the Ibanez replicas of Gibson guitars. The lawsuit was in 1975 and since then Ibanez changed the design of the headstock. That was the only lawsuit. Having that said I agree that those guitars made in Japan mostly in Fujigen were fantastic, I have two of them, one was 1974 pre lawsuit (with the open book gibson headstock) and with the maxon high power humbucking 60’s pickups, the other one after the lawsuit with the Ibanez headstock with the Maxon super 70’s pickups - both sound fantastic.
I think the difference between the PAF's and the Maxon's is that the Maxon's were consistent whereas the PAF's were not, as established in one of your earlier videos and documented abroad. I feel this is amplified across all of Maxon's products, they are highly regarded everywhere with nearly everything and it must be their consistency. I think what Maxon did was find those stellar examples and copy them well instead of producing a bunch of variable stuff they found the good ones and replicated them with passion, intent and consistency. There's something truly amazing about the discipline and work ethic of the Japanese culture in particular. A great modern day comparison and example of it is by looking up ESP Japan and then looking up ESP USA. The difference between them is embarrassingly stark, LOL. Here you have some of the finest American luthiers looking like a side show by comparison. Hands down I am always happy to find out something I'm buying is made in Japan. Unfortunately it's few and far between for many reasons I won't get into. When I was putting a kill button in my Strat the only ones that would do at all were from Japan, literally no one else made the spec I needed, not Germany, not China, not Canada, not even NASA, LOL. Elon Musk doesn't build switches like that and certainly not in every conceivable size and color for under $10 each shipped. So is the same in so many other areas, like tools, measuring equipment, electronics, toys, engineering in general, you name it. I digress though, I've always really enjoyed both iterations and their different models but I really think Maxon did it with more intention and dedication. I also don't have the experience you do and learned much from this. I quite enjoyed this video, you bring up strong points and present them well. I hope your doing well and take care. :)
I'm thinking about gear and hype and the chase for tone. I think about Eddie as a young guy getting intimate with one guitar. Getting to know it, personalize it and make rock history with it. Fast forward to today where you are looked at crazy if you have just one instrument and never satisfied with any of them.The hype is strong.
@@USTTRM Oh yeah it is, people used to just listen to music, now it's a full body sport ironically done sitting down by ourselves most the time, LOL. :)
W. Edwards Deming was an American engineer and quality guru that spent a lot of time in Japan during the 1950s-60's teaching Japanese automotive industry leaders statistical quality assurance methods in manufacturing. His contributions to post-war Japan led to the industrial rebirth of Japan and his philosophy became the accepted norm throughout Japanese manufacturing.. .
I just got 1970's Crestline Les Paul MIJ, originally owned by Bill Dowdy, guitar is pretty beat up, I'm working on it trying to keep all original parts, it has Maxon ( 33 01 the only numbers I can see on the pick up) but it sounds really good.
Hi there, I could use some help if you don't mind. I have a Maxon Humbucker Pat Pend with the number 33.21 stamped below PAT PEND on the backplate of the pickup. Any idea on what year or guitar it may have come from? It sounds most excellent, I had it in the bridge of my Les Paul ... nothing else really comes close. Thank you in advance
Yes. I had a Hondo bass as a teen and so did my band mate. I didn't know what I had at the time. I had forgotten that fact for longer than I should have. Yes those were great sounding basses.
Hi I watched a lot of videos on yt, read even more comments. I still haven't found many things that I would like to know and hear about. I recently got an Ibanez LP custom 2650 with a super 80 from 1977. almost full original. I haven't found a single video on yt comparing maxon super 70 vs maxon super 80, no one anywhere shows how to make a very good setup. I couldn't find many different things anywhere and I also read forums from the Internet. In old brochures that are of poor quality it says fingerboard ebonized rosewood. You can see this many times on old Japanese company brochures very clearly in the product descriptions. I went to 3 different places to luthiers and I realized that they are poorly versed in these issues. So, as with the previous guitar - with this one I also did the cosmetics and other setup things professionally by myself. money left in my pocket ha ha
I have a set of Maxon pick ups from 1972 and a set from 1973. They have either a stamped symbol or an engraved into the plate. Japanese symbol on the back with the number 33. I can send you photos. I cannot find any information on these pick ups they sound amazing, but I’m looking for anything about what they are. Also, I have a set of maxim S stamped pick ups that is also hard to find information as in how valuable that is in comparison to Z stamped any help would be very welcomed. Thank you. Steve P
Do the dry z or super 58s sound better? I have maxon super 58s in my 82 ibanez, they sound better than any paf pickup made today. Ive only heard the dry z over video and its really hard to pin point the difference between the two.
Listen I own Greco Les Paul's but the info you are putting out is wrong and there is no such thing as a law suite guitar lmao the only manufacture that got a cease and desist letter was Ibanez and it never went to court this is all easy info to find and all they had to do was change the headstock shape that was it it never made it to court or any law suite so idk why people say law suite guitars because they are not. There is only a few Ibanez guitars that are what you could call a law suite guitar the one's before they changed the headstock but like I said I don't know why because there was never a law suite lmao.....
No. They ran out of the stock of fairly special Made in USA wire that Jun Takano had used to develop the prototypes into the way that he wanted them to sound. That same stock of wire was used for the production versions and, when it ran out and they switched over to regular pickup wire, Takano-san's own blog site reports "the magic is now gone".
@@karukan430 You can check here (Vol.4) for the details jk-guitars.jimdofree.com/ where the last verifiable Dry Z he's heard of was #211113 which was made on 13 November 1981. He reports that the Dry series that replaced it appeared with the advent of the Mint Collection guitars in 1982 and has a black sticker saying "Dry" and no date stamp. But all Maxon pickups are reputed to have magic to some degree.
To quote JK exactly, it appears there's a chance some early "Dry" pickups will have the magic, before the special wire ran out. He says "According to Jun Takano's blog, shortly after the production of the 1982 DRY began, the stock of coil wires made in the USA was exhausted. Since it was switched to a general-purpose urethane wire without supplementing the original equivalent, it has been lamented that the rich tone of Z-DRY has been completely lost. It may be true that some 1982 DRYs have good and bad sounds, but this is the only way to own and compare both the Z-DRY and the 1982 DRY". In other words, use your ears!
I converted my entire collection over to 70's/80's Matsumoku and Fujigen - mainly Maxon pickups - they are all great - from single coil to humbuckers.
@@ScottLaneMusic yeah I’m leaving heavy on the Greco guitars these days myself. Honestly the Excel pups are worth the price of admission! Cheers!
@@USTTRM Yeah - I am mainly Greco and some Fender Japan. The early pre-Excel silver bottom Maxons are pretty unique too. Very reverby sounding in the Matsumoku produced Grecos.
Great info and presentation
I have a Japan Capri LP with Maxon in it. Double binding everywhere, on sunset burst. Gold hardwhere, narrow neck and a killer tone. It was my dad's . He used to play rhythm for country violonists. Now, his guitar sings, and howls.
Actually the lawsuit was between Gibson and Ibanez and it was ONLY about the headstock of the Ibanez replicas of Gibson guitars. The lawsuit was in 1975 and since then Ibanez changed the design of the headstock. That was the only lawsuit.
Having that said I agree that those guitars made in Japan mostly in Fujigen were fantastic, I have two of them, one was 1974 pre lawsuit (with the open book gibson headstock) and with the maxon high power humbucking 60’s pickups, the other one after the lawsuit with the Ibanez headstock with the Maxon super 70’s pickups - both sound fantastic.
I've just snapped mine yesterday. 1975 EG380 with Maxon UD pickups.
EVH said he "unmercifully ripped the bridge humbucker from a Gibson 335"
I think the difference between the PAF's and the Maxon's is that the Maxon's were consistent whereas the PAF's were not, as established in one of your earlier videos and documented abroad. I feel this is amplified across all of Maxon's products, they are highly regarded everywhere with nearly everything and it must be their consistency. I think what Maxon did was find those stellar examples and copy them well instead of producing a bunch of variable stuff they found the good ones and replicated them with passion, intent and consistency.
There's something truly amazing about the discipline and work ethic of the Japanese culture in particular. A great modern day comparison and example of it is by looking up ESP Japan and then looking up ESP USA. The difference between them is embarrassingly stark, LOL. Here you have some of the finest American luthiers looking like a side show by comparison. Hands down I am always happy to find out something I'm buying is made in Japan. Unfortunately it's few and far between for many reasons I won't get into.
When I was putting a kill button in my Strat the only ones that would do at all were from Japan, literally no one else made the spec I needed, not Germany, not China, not Canada, not even NASA, LOL. Elon Musk doesn't build switches like that and certainly not in every conceivable size and color for under $10 each shipped. So is the same in so many other areas, like tools, measuring equipment, electronics, toys, engineering in general, you name it.
I digress though, I've always really enjoyed both iterations and their different models but I really think Maxon did it with more intention and dedication. I also don't have the experience you do and learned much from this. I quite enjoyed this video, you bring up strong points and present them well. I hope your doing well and take care. :)
I'm thinking about gear and hype and the chase for tone. I think about Eddie as a young guy getting intimate with one guitar. Getting to know it, personalize it and make rock history with it. Fast forward to today where you are looked at crazy if you have just one instrument and never satisfied with any of them.The hype is strong.
@@USTTRM Oh yeah it is, people used to just listen to music, now it's a full body sport ironically done sitting down by ourselves most the time, LOL. :)
W. Edwards Deming was an American engineer and quality guru that spent a lot of time in Japan during the 1950s-60's teaching Japanese automotive industry leaders statistical quality assurance methods in manufacturing. His contributions to post-war Japan led to the industrial rebirth of Japan and his philosophy became the accepted norm throughout Japanese manufacturing.. .
@@onethumbpicker Interesting and cool, nice comment, thanks! :)
@@onethumbpicker And thats why Japan uses the metric system, eh?
Why dont you'll mention burny, they are one of the best replicas made. Correct neck shape, lightweight, and great pickups.
Thanks for sharing 🎸 🎶
I just got 1970's Crestline Les Paul MIJ, originally owned by Bill Dowdy, guitar is pretty beat up, I'm working on it trying to keep all original parts, it has Maxon ( 33 01 the only numbers I can see on the pick up) but it sounds really good.
Hi there, I could use some help if you don't mind. I have a Maxon Humbucker Pat Pend with the number 33.21 stamped below PAT PEND on the backplate of the pickup. Any idea on what year or guitar it may have come from? It sounds most excellent, I had it in the bridge of my Les Paul ... nothing else really comes close. Thank you in advance
Any of y'all ever heard those Maxon pickups that they put in the old Hondo II basses or the Greco EB-3 copies? Good Lord those things sound amazing.
Yes. I had a Hondo bass as a teen and so did my band mate. I didn't know what I had at the time. I had forgotten that fact for longer than I should have. Yes those were great sounding basses.
Maxon Magnaflux hb. Fantastic pickuo. Poor man's PAF..
Hi I watched a lot of videos on yt, read even more comments. I still haven't found many things that I would like to know and hear about. I recently got an Ibanez LP custom 2650 with a super 80 from 1977. almost full original. I haven't found a single video on yt comparing maxon super 70 vs maxon super 80, no one anywhere shows how to make a very good setup. I couldn't find many different things anywhere and I also read forums from the Internet. In old brochures that are of poor quality it says fingerboard ebonized rosewood. You can see this many times on old Japanese company brochures very clearly in the product descriptions. I went to 3 different places to luthiers and I realized that they are poorly versed in these issues. So, as with the previous guitar - with this one I also did the cosmetics and other setup things professionally by myself. money left in my pocket ha ha
Share your thoughts!
I have a set of Maxon pick ups from 1972 and a set from 1973. They have either a stamped symbol or an engraved into the plate. Japanese symbol on the back with the number 33. I can send you photos. I cannot find any information on these pick ups they sound amazing, but I’m looking for anything about what they are. Also, I have a set of maxim S stamped pick ups that is also hard to find information as in how valuable that is in comparison to Z stamped any help would be very welcomed. Thank you. Steve P
Do the dry z or super 58s sound better? I have maxon super 58s in my 82 ibanez, they sound better than any paf pickup made today. Ive only heard the dry z over video and its really hard to pin point the difference between the two.
Listen I own Greco Les Paul's but the info you are putting out is wrong and there is no such thing as a law suite guitar lmao the only manufacture that got a cease and desist letter was Ibanez and it never went to court this is all easy info to find and all they had to do was change the headstock shape that was it it never made it to court or any law suite so idk why people say law suite guitars because they are not. There is only a few Ibanez guitars that are what you could call a law suite guitar the one's before they changed the headstock but like I said I don't know why because there was never a law suite lmao.....
the dry82 is same dry z ?
No. They ran out of the stock of fairly special Made in USA wire that Jun Takano had used to develop the prototypes into the way that he wanted them to sound. That same stock of wire was used for the production versions and, when it ran out and they switched over to regular pickup wire, Takano-san's own blog site reports "the magic is now gone".
@@25chief39 82 is magic gone version ,am I correct?
@@karukan430 You can check here (Vol.4) for the details jk-guitars.jimdofree.com/ where the last verifiable Dry Z he's heard of was #211113 which was made on 13 November 1981. He reports that the Dry series that replaced it appeared with the advent of the Mint Collection guitars in 1982 and has a black sticker saying "Dry" and no date stamp. But all Maxon pickups are reputed to have magic to some degree.
To quote JK exactly, it appears there's a chance some early "Dry" pickups will have the magic, before the special wire ran out. He says "According to Jun Takano's blog, shortly after the production of the 1982 DRY began, the stock of coil wires made in the USA was exhausted. Since it was switched to a general-purpose urethane wire without supplementing the original equivalent, it has been lamented that the rich tone of Z-DRY has been completely lost.
It may be true that some 1982 DRYs have good and bad sounds, but this is the only way to own and compare both the Z-DRY and the 1982 DRY". In other words, use your ears!
Not even close
Blah blah blah. Let's hear some sounds.Talk is cheap.
Those can’t play, teach. 😂😉😬