The Chetboard

Recently, one of the members of the music-electronics pickup makers forum posted some photos of the innards of a pickup from a Super Axe that he was rewinding. It was identified by other members as a Maxon pickup from Japan. I know that Chet said in MAMG that he used DiMarzio pickups in this guitar and a number of other sources say that they were DiMarzios, but it was pointed out that the Super Axe pickups don't look anything like DiMarzios, nor did Gretsch ever seem to mention in their advertising that they featured DiMarzios, which most all other manufacturers made a point of when they were using DiMarzios. So, it invites the question: Did Chet really have DiMarzios in his Super Axe and were the production guitars using DiMarzios or less expensive generic Japanese humbuckers?

There were a few different pick-ups used in those solid-body Gretschs from Cincinnati of the mid-70s.

There was a guy in a C&W band from San Bernardino who thought his Super Axe stock pick-ups were WIMPY, so he wanted ones that would scream when playing lead licks ! ! !

I'd contacted Duke Kramer to inquire as to if there was a pick-up supersession that matched the instrument's electronics, but by that time the Super Axe had already been discontinued and the parts inventory had been completely exhausted. He'd suggested a DeArmond Humbucking as the mounting was very similar, but they just didn't have the output the guy wanted.

I'd installed a pair of Ibanez Super 70 Humbuckers, which at that time were THE HOTTEST PICK-UPS around -PERIOD ! ! !

BTW . . . From what I've been told by Ibanez guys is that Maxon & Ibanez pick-ups are made in the same factory of a manufacturer who produces pick-ups for several guitar brands to their individual specifications.

Here's a link sent me by an Ibanez collector, whom I'd sold him his first back in '76 when they retailed for $300.00 w/case . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxon_Effects_Pedals

According to Wikipedia my pick-ups were manufactured 28 Oct. 1976.

Here's photos of my LAST pair that I've had since the mid 70s that are going up for sale soon . . .





They were so hot, that he brought the instrument back to have me install a DIRECT BY-PASS SWITCH, so he could play rhythm chords around the on-board electronics with ZERO parasitic signal loss . . .

That was a real PITA, (and NOT the bread either) as I had to custom stack contacts & insulators from three 90 degree Switchcraft toggles to make one switch. I think I might still have the hand-drawn schematic kickin' around somewhere . . .

That's interesting Mike. What I am gathering is that the Super Axe may have been designed with DiMarzio pickups in mind, Chet's instrument may or may not have DiMarzio pickups on it (photos of it don't show what appear to be DiMarzio) and the production model most likely did not have DiMarzio pickups (although, possibly, a few were made with them).

bill raymond wrote:That's interesting Mike. What I am gathering is that the Super Axe may have been designed with DiMarzio pickups in mind, Chet's instrument may or may not have DiMarzio pickups on it (photos of it don't show what appear to be DiMarzio) and the production model most likely did not have DiMarzio pickups (although, possibly, a few were made with them).

Anything was probably possible at that time, as according to Duke Kramer they were in the process of closing up to maybe make the move away from Baldwin to Booneville, AR.

NOTE recent pick-up images added to my previous post . . .