Vintage Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion: Best Ceramic Pickup I've Ever Heard

[toomanycats]

I took possession of this double cream Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion humbucker a couple years ago when it came installed in the neck position of an 80s MIK Mako LKS-3 plywood superstrat. I bought the guitar because, for one, I have a thing for cheap 80s superstrats, and secondly, because it had what I thought might be a genuine vintage Fender Wide Range humbucker in the bridge. The bridge pickup turned out to not be the real thing, though I subsequently discovered that the neck pup was the highly coveted double cream Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion. This is not a reproduction, but a real one, of late 70s vintage I believe. If you've never heard of this pickup, it is famous because Eddie Van Halen used one in the early years. Some even call it the holy grail for that early EVH tone.

However, the previous owner of this Mako guitar apparently didn't realize what this thing was, as they had it in the neck position and wired to be permanently split. I had so many projects in line that I put the Mako aside and hadn't touched it for a couple years. But today I finally decided to yank out that Mighty Mite pup and try it out. The pup measures 13.32K ohm resistance and has a double fat ceramic magnet, similar to what you'd see in a Duncan Distortion. My test bed, for the sake of simplicity, was a Maestro by Gibson. Think Les Paul Junior, single humbucker, bolt on neck, two knobs. It's the guitar I'm holding in my profile pic. In short order I had the Might Mite installed, screwed directly into the body I might add, for technical reason I won't get into.

Good Lord, this thing sounds amazing. Truly the best sounding ceramic pickup I've ever heard, and I've played a lot of the top contenders, the Dimarzio Super Distortion, Duncan Distortion, EMG 81s, vintage Japanese MMK 45s, and so on. It is loud but not piercing or sharp. Harmonics fly off this thing effortlessly. In front of a tube amp at mild breakup it is absolutely glorious, pushing it into saturation, producing a crispy, warm, spongy crunch, though always remaining articulate and clear. It has sparkle, chime, I don't know what to call it, like magic fairy tone dust or something. It sounds even better with the volume knob rolled back to about 7 or 8. It is definitely that early VH tone, but I also hear the sound of the intro on "Drop Dead Legs" in this pickup, even some George Lynch and Jake E Lee type tones.

I'm now seriously considering building a single humbucker superstat around this pickup, because it truly does deserves a fist class home.

[Jaymo]

I took possession of this double cream Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion humbucker a couple years ago when it came installed in the neck position of an 80s MIK Mako LKS-3 plywood superstrat. I bought the guitar because, for one, I have a thing for cheap 80s superstrats, and secondly, because it had what I thought might be a genuine vintage Fender Wide Range humbucker in the bridge. The bridge pickup turned out to not be the real thing, though I subsequently discovered that the neck pup was the highly coveted double cream Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion. This is not a reproduction, but a real one, of late 70s vintage I believe. If you've never heard of this pickup, it is famous because Eddie Van Halen used in the early years. Some even call it the holy grail for that early EVH tone.

However, the previous owner of this Mako apparently didn't realize what this thing was, as they had it in the neck position and wired to be permanently split. I had so many projects in line that I put the Mako aside and hadn't touched it for a couple years. But today I finally decided to yank out that Mighty Mite pup and try it out. The pup measures 13.32K ohm resistance and has a double fat ceramic magnet, similar to what you'd see in a Duncan Distortion. My test bed, for the sake of simplicity, was a Maestro by Gibson. Think Les Paul Junior, single humbucker, bolt on neck, two knobs. It's the guitar I'm holding in my profile pic. In short order I had the Might Mite installed, screwed directly into the body I might add, for technical reason I won't get into.

Good Lord, this thing sounds amazing. Truly the best sounding ceramic pickup I've ever heard, and I've played a lot of the top contenders, the Dimarzio Super Distortion, Duncan Distortion, EMG 81s, vintage Japanese MMK 45s, and so on. It is loud but not piercing or sharp. Harmonics fly off this thing effortlessly. In front of a tube amp at mild breakup it is absolutely glorious, pushing it into saturation, producing a crispy, warm, spongy crunch, though always remaining articulate and clear. It has sparkle, chime, I don't know what to call it, like magic fairy tone dust or something. It sound even better with the volume knob rolled back to about 7 or 8. It is definitely that early VH tone, but I also hear the sound of the intro on "Drop Dead Legs" in this pickup.

I'm now seriously considering building a single humbucker superstat around this pickup, because it truly does deserves a fist class home.


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rvvycka30qonl335ypqf.jpg

Isn't that black and yellow superstrat the one that was buried with Dimebag Darrel?

I can't wait to see/hear what you do with that pickup. I love that early EVH tone. I don't have the words to describe it, but it just sounded right.

[toomanycats]

I took possession of this double cream Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion humbucker a couple years ago when it came installed in the neck position of an 80s MIK Mako LKS-3 plywood superstrat. I bought the guitar because, for one, I have a thing for cheap 80s superstrats, and secondly, because it had what I thought might be a genuine vintage Fender Wide Range humbucker in the bridge. The bridge pickup turned out to not be the real thing, though I subsequently discovered that the neck pup was the highly coveted double cream Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion. This is not a reproduction, but a real one, of late 70s vintage I believe. If you've never heard of this pickup, it is famous because Eddie Van Halen used in the early years. Some even call it the holy grail for that early EVH tone.

However, the previous owner of this Mako apparently didn't realize what this thing was, as they had it in the neck position and wired to be permanently split. I had so many projects in line that I put the Mako aside and hadn't touched it for a couple years. But today I finally decided to yank out that Mighty Mite pup and try it out. The pup measures 13.32K ohm resistance and has a double fat ceramic magnet, similar to what you'd see in a Duncan Distortion. My test bed, for the sake of simplicity, was a Maestro by Gibson. Think Les Paul Junior, single humbucker, bolt on neck, two knobs. It's the guitar I'm holding in my profile pic. In short order I had the Might Mite installed, screwed directly into the body I might add, for technical reason I won't get into.

Good Lord, this thing sounds amazing. Truly the best sounding ceramic pickup I've ever heard, and I've played a lot of the top contenders, the Dimarzio Super Distortion, Duncan Distortion, EMG 81s, vintage Japanese MMK 45s, and so on. It is loud but not piercing or sharp. Harmonics fly off this thing effortlessly. In front of a tube amp at mild breakup it is absolutely glorious, pushing it into saturation, producing a crispy, warm, spongy crunch, though always remaining articulate and clear. It has sparkle, chime, I don't know what to call it, like magic fairy tone dust or something. It sound even better with the volume knob rolled back to about 7 or 8. It is definitely that early VH tone, but I also hear the sound of the intro on "Drop Dead Legs" in this pickup.

I'm now seriously considering building a single humbucker superstat around this pickup, because it truly does deserves a fist class home.


fullsizeoutput_cbc.jpeg


fullsizeoutput_cbd.jpeg


rvvycka30qonl335ypqf.jpg

Isn't that black and yellow superstrat the one that was buried with Dimebag Darrel?

I can't wait to see/hear what you do with that pickup. I love that early EVH tone. I don't have the words to describe it, but it just sounded right.

Yes, I believe "Bumble Bee" was buried with Dimebag, though I'm not sure what pup was in it at the time. From what I've read Eddie apparently changed pups a lot back then, using the Gibson PAF he took out of a 335, Ibanez Super 58s, the Might Mite, and who knows what else. If @PsychoCid was still here he could give us the low down.

[Jaymo]

I took possession of this double cream Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion humbucker a couple years ago when it came installed in the neck position of an 80s MIK Mako LKS-3 plywood superstrat. I bought the guitar because, for one, I have a thing for cheap 80s superstrats, and secondly, because it had what I thought might be a genuine vintage Fender Wide Range humbucker in the bridge. The bridge pickup turned out to not be the real thing, though I subsequently discovered that the neck pup was the highly coveted double cream Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion. This is not a reproduction, but a real one, of late 70s vintage I believe. If you've never heard of this pickup, it is famous because Eddie Van Halen used in the early years. Some even call it the holy grail for that early EVH tone.

However, the previous owner of this Mako apparently didn't realize what this thing was, as they had it in the neck position and wired to be permanently split. I had so many projects in line that I put the Mako aside and hadn't touched it for a couple years. But today I finally decided to yank out that Mighty Mite pup and try it out. The pup measures 13.32K ohm resistance and has a double fat ceramic magnet, similar to what you'd see in a Duncan Distortion. My test bed, for the sake of simplicity, was a Maestro by Gibson. Think Les Paul Junior, single humbucker, bolt on neck, two knobs. It's the guitar I'm holding in my profile pic. In short order I had the Might Mite installed, screwed directly into the body I might add, for technical reason I won't get into.

Good Lord, this thing sounds amazing. Truly the best sounding ceramic pickup I've ever heard, and I've played a lot of the top contenders, the Dimarzio Super Distortion, Duncan Distortion, EMG 81s, vintage Japanese MMK 45s, and so on. It is loud but not piercing or sharp. Harmonics fly off this thing effortlessly. In front of a tube amp at mild breakup it is absolutely glorious, pushing it into saturation, producing a crispy, warm, spongy crunch, though always remaining articulate and clear. It has sparkle, chime, I don't know what to call it, like magic fairy tone dust or something. It sound even better with the volume knob rolled back to about 7 or 8. It is definitely that early VH tone, but I also hear the sound of the intro on "Drop Dead Legs" in this pickup.

I'm now seriously considering building a single humbucker superstat around this pickup, because it truly does deserves a fist class home.


fullsizeoutput_cbc.jpeg


fullsizeoutput_cbd.jpeg


rvvycka30qonl335ypqf.jpg

Isn't that black and yellow superstrat the one that was buried with Dimebag Darrel?

I can't wait to see/hear what you do with that pickup. I love that early EVH tone. I don't have the words to describe it, but it just sounded right.

Yes, I believe "Bumble Bee" was buried with Dimebag, though I'm not sure what pup was in it at the time. From what I've read Eddie apparently changed pups a lot back then, using the Gibson PAF he took out of a 335, Ibanez Super 58s, the Might Mite, and who knows what else. If @PsychoCid was still here he could give us the low down.

I've clearly missed something. What happened to @PsychoCid? I liked his posts.

[toomanycats]

Isn't that black and yellow superstrat the one that was buried with Dimebag Darrel?

I can't wait to see/hear what you do with that pickup. I love that early EVH tone. I don't have the words to describe it, but it just sounded right.

Yes, I believe "Bumble Bee" was buried with Dimebag, though I'm not sure what pup was in it at the time. From what I've read Eddie apparently changed pups a lot back then, using the Gibson PAF he took out of a 335, Ibanez Super 58s, the Might Mite, and who knows what else. If @PsychoCid was still here he could give us the low down.

I've clearly missed something. What happened to @PsychoCid? I liked his posts.

He had stopped hanging out at the old AGF before Major Tom sold us out. During the transition to the new AGF he reappeared, joined this forum, then pretty quickly disappeared again. He was a fount of wisdom regarding all things EVH, vintage Kramer, Floyd Rose, all that kind of related stuff.

[tobijohn]

Mighty Mite still offers the 1300 but only in double black and it isn't cheap - $125, and the vintage ones go for big bucks...


https://mightymite.com/product/1300-1-humbucker-pickup/

[mozz]

I bought one of those back in 78'-79'? and i can remember the guitar store owner telling me it was the same as a Dimarzo super distortion. Think i paid $29-$39? Was put in a Cameo LP copy and then later in my 86' locking trem strat as a single HB, vol, output jack. I think i did have a switch at one time to make it a single coil. Years go by and i found it in a suitcase with guitar & mic cords, one coil was open, so i put it on Ebay cheap and it sold pretty quick.

Bass players basement about 82'

[toomanycats]

I bought one of those back in 78' and i can remember the guitar store owner telling me it was the same as a Dimarzo super distortion. Think i paid $29-$39? Was put in a Cameo LP copy and then later in my 86' locking trem strat as a single HB, vol, output jack. I think i did have a switch at one time to make it a single coil. Years go by and i found it in a suitcase with guitar & mic cords, one coil was open, so i put it on Ebay cheap and it sold pretty quick.

20210613_205653.jpg

Whooooah, wait a minute. Let's talk about that picture. I see a sign for a band called TRAXX, a zebra pattern bandana or scarf type thing, a poster of Jim Morrison on the wall, and a whole lotta 70s faux wood paneling. That's just all kinds of awesome. Was that your band, and which one is you?

[Chocol8]

Mighty Mite still offers the 1300 but only in double black

Somehow DiMarzio managed to trademark the double cream humbucker even though Gibson made them first and long before they did. Its a trademark that would never withstand a legal challenge, but there isn't enough money in double cream pickups for anyone to be willing to fight them on it.

[mozz]

On the left with the guitar. Neither of the other guys had ever picked up a instrument about 3-4 weeks before that. Think i had a Acoustic head, 160 watts of pure transistor clean, Ross distortion. Bass player bought a T40 (T60?) Peavey bass.
Stuff we listened to was the Doors, Cars, BTO, Iron Butterfly,Neil Young, CCR, Animal Magnetism, Black Sabbath, Zep of course. Kiss was old, nobody liked Fair Warning except me. Things we played (tried) were BTO, CCR, Inna Godda Davida, The Zoo .
Drums were "MAXTONE" and i think the second drummer we had probably still has them. You missed the Confederate flag.

[andrewsrea]

I am late to the party, but I did repairs for one of the first Mighty Mite distributors. These screamer were basically uncovered Ibanez (Maxon ) Super 80's. 42 gauge windings in the 8.5K to 9.5K DCR territory, with a 2.5" x 0.5" x 0.15" ceramic magnet.

Hmmm - much like the stock Agile 2000 pickups (lol)!

[Rollin Hand]

Not surprised -- some believe the magic pickup for Ed is an old Super 78 (PAF-style with double-thick A8 magnet) that was in his Destroyer.

For the record, I played an Ibanez V from that era, and the pickups were original and heavenly. Were I not a poor student, I would have bought the guitar.

Fortunately, there are enough people making Brown Sound pickups, that if you want the tone, it is available.

[Rollin Hand]

Necrobump!

I have been playing my Jack Butler Jackson a fair bit lately. It has a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position. I bought a PAF pro thinking the SD was all wrong.....

But as I was playing it through my 11 Rack on the "Shred the Lead" setting I noticed something: the lower strings have the same kind of graunch you hear on VH1. Some believe that Ed used a Super Distortion on that album, but others think that it was a Mighty Mite 1300. The 1300 supposedly was a little less harsh in the high end than an SD, which would fit, because mine certainly has that brtittle tendency.

Worth noting is that none other than Jim DiCola says the Peavey Wolfgang pickups are nothing more than an SD copy with an A5 magnet. And that for the EVH Wolfgang pickups, they copied it exactly, but with an alnico 2 magnet.

Now I am interested in trying a 1300, but the new ones sound harsher, like an SD. Oh, well.

And Fu-Tone has them for $79 US. His shipping prices make it not feasible for me in Canada, but I will keep looking.

[toomanycats]

Necrobump!

I have been playing my Jack Butler Jackson a fair bit lately. It has a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position. I bought a PAF pro thinking the SD was all wrong.....

But as I was playing it through my 11 Rack on the "Shred the Lead" setting I noticed something: the lower strings have the same kind of graunch you hear on VH1. Some believe that Ed used a Super Distortion on that album, but others think that it was a Mighty Mite 1300. The 1300 supposedly was a little less harsh in the high end than an SD, which would fit, because mine certainly has that brtittle tendency.

Worth noting is that none other than Jim DiCola says the Peavey Wolfgang pickups are nothing more than an SD copy with an A5 magnet. And that for the EVH Wolfgang pickups, they copied it exactly, but with an alnico 2 magnet.

Now I am interested in trying a 1300, but the new ones sound harsher, like an SD. Oh, well.

And Fu-Tone has them for $79 US. His shiiping orices make it not feasible for me in Canada, but I will keep looking.

Your necrobump was perfectly timed.

Yesterday I was at the local Guitar Center and was talking shop with the guitar tech at their work station. She's into a lot of the same players as me, has a thing for 80s superstrats, and was showing me her Charvel Jake E Lee model.

I noticed a weird looking guitar in a state of partial disassembly on her work bench, and upon closer inspection I saw that it was a Martin electric. The body was maple with walnut stripes, and it was quit heavy. The headstock was truly one of the ugliest I've ever seen. It looked like a sex toy. There were two humbuckers, both double cream with hex heads in both coils of each pickup. I flipped them over and to my surprise they were Might Mites. Not sure which model, but they looked exactly like my Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion.

Regarding the new Mighty Mites sounding like a Seymour Duncan Distortion, I haven't played a new Mighty Mite 1300, so I can't say how they compare. But since I do own a vintage Mighty Mite 1300, as well as a Jackson Soloist with SD Distortions, I can say that these two sound nothing alike. In my estimation the vintage Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion is far superior. It has all the power, fullness, and clarity of the SD Distortion, but with more musical overtones that are not harsh, spikey, brittle, or stiff in any way.

[Rollin Hand]

Necrobump!

I have been playing my Jack Butler Jackson a fair bit lately. It has a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position. I bought a PAF pro thinking the SD was all wrong.....

But as I was playing it through my 11 Rack on the "Shred the Lead" setting I noticed something: the lower strings have the same kind of graunch you hear on VH1. Some believe that Ed used a Super Distortion on that album, but others think that it was a Mighty Mite 1300. The 1300 supposedly was a little less harsh in the high end than an SD, which would fit, because mine certainly has that brtittle tendency.

Worth noting is that none other than Jim DiCola says the Peavey Wolfgang pickups are nothing more than an SD copy with an A5 magnet. And that for the EVH Wolfgang pickups, they copied it exactly, but with an alnico 2 magnet.

Now I am interested in trying a 1300, but the new ones sound harsher, like an SD. Oh, well.

And Fu-Tone has them for $79 US. His shiiping orices make it not feasible for me in Canada, but I will keep looking.

Your necrobump was perfectly timed.

Yesterday I was at the local Guitar Center and was talking shop with the guitar tech at their work station. She's into a lot of the same players as me, has a thing for 80s superstrats, and was showing me her Charvel Jake E Lee model.

I noticed a weird looking guitar in a state of partial disassembly on her work bench, and upon closer inspection I saw that it was a Martin electric. The body was maple with walnut stripes, and it was quit heavy. The headstock was truly one of the ugliest I've ever seen. It looked like a sex toy. There were two humbuckers, both double cream with hex heads in both coils of each pickup. I flipped them over and to my surprise they were Might Mites. Not sure which model, but they looked exactly like my Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion.

Regarding the new Mighty Mites sounding like a Seymour Duncan Distortion, I haven't played a new Mighty Mite 1300, so I can't say how they compare. But since I do own a vintage Mighty Mite 1300, as well as a Jackson Soloist with SD Distortions, I can say that these two sound nothing alike. In my estimation the vintage Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion is far superior. It has all the power, fullness, and clarity of the SD Distortion, but with more musical overtones, no harshness, and no spikiness.

A Duncan Distorion is nothing more than a JB with a ceramic magnet.

A Dimarzio Super Distortion (SD) is a different animal altogether, with a thick ceramic magnet (maybe double thick? I know swapping in regular A5 is difficult). My understanding is the 1300 is almost a copy of the Dimarzio.

[toomanycats]

Necrobump!

I have been playing my Jack Butler Jackson a fair bit lately. It has a Dimarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position. I bought a PAF pro thinking the SD was all wrong.....

But as I was playing it through my 11 Rack on the "Shred the Lead" setting I noticed something: the lower strings have the same kind of graunch you hear on VH1. Some believe that Ed used a Super Distortion on that album, but others think that it was a Mighty Mite 1300. The 1300 supposedly was a little less harsh in the high end than an SD, which would fit, because mine certainly has that brtittle tendency.

Worth noting is that none other than Jim DiCola says the Peavey Wolfgang pickups are nothing more than an SD copy with an A5 magnet. And that for the EVH Wolfgang pickups, they copied it exactly, but with an alnico 2 magnet.

Now I am interested in trying a 1300, but the new ones sound harsher, like an SD. Oh, well.

And Fu-Tone has them for $79 US. His shiiping orices make it not feasible for me in Canada, but I will keep looking.

Your necrobump was perfectly timed.

Yesterday I was at the local Guitar Center and was talking shop with the guitar tech at their work station. She's into a lot of the same players as me, has a thing for 80s superstrats, and was showing me her Charvel Jake E Lee model.

I noticed a weird looking guitar in a state of partial disassembly on her work bench, and upon closer inspection I saw that it was a Martin electric. The body was maple with walnut stripes, and it was quit heavy. The headstock was truly one of the ugliest I've ever seen. It looked like a sex toy. There were two humbuckers, both double cream with hex heads in both coils of each pickup. I flipped them over and to my surprise they were Might Mites. Not sure which model, but they looked exactly like my Mighty Mite Screamers model 1300 Distortion.

Regarding the new Mighty Mites sounding like a Seymour Duncan Distortion, I haven't played a new Mighty Mite 1300, so I can't say how they compare. But since I do own a vintage Mighty Mite 1300, as well as a Jackson Soloist with SD Distortions, I can say that these two sound nothing alike. In my estimation the vintage Mighty Mite 1300 Distortion is far superior. It has all the power, fullness, and clarity of the SD Distortion, but with more musical overtones, no harshness, and no spikiness.

A Duncan Distorion is nothing more than a JB with a ceramic magnet.

A Dimarzio Super Distortion (SD) is a different animal altogether, with a thick ceramic magnet (maybe double thick? I know swapping in regular A5 is difficult). My understanding is the 1300 is almost a copy of the Dimarzio.

A SD Distortion, like the Dimarzio Distortion, has a double thick magnet.

Yes, the 1300 has a double thick magnet as well.

Here's something I recently discovered: The pickup used by George Lynch during the Back For The Attack era of Dokken was a Seymour Duncan Distortion with its double thick ceramic magnet swapped out for a standard thickness ceramic magnet. There may have been some "air" component used in this mod, as a spacer is required to fill the void. This is explicitly known as the "Dokkenbucker."

[Rollin Hand]

Makes me wonder something: The infamous Ibanez pickups used a double thick A8 magnet. Perhaps Ed played around with that....

[Longblacktie]

Not surprised you love this pickup. My 70s Dimarzio super distortion is my favorite pickup ever. Powerful, distorts well, cleans up well, no harshness whatsoever. Sounds great with the volume rolled back a hair

I’ve been mulling looking for another vintage 70s Super Distortion but they can be kinda pricey

[bc rich]

Not surprised you love this pickup. My 70s Dimarzio super distortion is my favorite pickup ever. Powerful, distorts well, cleans up well, no harshness whatsoever. Sounds great with the volume rolled back a hair

I’ve been mulling looking for another vintage 70s Super Distortion but they can be kinda pricey

Maybe you could identify this Dimazio H2 humbucker that arrived in a Summco guitar from a fellow member way back when.

Here is what i could find out . from a web add
Rare Dimarzio H2 humbucker F spaced white pickup.

Pickup was carefully removed from 1990’s era Fender HRR Stratocaster (aka hot rod re-issue) guitar. Pickup is used in very good shape and works perfectly. Pickup has 8" of wire lead length for hook up (see photos).

This is a HOT bridge pickup, rumored to be a pre-production “Super Distortion 3” pickup made for Fender by Dimarzio in the early 90’s. It has the Dimarzio name (logo) imprinted on the pickup face (rare and desired).



DC resistance is 27kΩ as shown in the photos. Pickup in the photos will be shipped.

[peskypesky]

Not surprised you love this pickup. My 70s Dimarzio super distortion is my favorite pickup ever. Powerful, distorts well, cleans up well, no harshness whatsoever. Sounds great with the volume rolled back a hair

I’ve been mulling looking for another vintage 70s Super Distortion but they can be kinda pricey

Have they changed the design or build?

[toomanycats]

Rereading this thread got me thinking about a pair of made in Japan double cream pups I have laying around in a bin with dozens of other unused pickups. Who here doesn't have one of those bins?

These humbuckers came out of a 70s Guild Madiera EG 60. They have a double fat ceramic magnet, like most of the other pups we're referring to in the discussion above. I'm not sure what the resistance reads as some of the wires are severed and they're in need of repair. I haven't thought about these in years, but with all this talk about 70s ceramic humbuckers my curiosity has been awakened.

Could these be unbranded Maxons or something like that?

[Rollin Hand]

Not surprised you love this pickup. My 70s Dimarzio super distortion is my favorite pickup ever. Powerful, distorts well, cleans up well, no harshness whatsoever. Sounds great with the volume rolled back a hair

I’ve been mulling looking for another vintage 70s Super Distortion but they can be kinda pricey

Have they changed the design or build?

Over time, yes. For one, the early ones weren't potted. And of course, materials, etc.

And for early VH, it is almost alarming how close those pickups can get. Pete Thorn did a video with Dave Friedman where they used an old Super Distortion and they had to put the cab in another room because the pickup coils would feed back. Of course, it sounded perfect. Watch from about 41:00 on.



Pariah makes a 70s Super Distortion-style pickup

https://www.pariahpickups.com/product-p ... ruction-70

[Rollin Hand]

Ok, here we go again....

While looking through a basket o' parts, I found an ooooold humbucker that I bought back in the 90s. It was old then. Now...it's vintage!

What you can't see is the double-thick magnet in this bad boy. Now I am wondering if it's a unbranded Maxon as well. It seems to have a similar baseplate. I might just have to wire this into something (what I don't know) to see what it'll do.

EDIT: Further research indicates that this is an older Gotoh pickup.

[toomanycats]

Ok, here we go again....

While looking through a basket o' parts, I found an ooooold humbucker that I bought back in the 90s. It was old then. Now...it's vintage!

20220930_140922.jpg
20220930_140941.jpg
20220930_141027.jpg

What you can't see is the double-thick magnet in this bad boy. Now I am wondering if it's a unbranded Maxon as well. It seems to have a similar baseplate. I might just have to wire this into something (what I don't know) to see what it'll do.

EDIT: Further research indicates that this is an older Gotoh pickup.

I like the sound of humbuckers with hex heads all around. They impart an articulate percussive tone that's sorta hollow and scooped.

[mozz]

I had a Mighty mite distortion i bought in either 78' or 79'. Pretty sure it was double creme with hex heads. I can remember the music store owner telling me it was like a Dimarzio dist but cheaper. I put that in my LP bolt on neck copy. Forward to 85' and our bass player talked me into buying a new strat, single coils and a locking trem MIJ. (Still have it). I hated the single coils (through a Hiwatt Dr103 100w half stack) so i bought a pickguard with a cutout for just 1 humbucker, pretty sure it only had 1 vol, no tone. Installed the might mite into that and it stayed that way for a while. No bands for the next 15 years. Fast forward to ~2000, put the strat back to stock, found the might mite in a bag with cords and pedals, it no longer worked, 1 half of the humbucker was open, probably a busted wire. Sold it on Ebay for $20 or something.

That all being said, i do have a X2N that's going into a blue superstrat partscaster with locking trem.