Oil city Ibanez Super 70 repair

OilCityPickups

Nice to do a repair story sometimes where one doesn't have to resort to the ultimate sanction and rewind! 

The Ibanez Super 70 is an iconic pickup: The first, as far as I am aware, to feature an alnico 8 magnet, and a wind close to PAF levels.

This one had definitely seen better days!

Sorting out the wire ends and soldering on new 'pig tails' was a fiddly job involving a huge magnifying lens, tweezers and a very, VERY steady hand. The design of these pickups meant that there is no insulated core wire pigtail emerging from the coil bottom like an early Gibson. In the Ibanez both start and finish wires emerge from the coil as bare winding wire, and have their pigtails soldered on before tape wrapping. The start wire on both coils was precariously short ... less than a half inch before they disappeared under the wire layers, so some super careful work was needed to get new pigtails attached. It was done eventually however ... with several coffee and breaks to calm my nerves ... this sort of thing is make or break, one shot to get it right or a rewind will be needed.

I deliberately used the Gibson/Oil City colouring code, as I decided to give the customer maximum options and rebuild the pickup four conductor ... as you see here. Note the rough cast alnico 8 magnet nestling under the bobbin.

Actually the Super 70 is beautifully made ... far better production standards than either Gibson or Fender in the 70s ... or in fact today. The second narrow maple spacer is lovely touch ... making the bobbins sit level and firm. Oh the pickup was totally un-potted by the way

And there she is done :-)

earwighoney

I've said it before and I will say it again but your rewind/pickup making threads are the best thing about this forum.

I've never come across such a pickup in the flesh, always a tricky thing to answer I appreciate but how do they sound?  (maybe in comparison to PAF's?)

blobb

Love the Super 70's in my old Ibanez, great to see them stripped bare. You should share this with the Ibby collectors on ICW.

OilCityPickups

earwighoney said:

I've said it before and I will say it again but your rewind/pickup making threads are the best thing about this forum.

I've never come across such a pickup in the flesh, always a tricky thing to answer I appreciate but how do they sound?  (maybe in comparison to PAF's?)

My description would be a 'muscular' PAF sound, without the tendency to go overly plummy in the neck position, and with a touch more 'chainsaw rasp' under drive at the bridge.

OilCityPickups

blobb said:

Love the Super 70's in my old Ibanez, great to see them stripped bare. You should share this with the Ibby collectors on ICW.

As a trader I have to be careful with other less enlightened forums. Always happy if others post links mind ...

ThePrettyDamned

Beautiful looking pickup and it does look very tidy built! Would not guess Ibanez... Interesting recipe, too.

I echo the above - best threads around and a wonderful look into your world.

OilCityPickups

ThePrettyDamned said:

Beautiful looking pickup and it does look very tidy built! Would not guess Ibanez... Interesting recipe, too.

I echo the above - best threads around and a wonderful look into your world.

Build quality like that you really don't get from mainstream manufacturers these days. 

longjaw

I have a set of these in my 1980 Ibanez AS200 and agree they're top notch.

Sarge

I've had a look around the tinterwebs and come up with nothing,  Ash,  do you know who made these?  are they perhaps Matsu-Moku-Kagu
like most of the Matsumoku guitars used? 

Sarge

Oh and thanks for another hugely interesting thread! 

OilCityPickups

Sarge said:

I've had a look around the tinterwebs and come up with nothing,  Ash,  do you know who made these?  are they perhaps Matsu-Moku-Kagu
like most of the Matsumoku guitars used? 

That's what I gathered

Sarge

Ok thanks man. 

Jez6345789

iSTR these used to be the original pickup early Van Halen
 Used. I still have one and have loved them might even stick it back in something they have a nice muscular sound but clear unlike a heavily wound super PAF.

nice thread Ash  can you still get rough cast Alnico 8?

OilCityPickups

Jez6345789 said:

iSTR these used to be the original pickup early Van Halen
 Used. I still have one and have loved them might even stick it back in something they have a nice muscular sound but clear unlike a heavily wound super PAF.

nice thread Ash  can you still get rough cast Alnico 8?

I'm one of the few using it ... my Tokaido Bullet humbuckers ...  Super 70 homage units use rough cast alnico 8 like the original :-)

mani

Oh the pickup was totally un-potted by the way

Enjoyed reading about the resto work esp the 4 conductor setup.  I have three of these in my lefty Ibanez, the great thing about them is they don't mush out like regular PAFs, lack of potting explains why they can feedback and create ambience really well.  IIRC was it Maxon who made these?

OilCityPickups

I believe so :-)