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1980 LP... Shaw pickups?? What kind of Caps?

cabalaska

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Apr 17, 2019
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Hello! First post. Hello everyone. Here are some pics of the pickups in question. The serial number of my guitar is 83460547. Are these Shaw pickups? If not, what kind are they. Also, can anyone tell me what kind of capacitors they were using and the pot types? See the pic as well. I have had this guitar since 1984. My father bought it for me just before my senior year of high school. Bought it in Colorado Springs from an ad in the paper. Came with a morley volume pedal and an Ibanez Analog delay AD9 pedal. All for $500. Anyway, thanks in advance for any enlightenment on my guitar's guts!
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AJCR

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May 2, 2018
Messages
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Yes, they're Shaws.

In the 80's they went to 300k vol/100k tone at some point. You'd need to measure yours to be sure what they are.

Are the controls not behaving in a way you'd like???
 

cabalaska

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Apr 17, 2019
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Yes, they're Shaws.

In the 80's they went to 300k vol/100k tone at some point. You'd need to measure yours to be sure what they are.

Are the controls not behaving in a way you'd like???

Hey! Thanks so much for the reply. Everything still functions completely normal, I was just wondering. I recently purchased a 60th anniversary 1959 LP and in the research process, I read so much about the capacitors, pots etc... and I was just wondering what I had in my original LP.
 

Zentar

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You can spot Tim Shaws easily by looking on the bottom for Pamela Sue Andersons old land line ph number.
 

Big Al

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Yes, they're Shaws.

In the 80's they went to 300k vol/100k tone at some point. You'd need to measure yours to be sure what they are.

Are the controls not behaving in a way you'd like???

No, they are not the reissue paf Shawbuckers. Why claim that they are?
 

zacknorton

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Aug 26, 2011
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Those 300k pots will not do you any favors.

Im not a fan of “always more treble”, but swapping that system out for 500k pots was a big move in a positive direction for my 86 prehistoric lp.
 

Big Al

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Those caps are original. Shaws will look like this.

Except those aren't. Correct base, incorrect ink stamp, lacking the 137/138 prefix found only on the Shaw spec paf reissue. Also lacking the brass bobbin attachment screws.
 

Big Al

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Okay, so since they're not Shaws, what are they?

They appear original so the pickups would be the evolved Ttop, "Original Humbucker", known now as the 498t & 496r pair. Excellent pups, IMO.
 

guitplayer

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Mar 8, 2008
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Except those aren't. Correct base, incorrect ink stamp, lacking the 137/138 prefix found only on the Shaw spec paf reissue. Also lacking the brass bobbin attachment screws.
I think they are the earliest set of Shaws I`ve seen. They are out of an
early production Heritage 80 elite.
 

Big Al

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I think they are the earliest set of Shaws I`ve seen. They are out of an
early production Heritage 80 elite.

I had two Standard 80's from the first 20 made from the sequence numbers. Our store sold many and I jumped on them the second we were able to pre order. All four Owned were bought new in 1980, the last two were sequential numbers, 1371 and 1372. I still have the early 80's pickups and they, along with every other ones I've seen were as I described. None match your pics and I have doubts that they are Shaw spec pafs.
 

guitplayer

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Interesting... Shaws were made for those. I wonder why
this early one had regular T-tops in it. :hmm
Oh well!
 

Big Al

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Interesting... Shaws were made for those. I wonder why
this early one had regular T-tops in it. :hmm
Oh well!

Who can say for sure? I do know that the Shaws had a unique inductance spec and if you could measure that it would indicate what they are. I cannot get to my notes now but IIRC I think it was around 4-5 henries and the resonate peak around 7Khrz. I am not absolutely sure as it was a long time ago, but I am sure it was unlike any other Gibson Humbucker at the time.

Regardless, wouldn't you agree that your pics are not representative of this pickup and only confuse the issue? The June 1980 date stamp is after the appearance of the guitars and pickups, IIRC. I'd have to check my old records but I think it was early in 80 that I purchased mine as I have photo's playing it at early gigs. Mine are all stamped in ink 13780 or 13880 and appear quite different from your pics. One has no apparent stamp havn rubbed off.

The pics you show appear the same as late issue Ttops. What is the sequence number of this early Elite 80? Did you buy it new? I have such fond memories of this series.
 

guitplayer

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Cool, I bought it used. It was original. But I put antiquities
in. And put the originals back in when I sold it. It was 0086
 

Capt Brad

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Aug 29, 2016
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No, they are not the reissue paf Shawbuckers. Why claim that they are?
I would classify them as shaw era PAFs
There a lot of variations of base plates six holes twelve holes short legs long legs.
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One thing that I always see is the red or yellow paint marks on the end of the leads!
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guitplayer

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Yeah I`m not sure. I just thought shaws were first seen in the heritage series.:)
 

Capt Brad

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Except those aren't. Correct base, incorrect ink stamp, lacking the 137/138 prefix found only on the Shaw spec paf reissue. Also lacking the brass bobbin attachment screws.

Are you saying only 137/138 are the only PAF version?
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