What year Fender stop using raised Pole pieces?

[guymanndude1]

I just purchased a 62' AVRI, Olympic white, Precision, and it has them. I have wanted one ever since they came out in '82, but I had never been up close with one, so I didn't know that it had them, I had seen numerous '57 AVRI's, but not the '62's.

I have had a real '67 Precision in my hands, and I don't remember the pole pieces being raised on it. So my question is where along in there did Fender stop using them? I have been up close with a real '64 and it didn't have them, but I can't confirm if it had the original pickup.

[Mr.Fingers]

It was just done from 1957 to 1959

[bikeplate]

Hi

My '61, I'm sure, does not have them. I'm quite sure it was '57 to '59

Rob

[guymanndude1]

If around '59 is true, why is Fender putting raised pole pieces on all of the' 62 AVRI Precision?

[M.R. Ogle]

What's your definition of "raised?" The 50's basses had very distinctly raised staggered pole pieces (especially the A) and the 62 pickups (at least the ones I have) pole pieces are just slightly protruding from the covers, but all even.

[awilkie84]

I don't think they ever stopped entirely. Strats still come with them, as do the MIM Active Deluxe Jazz basses

[guymanndude1]

My definition is above the bobbin covers, and not counting the 6 string guitars, didn't know about the MIM Deluxe Jazz basses though. But I was looking at the Precision basses though, more specifically.
I do know that the '62 AVRI Precision does have the raised pole pieces, but just trying to find out when they became less common.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by guymanndude1

My definition is above the bobbin covers...

but still all the same height?

not the same thing at all.

[guymanndude1]

How is it not the same thing, when I asked about pole pieces raised above the bobbin covers? If they aren't, then they are flush mounted, are they not? Is there another state for an exposed pole piece that is neither raised or flush?

[johnk_10]

IME, the '62 AVRI now has pole pieces that protrude a little more thru the cover than the originals did, which were almost flush with the pickup cover. the early AVRI pickups had flat magnets (like the originals) whereas, IRRC, the later ones (from about 2004/5 onwards) have bevel top pole pieces.

[Dluxe]

Here is an example of a raised "A" pole on my late 1982 '57 reissue.

[guymanndude1]

I was wondering about the earlier '62 AVRI Precision models, I had, as I said, no real contact with them. I have seen up close photos of earlier 80's models and their pole pieces didn't look at all raised.

As I'd said earlier, I've seen lots of the' 57 AVRI Precision basses, and knew that they had the A string raised. So it seems that Fender may be taking some creative license with the current '62 AVRI 's pickup.

[JTE]

Just about every Precision I've ever seen has pole pieces that extend slightly above the plastic cover. The term "raised pole pieces", refers to the raised A poles on the earliest spilt-coil Precision PUPs.

Most Fender PUP poles (not just Precisions) extend slightly.

And '62 was chosen as the nominal year for the VS back in '81 because of a lot of reasons across all three instruments (Jazz, Precision, and Strat). Key was that during '62 they changed from the slab rosewood board to round laminated board, as well being the year the Jazz was made with both the stack knobs and the VVT controls.

But it was also selected because it's a year with little cultural baggage- no Vietnam, before Kennedy 's assassination, etc. Fender never claimed that the '62 P (or any of the VS instruments) were exact reproductions of any specific instruments, nor even of all the details for a specific calendar year.

BTW, calendar year is not the same as model year for guitars. The summer NAMM show was when the new models were introduced, so a 1962 feature would be introduced in June of '61.

John