How do you identify Fender pickups?

[steve_rolfeca]

I just received an Am Std Precision V pickup from another TB'er.

Being a long-term user of aftermarket pickups from people like Kinman, SD, Dimarzio and EMG, I was surprised to find that there were no identifying marks on the bottom. No s/n, no date, no model description- nothin'.

If you have a bunch of different Fender pickups, how are you supposed to tell which is which when they're lying at the bottom of your parts drawer?

Or if they're even Fender pickups?

 

[Staccato]

When I received a set of American Standard pickups that were used, I compared them with photos that others had posted on various forums to help confirm which was neck, middle, and bridge. Also, there were numbers on the plastic bobbins (outside of pickup housing).

You'll notice that many ebay sellers will post multiple photos of used gear as well. You can hopefully identify markings on the plastic bobbins, and the color of +/- wires in order to confirm that they are Fender brand.

 

[steve_rolfeca]

I'm not worried about the provenance of the pickups, I trust the seller.

I was just surprised to see that Fender doesn't mark the stupid things to identify one model from another. Many other guitar and bass pickups I've owned were dated, as well as listing the model and intended position.