I need help identifying vintage P-Bass pickups

[RustyBassRyan]

Are there any experts out there willing to help me solve a mystery? I have a set of P-Bass pickups that I’m trying to date. I think that these are pre-CBS, vintage 1963, but I’m no expert. Here’s what I know for sure:

The pickups were soldered to pots that were dated with the serial numbers 1376103, the third week of 1961, and 13763xx, an unknown week in 1963 (solder obscures the last two digits).

The pickups, which have no markings, use old cloth wiring.

The entire assembly came with original soldering and a vintage brown capacitor.

Here’s what my limited research has uncovered, which may or may not be accurate:

Popping off the original covers reveals that the windings on both pickups are a deep purple/brown color. Apparently, in 1964, the enamel changed from a dark purplish/brown to a rich copper color.

The bottoms of the bobbins are black. Apparently, post-CBS pickups tended to have grey bottoms.

The top of the pickup magnets have a slight "rough" bevel on them. Apparently, post-CBS pickups tended to have magnets that were ground flat.

If you have expertise you’d be willing to share, it would be much appreciated. Peace to you and yours!

 

[ewimsatt]

I hate trying to date things because there are so many good reproductions on the market now. I can give you a bit more info, though.

Due to the construction of the pots, you can guess that the dates are accurate.

The wire on those pickups is Plain Enamel wire.

The magnets were beveled to help line up and fit them through the tight flatwork


So find out when fender used Plain Enamel wire on P Bass pickups and then find out which years they used beveled magnets. That should narrow your search window down to a 3 or 4 years window or so.