How to Identify Fender Pickups

Identifying the pickups on Fender guitars can be difficult. Leo Fender never envisioned the instruments that he was creating in the early 1950s as vintage collectible items. Details concerning serial numbers and parts for the guitars were not recorded systematically when they were produced. Another problem in identifying the pickups on a vintage Fender guitar is that the pickups may have been changed or altered over the years by previous owners. Nevertheless, there are a few tips to follow that will help to identify the pickups on your guitar.

• 1

  Match the year of your guitar with Fender chart specifications. Fender charts and specs are available online. The specs will inform you what type of pickups were used on your Fender guitar.

• 2

  Visually inspect the pickups on your Fender guitar. The pickups themselves have the manufacturer's name stamped on either the top side or the underside of the pickup. In order to visually inspect the pickups, it is necessary to remove the guitar strings and the pickguard. Fender pickups are secured to the pickguard. Remove the screws around the edge of the pickguard. Look at both the top and the bottom of the pickups for the manufacturer's name and model number.

• 3

  Test the pickups with an ohmmeter. Connect the positive and negative leads to the pickup wiring. Record the resistance reading.

• 4

  Compare your pickup's resistance reading with Fender pickup specs. For example, the ohm reading for a 1954 Fender pickup is 5.76k and the ohm reading for a 1967 Fender pickup is 5.88k.