Nutz - Mystery pickup on a P Bass

[lowend1]

I have a theory that it might be a Guild bass humbucker, without the chrome cover. I'm thinking of the pickup that replaced the Bisonics in Guild instruments.

What makes me think it might be one is the 2 + 1 screw arrangement, the row of screw pole pieces and the row of flat, rectangular poles. Also the pole spacing is tighter on the Nutz humbucker than the string spacing, even down at the end of the neck of a Fender bass. This is consistent with the tighter string spacing of Guild basses.

Here is a naked Guild pickup, as bodged into a Peavey bass:



The problem here is that I've only ever seen these pickups with cream flatwork, whereas the Nutz pickup is clearly black. The poles also look bigger on the Guild pickup than on the Nutz bass. At a push the modder sprayed the pickup black to make it stand out less, and there is overspray on the poles.

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I think you've got it. It looks like the black paint is wearing off the end of the bobbin on the E string side. I think the reason the pole pieces look bigger on the Guild is the angle that the photo was shot at. We're seeing some of the side of the screw head, which makes it look bigger.

[Alanko]

Yeah the paint wear makes sense. It looks like there is some cream showing under the A string on the slug coil as well. 

I like a bit of detective work! 

[Dave W]

Makes sense. I think you've solved it.

[gearHed289]

 

[uwe]

And then there's some things known primarily to us Northern NJ natives who attended high school dances in the 70s...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dwl3bvOqM68&ab_channel=Dabbitt353

OMGosh!!! I had heard of Ezra as a band of Joe's formative years, but never heard any of their music much less seen footage!!! His quote "we played Deep Purple covers and type music with Ezra" I always took with a grain of salt, catering to his later career as if he was "chosen". Turns out now, he was right! I'm baffled. A (pre-)historic artefact, no less. Vielen Dank fürs posten!

[uwe]

I did buy the album, may still be upstairs somewhere

Be honest, only because that French maid cover appealed to your inner yearnings!!!

I bought Runaways records for the guitar solos of course.

[TBird1958]

Be honest, only because that French maid cover appealed to your inner yearnings!!!

I bought Runaways records for the guitar solos of course.

The album cover certainly encouraged my purchase!  I actually did hear "As far as the eye can see" on Seattle FM first though, my parents quit looking through my albums right after Alice Cooper's "School's Out"  though, so no trouble on that front!

[lowend1]

OMGosh!!! I had heard of Ezra as a band of Joe's formative years, but never heard any of their music much less seen footage!!! His quote "we played Deep Purple covers and type music with Ezra" I always took with a grain of salt, catering to his later career as if he was "chosen". Turns out now, he was right! I'm baffled. A (pre-)historic artefact, no less. Vielen Dank fürs posten!

Both Joe's boyhood home and the one he bought with his Rainbow earnings (his ex and daughter still live there) are about a mile or so from where I grew up, so his visage was a familiar one for some of us locals. Prior to Ezra, he had a brief stint in another local band called Fillet of Soul who rehearsed down the street from me at the drummer's house - although Joe was not in the band at that point. I briefly dated his cousin in high school and several kids had Ezra promo pics inside their lockers along with the de rigueur Led Zeppelin and Bowie. Over the years I have run into him in odd places, like the auto repair shop where I worked. Even now, when he plays in the area, the shows are as much a family reunion as they are a gig. My wife was, and is, a big fan, so we almost always wind up attending - even though the set lists have been pretty much burned into our brains by now. None of this, of course, was helped by the fact that I was friendly with a hotshot local guitarist who as a teenager was the biggest Blackmore / Purple / Rainbow fanatic I have ever known - yes, even bigger than you, Uwe.

[uwe]

Your life goes kinda in circles, doesn't it?   

Joelene has received a lot of stick - from Purple fans too (or even mainly) -, but I've never seen her sing badly at a gig. And Slaves & Masters is really underrated in the Purple canon IMHO.

[Alanko]

OMGosh!!! I had heard of Ezra as a band of Joe's formative years, but never heard any of their music much less seen footage!!! His quote "we played Deep Purple covers and type music with Ezra" I always took with a grain of salt, catering to his later career as if he was "chosen". Turns out now, he was right! I'm baffled. A (pre-)historic artefact, no less. Vielen Dank fürs posten!

There is a 'cover' of Rondo by The Nice in there!

[lowend1]

Your life goes kinda in circles, doesn't it?

You have no idea how much, lol.