PROTOTYPE 1973 Maxon U1000 EMBOSSED ... Eddie Van Halen SOUND + Mythical '59 Burst ... 7.86k PAF Replica (Lawsuit Japan)

Vanborn Vintage Guitars presents …

A vintage 1973 Maxon U1000 Humbucker ... the PAF clone!

Exclusively built by Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) for use in high-end Japanese market exclusive guitars — most notably Greco and Ibanez — which are known as the mythical "Lawsuit" era guitars in the rest of the world... this was a time in the 1970's when they were giving the USA built Gibson version a run for its money ... guess why they are called "lawsuit" guitars.

the U-Series pickups were developed during a period when Japanese manufacturers were meticulously studying, reverse enginering and recreating the legendary late-1950s Gibson PAF humbuckers found in the iconic 1958–1960 “Burst” guitars.

These efforts led to pickups that captured the same open, dynamic, and articulate vintage tone that made the originals so desirable.

• Warm, vintage-correct PAF character
• Clear highs and woody midrange
• Balanced output suitable for neck, bridge, or middle position
• Excellent dynamic response and touch sensitivity

The beauty of a good P.A.F. style pickup is that they can be used / installed in every pickup position (bridge, neck, middle) and will always result in GREAT tone

Take a look at the 3rd picture, it is the Greco product catalog from 1970's showcasing the development of the U-series pickups (catalog not included with purchase, scans can be found online)

This particular one was made in 1973 (thanks to the stamp on the back "13620")

This example features the highly desirable 1973-only chrome embossed cover, a detail that was exclusive to early production runs and rarely seen today. The cover shows a beautiful natural vintage patina, adding to its authentic vintage character.

Early / Prototype-era Example

This specific one is an EXTREMELY rare PROTOTYPE version, Maxon pickups from this era that are stamped with a "1" at the start of the serial number are part of the prototype line. They are the most early produced examples and were a "testcase" of the reverse engineering process where they cracked the code of the PAF pickup. These early examples are significantly harder to find and highly desirable among vintage Japanese guitar enthusiasts.

Connection to the Super 70

Research and collector consensus suggest that these early Maxon U-series pickups share internal characteristics with the legendary Ibanez Super 70 Humbucker, famously used by Eddie Van Halen in his early years. Both were produced by Maxon and feature similar vintage-style construction and tonal characteristics.

The perfect output at 7.86 kOhms

No screws or mounting rings are included.
Still plenty of length left on the pickup wire.

Cosmetic condition is as pictured.

You are a couple of solder joints away from PURE Rock ‘n Roll!

(As pictured this item is currently packaged in a UV plastic enclosure to preserve the condition when we take this item with us to Guitar Trading Shows)

Available for WORLDWIDE shipping, the shipping cost is calculated automatically in the shopping cart, based on your location. If you're purchasing from inside the EU, your purchase will include VAT.

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Cheers!

Vanborn Vintage Guitars

Belgium’s finest vintage & rare guitar store!

Family owned & operated in Sint-Truiden (Est. 2024)