Pick up for Genesis required

Hi All, new to the Forum. I need the bridge pick up for a Genesis II , Magnaflux V I believe it is. Aria made a Protomatic V but I'm not sure if they are related. What do MMK 45, 61 and 75 refer to? Which Magnaflux pickup? I also notice that Japanese Epiphone Sheratons have MMK 75's and/or 61's. Is there a pickup identy list available or could some one in the know put a pickup list together, with alternative sources ( ie other branded guitars made at the same time) plus the designated MMK number. Output measurements might good.

In the meantime, can anybody help with an original pickup please. My local Luthiers and Guitar shops are bereft of old Westone pickups that they might have swapped out sometime ago and I am fast running out options.

Other Guitars I own are Thunder 1a, 2, 2a and a Dimension IV.

All the best

Steve

Hiya Steve; welcome here!! As for your rear p'up on your Genesis; there might be a bit of a wait!! I don't recall ever having seen one come up, but that said, any of the Matt humbuckers..

Discussion

...would be a most suitable replacement! As a matter of interest, I have a Genesis II and Spectrums, and I have noticed that the Genesis h/b does not have the power or tonal subtley of the Spectrums, which I know have MMK 45's onboard. But good luck in your search; there could well be someone out there with a Genesis, Corsair or Clipper that they're parting out!!

Hi there Corsair,

Thanks for the link. Very interesting. So, do I understand that you think that on a like for like basis, the bridge pickup from a Thunder / Spectrum (MMK 45) is a better bet than the orginal Genesis bridge pickup which we assume is a MK75. I dont have a problem with your logic whatsoever, but would interested if you think that that the out and out power of the MMK 45 would swamp the two Magnaflux V single coils.

All the best Steve

That, of course, is gonna be the big problem; yes it would..in spades! The MMK45's are monsters - when I took my Genesis to bits I can't for the life of me remember what was on the back of the pickup, but then mine is a bit of an oddball...

http://forum.westoneguitars.net/members-westones-f6/genesis-ii-with-odd-controls-t55.htm

... so it may not have had an MMK at all!! Next string change I'll have a peek... Bear in mind, too, that the Genesis originally didn't have a true humbucker at the bridge, it had 2 singles cobbled together...

http://www.westone.info/xa1630.html

which gives them a pretty unique sound: I didn't mean to sound disparaging towards the set-up on a Genesis - I love mine to bits!! - they are just a little quieter than the Spectrums....

Hi John,

I wonder whether Uncle Matt was matching pickups to the wood used on the body. The Genesis 1 had Magnaflux IV's and an ash body. The Genesis II had a painted poplar body magnaflux V's.

Pretty thin logic, I know, but I have been reading about Fender experimenting with different woods on Telecasters. Apparently they painted a range of teles black but made from different woods and then asked a range of Celeb's and experts to rate their choice. They all choose the guitar made of poplar.

If you could check your bridge pickup at the next string change, that would be great. It the meantime, I'll get on with business of painting the body in preparation for assembly

Cheers, Steve

Pickup selection may have also been influenced by sting spacing. Tremolo guitars generally have a wider string spacing than do fixed bridge guitars.

Coincidentally, I have a Matsumoku humbucker for sale on Ebay right now: Ebay auction for Matsumoku humbucker