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These pickups were used in the 1982-84 Fender 'Fullerton Reissue' Strats that sought to re-capture the quality of earlier Fenders. Those guitars have become collectable now and so have the pickups. Some were shipped to Fender Japan for the early Japanese reissues for their domestic market. I have a Fiesta JV Strat with Fender logo (not Squier) imported here by Blue Suede Music in 1983 that has the 'red' pickups. Its a great instrument with body contours to match an original and a wide/flat maple neck profile that I've never seen on another Strat - maybe a special order. There's a website on 'Fullerton Reissue' Strats (the Fullerton Reisue Shop) and another on early Fender Japan products if you want to find more about the pickups.
PD

Correction to previous message - the website is The Fender Reissue Shop. and it has Fullerton Era Reissue content.
PD

Actually, Blue Suede Music (who were based in Lancashire) were the importer of the rival and highly-regarded Tokai guitars in the early 1980s (I have one) and not of Fender guitars, irrespective of country of manufacture.

Both Fender USA and Fender Japan guitars were imported to the UK by Arbiter at the time and for some years thereafter (I have at last one of either type).

JN

True, Jim but the labels on the Blue Suede box mine arrived in showed it came direct to them. My dealer at the time reckoned they had bought in a few domestic-release Fender Japan models on spec to sell on because he was surprised it didn't come via Arbiters. Who knows what goes on in the wicked world of commerce! It pre-dated the 'official' Fender Japan guitars that were available from Arbiters shortly afterwards.

Hi all.
The earley 80's Srat's, the 82's are the Dan Smith Strats, with the red base to the pickups have a hot bridge pickup known as the X1. These were originaly fitted to "The Strat" Fenders up market Stratocaster from 1980. The X1 bridge pickup is easy to identify as it has yellow and white wires coming out of the red base. The middle and neck pickups have black and white wires coming out of the red bases. They will also have the date of manufacture stamped on the base in black ink. I myself bought a Dan Smith Srat in a second hand shop in Sheffield a few years ago, still have it, cant play it as it's right handed. The guitar sounds very good and very well made. They were advertised for sale in the early 90's, in a well known London guitar store, for £2000. They had four, unopened, in their shop. The guitars came in a cardboard box.
Regards Geoff.

Hi Geoff
The X-1 pickup was first used in 1979, CBS era, in the Lead 2, a cheaper than a strat guitar with a body that was smaller. As you say the X-1 was hotter. It was wound with more winds than the normal strat p/u, approx. 9600 winds and giving about 7.5kΩ, and went on to be used in the The Strat and Dan Smith strats. It was made for output and not for tone, to compete with the more powerful humbuckers and was wound with plain enamel magnet wire.
Regards
Ian

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Further to my previous post I've just found in my spares box an X-1 pickup with the yellow/black lead with grey bobbin, that was fitted as standard to my '79 strat. For some reason that escapes me I had it replaced with a Bill Lawrence blade pickup before I took delivery in 1979 when I bought it.

This is the same pickup as the red bobbin type fitted to the Dan Smith strats.

Ian