IDing '63 JM pickups and pup screw query

[lnwt]

Hi OSG,

Could you help me verify the authenticity of the pickup in the below gallery? I've included images of the guitar for eye candy l. It's a beautiful 63 Jazzmaster.

The pickup looks like the real deal to me, though there's no date stamp.

https://imgur.com/a/5wv2kwD

Also, I had a little trouble removing it due to the warped pickguard and am worried that I've messed up the screw shafts replacing it (ie that a couple of the screws are now at an angle). Is this a common issue? Is my anxiety justified? Any tips for avoiding this when adjusting in future? Is there a correct orientation for the pickup covers or can you place them in either direction?

Cheers,

lnwt

[46346]

that sure looks like the correct pickup to me. it *does* look like maybe someone added some new foam under the pups at some point? you could look at the solder joints of the pickup wire, too, to see if they might have been swapped.
i can see a peek at the color of the wound wire and it *seems* right to me. you might take a better look at the color and compare it to photos of vintage and AVRI.

i don't think they started writing dates or initials on them until around '64/65 when they changed to a grey bobbin instead of the older black ones.

yeah, the tort guard on my '59 had shrunk just a bit, and it's tough to get all the screws back in place. i ended up carefully filing the pickup cover openings of the guard to open up more space for the pups, and had an easier time getting them back in, and keeping the pups adjustable as opposed to binding against the guard
.
sometimes i will loosen up all the guard screws to get the guard and pups aligned right... but beware - on an old shrinking guard if you remove those screws, you might have trouble getting them back in straight, too. i have a couple of angled guard screws on mine... it's the only way it works now. doesn't bother me, it does the job.

perhaps someone can chime in on how quickly it might shrink if you loosened all the screws. hopefully it wouldn't suddenly shrink a bit more, but if the screws haven't been touched in years, i'm wondering if it's risky to loosen them.

nice find, btw!

[lnwt]

Thanks for the reply! Good to know that I'm not the only one with the guard screw quandary.

The issue is not great - the screws work and are not at a worrying angle - but it's unlikely I'll mess with them much now, if at all, unless I have to.