Home » Brands » Nisshin Onpa - Maxon » Nisshin Onpa – Maxon Pickup Serial Number Decoder

Nisshin Onpa – Maxon Pickup Serial Number Decoder

Wait for Decoder Loading ...

Last Modified: June 22, 2022

Before 1972, Nisshin Onpa does not seem to have used serial numbers on their Maxon pickups.

1- Maxon pickup serial numbers from 1972 to 1977

According to data from NisshinOnpa:

The serial number of the Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickups are composed of 5 digits from 1972 to 1977.

The serial number : ABCDD

A: production line code (1: prototype line, the other numbers are the production line numbers).
B: year of manufacture (i.e. 1977 was shown as « 7 »)
C: month, 1=Jan… 9=Sep., 0(zero)=Oct., X=Nov., .(dot)=Dec.
DD= day of the month (01 to 31)

Note: if A is 1 (prototype line), B is the year code and CDD are not disclosed.

Note: The information provided is sourced from an email by NisshinOnpa. However, there appears to be confusion regarding 5-digit serial numbers starting with ‘1’. While NisshinOnpa suggests that the first digit ‘1’ signifies a rare prototype pickup, in reality, these serial numbers are not uncommon. In my experience, all of my Maxon pickups bearing 5-digit S/N begin with the number ‘1’. Moreover, it seems that the subsequent numbers might indicate the year, month, and day of production.

It’s plausible that NisshinOnpa referred to a different serial format starting with ‘1’. Some discussions mention a 2-digit serial number exclusively, but I cannot verify this information.

For visual references, click on the photos below to enlarge them ↓

Maxon pickup | Vintage Japan Guitars — 1973 Greco UD Pickup – Production Line 1

1974 Greco Pickup - Production line 1 — 1974 Greco Pickup – Production line 1

1976 Greco Pickup - Production line 1 — 1976 Greco Pickup – Production line 1

1976 Greco U-1000 Pickup – Production Line 1

Maxon Super 70 Humbucker — 1976 Ibanez Super 70 Pickup – Production Line 1

1973 Greco Pickup - Production line 2 — 1973 Greco Pickup – Production line 2

1974 Ibanez Pickup - Production line 3 — 1974 Ibanez Pickup – Production line 3

1974 Greco Pickup - Production line 2 — 1974 Greco Pickup – Production line 2

1975 Greco Pickup - Production line 2 — 1975 Greco Pickup – Production line 2

1975, November Maxon Ibanez Pickup - Production line 2 — 1975, November Maxon Ibanez Pickup – Production line 2

1973 Greco Pickup - Production line 3 — 1973 Ibanez Pickup – Production line 3

Nisshin Onpa Maxon Pickup sttarting with 3 — 1974 Greco Pickup – Production line 3

2- Maxon pickup serial numbers from 1978 to 1981

The serial number of the Nisshin Onpa (Maxon) pickups from 1978 to 1981 are composed of 6 digits.

The serial number : ABCCDD

A: production line code (1: prototype line, the other numbers are the production line numbers).
B: year of manufacture (i.e. 1977 was shown as « 7 »)
CC: month, 01=Jan… 09=Sep., 10=Oct., 11=Nov., 12=Dec.
DD= day of the month (01 to 31)

Note: if A is 1 (prototype line), B is the year code and CCDD are not disclosed.

Note: The above data comes from an email from NisshinOnpa. However, there is certainly confusion regarding 6-digit serial numbers starting with 1. Indeed, NisshinOnpa mentions that the first digit 1 designates a rare prototype pickup but in fact, these serial numbers are not rare at all.

It’s therefore possible that NisshinOnpa had another serial format starting with 1. Some people talk about a 2-digit serial number only but I cannot confirm this information.

Click on the photos below to enlarge them ↓

Nisshin Onpa – Maxon pickup magnets:

Alnico 8: U-1000
Alnico 3: Dry Z
Alnico 5: U-2000,U-4000
Alnico 8: U-3000
Ferrite: U-1000 and UD (starting at the end of 1979)

At late 1981, Fujigen bought the entire Maxon Pickup Division from Nisshin Onpa: patents, know-how, equipment, etc. From early 1982, the pickups which equipped the Greco and other brands made by Fujigen were manufactured by Fujigen themselve.

Credits : - Many thanks to the Private Collector in Ohio/US who gave us permission to use the pic of his early Maxon pickup whose serial number starts with 3 (Line production n°3)
- Many thanks to my friend Luc Froger who gave us a lot of pics of Maxon pickups with serials starting with 1, 2 and 3.

Disclaimer The information obtained through this page DOES NOT hold any official or legal validity and can not be used as proof of authenticity of any product. Furthermore, while manufacture dates are accurate for the most part, they might vary sligthly from reality in some cases.

Frankie Benedittini

I'm a passionate enthusiast of vintage Made in Japan guitars. If you enjoyed this blog or found it helpful, I'd appreciate your comment. Thank you for visiting!