Pickup ring / surround history

[steve(UK)]

Ok. I've been hanging out in the world of vintage Gibson guitars since the early 70s. I've owned, traded and - as a tech - worked on many vintage Gibsons between then and now. On the subject of pickup rings I'm obviously aware of the M-69 markings. But beyond that, I've never really studied the subject. I was looking through my parts box the other day and checking the markings on pickup rings. I need to know more. Is there a link to a 'history of humbucker surrounds' that provides info on the various markings? What do other markings mean? Are all surrounds marked M-69 of value - including black ones? How can you age them? etc etc.

Where can I get more information about rings? Thanks.

 

[brandtkronholm]

LPF member cfh has a great site:
http://home.provide.net/~cfh/paf.html

Scroll down to the bottom for ring info.

 

[steve(UK)]

LPF member cfh has a great site:
http://home.provide.net/~cfh/paf.html

Scroll down to the bottom for ring info.

That's great info, thanks. It only covers the 'golden period' though. I have some rings with other M markings on them and was wondering about their period of use.

 

[Mars Hall]

With all of the discussions going about replica M-69 rings, makes me wonder. Are there original rings that do not have the tell tail signs of "worn tooling" marks or did these appear from the start?