Pick-up winding

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

It had to come to that point again, where I just have to go back to my oldest and possibly truest rule: You got to do it yourself to have it done right.

I have several "experimental" pick-up winding jobs on order with one of our locals... and I just can't stand the stupid excuses for constant failure and non-compliance with my directions anymore.
On the other hand I can't use one of our known, more serious pick-up winders/builders, as I would like to believe that I am on to something.

Anyway, this leads me to my question(s) to you all:

Any books or on-line "manuals"/"seminars" on how to wind your own pick-ups?
Where to get the winding machine or what it should look like, should I have to built that one myself too...
Where to get the materials, like the various wires (gauges), the plastic (or bakelite/phenolic) tops and bottoms, and the poles.

Thanks!... [email]jaydee@bellsouth.net?subject=SG-Forum/Electronics/Pick-up winding[/email]
[This message was edited by J D Sauser on 26 October 2000 at 04:33 PM.]

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

B. Cole. Thanks for your post.
I have been very fortunate to be able to spend a full day with Bill Lawrence past March. He is truly one of the great minds of today's music business and a very devote man to the steel guitar, which I think he loves. The day I spent with him was very, very informative and I am very thankful he opened his doors to me and all my questions.
However, sound is a very personal thing. And we seem to look for different things when it comes to the sound of a steel guitar. While we agree on some (if not many) issues, we do not on all (and we don't have to

).
Also Bill is a business man and I would assume that he always has to consider the commercial acceptability of anything he would let him self get involved with, which is always a narrow bet when it comes to steel guitar.
I would never mind Bill Lawrence building my pick-ups. As a mater of fact, I would be honored, but first, I want to try some of my own ideas. The best way I see to do that, is to do it my self. I have tired to have others do it but that didn't really work out..

So now, I feel that need to acquire the basic knowledge and tools to do this myself.

BTW: Yesterday nite, while "surfin'" I found ason Lollar's book Basic Pickup Winding Edition II. Jason has also already e-mailed me and offerd to assist

.
However, I would still welcome any input from our people here... Thanks!

[url=mailto]... J-D.[/url]

[This message was edited by J D Sauser on 27 October 2000 at 08:06 AM.]

Max Laine · From: Pori, Finland

J-D,

Try Jason Lollar at http://lollar.hypermart.net/
His site has also links to parts suppliers.

Max

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

So I was 2 minutes late

... Thanks anyway Max! ... J-D.

Max Laine · From: Pori, Finland

Bill Crook · From: Goodlettsville, TN , Spending my kid's inheritance

J.D.

Any pick-up you design must fit into the small recepticle hole on the PSG. any deviation from that will limit your "custom" pick-up from being accepted by the PSG community. Most folks I have talked to have hand-wound their prototype units first. I have done this using the wire from an AC clock (yep, you read it right) motor. The wire is of the correct diamiter and in general, is in the ball-park for D-C resistance. Also, how you wind the layers is important, just filling up the bobbin does not necessarly produce the desired results. Read a lot of books on this first.

"Been There, Done That"

[This message was edited by Bill Crook on 27 October 2000 at 12:47 PM.]

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

J.D.,

Seems like you don't have much here in the way of "encouragement"!

I would try this...buy a used pickup (I've seen them here for $50) try it in your steel, then take it apart! Measure the wire, count the turns, note the winding style, and other physical characteristics. Then buy some new wire, and put it back together like you want it!

(I intend to try this myself!)

Cairo Zoots · Posted 28 Oct 2000 9:45 pm

J.D.: The last issue of the Stewart-MacDonald catalog has a neat little write-up on putting together your own pickup rewinder, and info on the insulated coil wire etc. http://www.stewmac.com/

------------------
ree-oo-dee-doo

Tim Rowley · From: Pinconning, MI, USA

Hey J.D., why don't you contact Freeman Cowgar at Cougar Steel Guitars? The phone number is (517)848-5380. This old boy, who incidently is a very capable player, winds all of his single-coil pickups by hand on a home-made winder and is currently winding a single-coil with tone, volume, and quietness that will amaze you. This is the pickup that comes standard on the new Cougar Elite guitars. He doesn't keep his methods a deep dark secret. If you assure him you are serious, he will probably not only give you the winding information you need but also describe how to make your own low-buck winder. Remember how some of the old Sho-Buds also had amazing tone and volume? Sho-Bud wound their own pickups back then, and according to Freeman "Shot Jackson was the kind of a guy who could figure out how to do just about anything, and he knew how to wind a pickup". The stock Cougar Elite single-coil pickup seems to me to be a very close clone of the pickups on the Sho-Bud "Professional". You could follow Donny Hinson's advice, that way you would have the bobbin and magnets all ready to work with. Or Freeman might sell you the components (bobbin, magnets, wire, etc) inexpensively. If a single-coil is what you want to start with, that's what I would do. If you want to start with a humbucker, I don't know where to send you. Cougar buys in any humbuckers they install (George L or Lawrence).

If you are able to come up with a pickup that turns out to be the "holy grail" you are after, it would probably prove best to wax pot the thing to keep it from going bad and becoming microphonic. The wax-potting procedure is described in pickup-winding books and technical articles. Seymour Duncan himself has written about how to do this in his various articles in Vintage Guitar amgazine. It's great information to know.

Good luck to you in constructing a pickup with just "that sound" that you desire!

Tim R.

J D Sauser · From: Wellington, Florida

Thanks to all of you that posted here and to those who e-mailed me directly.

------------------
The future belongs to culture.

jaydee@bellsouth.net

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Try Skip Goez for pickup rewinding of any kind. He's the best. Been doin it forever.

314-647-1211
st. louis, mo

John Sims · From: Ft. Lauderdale, FL

Hey J-D,

Try some electronics parts houses for the wire. If I recall, Allied used to sell "bobbin" wire. Also try some relay manufacturers. They sometimes sell the coils which is a good diameter wire, depending on the resistance you need. Don't forget that the coils will have inductance and resistance, and the windings and wire spacings will have capacitance, so you may (if not already) want to figure it out on paper with the standard L/C circuit formulas to see if you can get close to the output resistance you need for impeadance matching...There are still alot of places that sell "enamel" coated wire of different guages and lengths. BTW, enjoying the guitar and having fun!

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Regards,

John

Steelin' is a way of life!

My PSG website-Carter SD-12-U, 8p/5k, Nashville 1000

Jim Palenscar · From: Oceanside, Calif, USA

I have wound several pickups by hand and it is an experience. Depending on the gauge that you're interested in (38-46) and the type of magnets that you want to use you can make the bobbins yourself- I made mine from aluminum~ and used a jury-rigged counter when I did it. the last ones I made for a lap steel I did needed to be real thin due to the design of the guitar- took me a full day each and was fun. Let me know if I can help- I still have some wire around and glad to help anytime. I used some of the information from Broznac's "Guitar Electronics" book for the basic information. Jim

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