Finished winding first pickup set

[scottosan]

Did another set last night, this time a hot set. Bridge @9.07k and neck @8.01k with Unorieted ALNICO 5 mags. Really like this one. If I were to name a set, I’d call the the drunkenbucker set. A play on words since the I’m using unoriented magnets and mismatched coils

 

[mooncobra]

Sounds good man.

Some of those Greco are awesome!!

Guy who made the Dry Z makes pickups again. K&T maybe?

 

[SpiderWars]

They look great. Do you wind it to a number of turns and just curious about how many turns is one of those coils? Are you doing anything to the magnets?

 

[scottosan]

They look great. Do you wind it to a number of turns and just curious about how many turns is one of those coils? Are you doing anything to the magnets?

I’m winding to a specific amount of turns. Since I have the tensioner mounted on bearings I have the ability to hand guide the tensioner/wind pattern, but keep the tension consistent. I’ve been keeping track of the turns and the associated resistance and so far able to get pretty close without having to test during the wind. On this one there is 700 winds difference between coils. As for the magnets, the mojo winder has a digital gaussmeter. For the last set, I used RC A3s and left them full charge since they were low wind and A3 already being the lowest strength magnets of the bunch. As for this set, I used RC UOA5s. While I didn’t degauss these, I chose the weaker pair of the lot that ordered. UOA5 seems to fit between A5 and A2 tonally, but strength wise between A3 and A2. I’m have found that I can get a fully charged magnet in those ranges by using an ALNICO 8 and a few runs with opposing poles to degauss the weaker mag to my liking. The originals clearly have lost charge and I’m aiming for the A3 range base on that, see below. The magnets don’t change their tonal characteristics only strength. I’m also using parts as close to as I can to get the best approximation of accurate parts such as maple spacers, butyrate bobbins and screws/slugs of the proper carbon content. It’s amazing the amount of analysis that people have done analyzing these old pickups and have sent parts to labs for analysis.

 

[scottosan]

Sounds good man.

Some of those Greco are awesome!!

Guy who made the Dry Z makes pickups again. K&T maybe?

Yeah. Jun Takano. His pickups go from $1500-2000 a set new and there is a set of Dry Zs on Reverb right now for $2500…,Crazy

https://www.kt-pickup.com/product_cat/humbucker/

 

[midnightlaundry]

Nice.
I know some dudes have say a partscaster test guitar where they can install them from the back without needing to mess with the strings. Almost like a pickgaurd setup but installs from the rear.. I'm sure you could figure it out.

 

[LP Freak]

Nice.
I know some dudes have say a partscaster test guitar where they can install them from the back without needing to mess with the strings. Almost like a pickgaurd setup but installs from the rear.. I'm sure you could figure it out.

That’s cool. That would be a PITA having to keep restringing guitars

 

[scottosan]

the set being pretty hot has been making me want to play some higher gain stuff. But since they were overwound and unpotted I was getting a some feedback. I decided to pot this set since I needed to work on technique. With the butyrate bobbins they will begin to warp at 140 and parafin doesn’t start to melt until 125, so it’s a balancing act to get and keep the temperature right. When you put the pickup in the melted wax it immediately hardens around the pickup. It was a lot of in and out like you’re making soup (LoL) and monitoring temperature. It took me 2 try’s but I got them lightly potted enough that I can play with the highest clipper settings at moderately loud level and they don’t squeal. And I can say the tone hasn’t changed. I think if you get wax in the covers and wax where the space bar, baseplate and magnets meet that 60% of it. I couldn’t be happier