• From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Topic: Winding your own pickups

I just found this kit you can buy to make your own pickups. Has anyone tried this? Half the boutique pickups are so expensive because they are hand wound. StewMac has some pretty easy instructions on how to pull it off, make your own, and get away cheap! I just wonder how easy it is, and how good it would sound?

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics … r_Kit.html

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • Rocket
  • Rocket
  • BONAMEGAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: San Francisco
  • Registered: 2006-04-26
  • Posts: 10,275

Re: Winding your own pickups

I'm interested in this too, as I've wound a few coils in my day, but never for guitar pickups... Technical details & mundane ones welcome, especially satisfaction level...I'm gonna send up a trial baloon and suggest maybe hand winding is a tad overrated?!! That's a perhaps, as in maybe (with a question mark) not a statement...

Rock On & Keep the Faith,
Rocket

"He still doesn't charge for mistakes! wink"
http://jbonamassa.com/tour-dates/
"Everybody wants ta get inta the act!"
“Now, this isn’t your ordinary party crowd, here.  I mean, there are professionals in here.”
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Winding your own pickups

hey Rocket,

there is some speculation that hand winding pickups gives each pickup personality. Lets say Fender in the late 60's wrapped all their pickups via machine, all at 8,000 winds each.  The variance of k would be a very tight average, with like sounding pickups.

In the 50's and early 60's however, Fenders pickups had a variety of k form 5.something to 6.something. Pickups from the 50's were reverred because each has their own sound.  Hand winding allows human error to "overwind" to get even more hot or more k out of the pickup...something unfound with the exactness of a machine wound pickup.

I remember hearing stories like Larry DiMarzio hand winding pickups for Ace Frehley in a hotel room.  Look at his company now.

I think it might be fun to try it out.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool