Wound an interesting one

[kevinT]

I like to concoct designs with off-the-wall specifications just to see what they sound like. I wound one recently that is pretty impressive to say the least. It's a high output bucker:

16.8k Ohm
44 AWG
Single Formvar
Alnico 6

bass is tight, plenty of mids, and a clear high end. Has the best characteristics of Alnico and ceramic. Has power, with no mid scoop, and its able to cut like a knife...without being harsh.

I would of thought that a pickup like this would have some mud in the low end but it's quite the opposite. Great defined chunk.

I think it could be the ultimate heavy metal pickup.

Anybody else do anything with odd ball specs?

[madialex]

Hi Kevin, good to see you....

I was trying out some radical stuff a few weekends ago and trashed all of them. I was pissed when I found out that I had wired them all up wrong
Every single one was out of phase and I was steadily trashing them and rewinding something else. Who knows now how many of them would have been great?? At the end of it all, on the last one I wound I played it and it hit me, check the way it was wired, sure enough it was out of phase, I had done the last 5 like that. I was so mad I took the whole pickup, walked outside and threw it as far as I could in the woods and said screw it all....I felt like a total dumbass

[belwar]

Thats sweet! How many turns of 44 did you use?

[kevinT]

Hi Kevin, good to see you....

I was trying out some radical stuff a few weekends ago and trashed all of them. I was pissed when I found out that I had wired them all up wrong
Every single one was out of phase and I was steadily trashing them and rewinding something else. Who knows now how many of them would have been great?? At the end of it all, on the last one I wound I played it and it hit me, check the way it was wired, sure enough it was out of phase, I had done the last 5 like that. I was so mad I took the whole pickup, walked outside and threw it as far as I could in the woods and said screw it all....I felt like a total dumbass

That reminds me of something that happend last year when my heathen nephew was messin' with my winder. ...he ended up pushin' some buttons and changed the winding direction in the process. I didn't notice until after I wound a batch clockwise which would of put the pickups out of phase in the middle position if it was paired with another pickup that was wound CCW. Totally pissed me off. I just told the folks to just switch the hot and ground at the pots if they found that was the case. I rewired the others at the leads.

[kevinT]

Thats sweet! How many turns of 44 did you use?

I will have to look at my notes...can't remember off of the top of my head.

[Spence]

Formvar coated wire makes nice sounding humbuckers. Never tried A6 though.

[Possum]

You left alot out, what kind of slugs or is this a double allen screw pickup, what keeper, what pole screws....

[PoorMan]

You left alot out, what kind of slugs or is this a double allen screw pickup, what keeper, what pole screws....

Pfft! None of those things matter, Dave.

[kevinT]

You left alot out, what kind of slugs or is this a double allen screw pickup, what keeper, what pole screws....

Dave...I can't give out all my secrets

But I can tell you it's a slug/screw combo

[David Schwab]

Thats sweet! How many turns of 44 did you use?

I'd guess about 7100 per coil...

I have some odd ball stuff in the works....

[Possum]

Was just curious. I don't even make stuff like that yet. I guess you'd have to play pickups like that through high gain master volume type amps? I wonder what the numbers are on what sells the most, highoutput buckers or screw/slug buckers....

[David Schwab]

Was just curious. I don't even make stuff like that yet. I guess you'd have to play pickups like that through high gain master volume type amps? I wonder what the numbers are on what sells the most, highoutput buckers or screw/slug buckers....

Well look at the Duncan JB. That's 16.4K. That's a real popular pickup. You don't need a high gain amp because the pickup is already loud.

[kevinT]

I'd guess about 7100 per coil...

I have some odd ball stuff in the works....

That sounds about right without digging out my notes. Can't forget that there could be an offset in there.....6900 and 7300

[David Schwab]

That sounds about right without digging out my notes. Can't forget that there could be an offset in there.....6900 and 7300

I used Dan's Coil Estimator which gets you in the ball park.

[greenfingers]

Formvar coated wire makes nice sounding humbuckers. Never tried A6 though.

Parisian Walkway sounded great live with Formvar in the neck. maybe that's the key to that sustain. AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

[soundmasterg]

Well look at the Duncan JB. That's 16.4K. That's a real popular pickup. You don't need a high gain amp because the pickup is already loud.

I put one of those JB's back in one of my guitars and it will be coming out again soon. It is just too mid rangy for my tastes. Tried it through my Dual Recto, an AC30, and a Valve Jr., and not to my liking at all anymore. Funny how tastes change!

Greg

P.S. If you want to hear it Possum, let me know and I can bring the guitar over.

[Possum]

Greg you might try changing the tone caps in your guitar if you want to use the JB, amazing what a difference a value change makes....

[David Schwab]

Or stick an A8 or ceramic magnet in it. I wound myself a JB clone and it's way too dark with an A5 in it.

[kevinT]

or try an A6 in the JB.

I also wound a PAF-style pickup with an A6 and it sounded like total ass. Way too bright and harsh. But the mag seems to work really well in high ouput pickups. It's not dark at all nor does the mids dominate.

From my tests, an A6 tends to be more on the bright side....even brighter than an A5...

The pickup that I did is very articulate ...very tight on the low end without any mush and the pinch harmonics that I'm pulling out of the guitar are to kill for.