vintage P90 specs?

[StarryNight]

Hi Everyone,
Does anyone know what type of magnet wire was used in the 50s era Gibson P90s? I'm guessing PE 42 but I can't seem to source the info.
cheers...

[belwar]

Hi Everyone,
Does anyone know what type of magnet wire was used in the 50s era Gibson P90s? I'm guessing PE 42 but I can't seem to source the info.
cheers...

It's approx 10000 turns of 42 PE. Gibson was very practical so it would likely be the same type as used on the PAF's. Also likely the same keeper bar and screws as a PAF. Very utilitarian.

on a side note I spent the first few years of my life in victoria and still go there from time to time. I went to Sir James Douglas elementary there. My families first shop on the west coast was in esquimalt over the green bridge (now blue).

[Spence]

Crikey, I've been using vintage Joe 90 Specs....

[StarryNight]

It's approx 10000 turns of 42 PE. Gibson was very practical so it would likely be the same type as used on the PAF's. Also likely the same keeper bar and screws as a PAF. Very utilitarian.

on a side note I spent the first few years of my life in victoria and still go there from time to time. I went to Sir James Douglas elementary there. My families first shop on the west coast was in esquimalt over the green bridge (now blue).

That's cool Belwar. Victoria is a little gem of a town. vancouver was getting too industrial for me - took an hour to drive anywhere. Now it takes 10 minutes to get to any gig and I walk to work. If you're ever in town let me know, You can tour my awesome pickup factory

[belwar]

That's cool Belwar. Victoria is a little gem of a town. vancouver was getting too industrial for me - took an hour to drive anywhere. Now it takes 10 minutes to get to any gig and I walk to work. If you're ever in town let me know, You can tour my awesome pickup factory

There is a guy on the Island named Ken McBride. I think he calls himself The Guitar Doctor or something like that. He does rewinds as well. He's got my families old winder and was nice enough to loan it back to me to replicate. Look him up sometime

[Topazcrystal]

Ken McBride the Guitar Doctor

Ken actually lives on the Sunshine Coast, in Sechelt. He does wind amazing pickups. And is the best guitar tech around. He builds them repairs them and plays them.
guitardoctor@gmail.com

[StarryNight]

He's got my families old winder and was nice enough to loan it back to me to replicate. Look him up sometime

Belwar you make it sound so conventional. I wish my family had an old winder! sounds like a good story...

We should get Ken on the forum. I'm sure his years of experience would be welcome.

[belwar]

Belwar you make it sound so conventional. I wish my family had an old winder! sounds like a good story...

We should get Ken on the forum. I'm sure his years of experience would be welcome.

Well, the story isnt really anything special. My family makes acoustic guitars and in the downturn in the 1980's we started making (some of them god awful) electric guitars. 13000 of them in fact. We used branded pickups for a couple of years but wanted to make our own pickups. My dad met a guy named glen mcdougal in saskatoon who gave him the important parts to make this bizarre winder and my dad built it and started winding pickups.. When we stopped electric guitar production in 1989 we gathered everything up and sold it to ken for cheap.

When we started making electric guitars again last year, I wanted to learn pickup winding, we called Ken up and he was nice enough to loan me the winder to reverse engineer. I was too young to remember much about the winding other than I can remember my mom sitting at the dining room table after dinner winding single coils ... and I dad charging alnico single coil poles by opening the hood of his car and connecting some contraption to his car battery. I was some tube with a wire wrapped around it.

So a friend and I started drawing the machine in solidworks and embarked on a journey to make pickups. Now im horribly addicted and my wife has to tell me to get off the computer.

I told Ken about the forum a few weeks ago and he was going to check it out.

ml.