Alternative To Forbon

[Carey Nordstrand]

Thanks David,
I've been lurking on this site for several years now. Might as well make a comment once in a while...

[thrasher]

wood

have you tried wood? natural and good looking check idea

[David Schwab]

have you tried wood? natural and good looking check idea

They look nice, but thin wood, like you would have for the thickness of a bobbin, will usually warp or crack. Especially if you finish it only on one side.

I've made control cavity covers from wood, and they are thicker than you would use for a bobbin, and they sometimes crack.

I wouldn't be surprised if those pickups had a thin wood veneer glued onto plastic bobbins.

You can laminate some thin wood veneer, which would make it more stable, but you are making a LOT of work for yourself.

[thrasher]

then use cd covers

[Ruel]

What secrets? It's just magnets and wire...

Magnets and wires, we know about. It's the other stuffs that we don't.

[David Schwab]

Magnets and wires, we know about. It's the other stuffs that we don't.

What other stuff?

[thrasher]

What other stuff?

see you dont know other stuff

[Carey Nordstrand]

Magnets and wires, we know about. It's the other stuffs that we don't.

For me, there really are no secrets. It's just a matter of making the sound you have in your head come out of your pickups. This involves a lot of trial and error and a bit of intuition that can be developed from this trial and error. Intuition can also be gleaned from studying other makers pickups that you like. I'm not advocating copying, but rather learning and assimilating from others, and then applying that information to achieve what you want for your tone.
It would be a boring world if all our pickups sounded the same...

[David Schwab]

For me, there really are no secrets. It's just a matter of making the sound you have in your head come out of your pickups. This involves a lot of trial and error and a bit of intuition that can be developed from this trial and error. Intuition can also be gleaned from studying other makers pickups that you like. I'm not advocating copying, but rather learning and assimilating from others, and then applying that information to achieve what you want for your tone.
It would be a boring world if all our pickups sounded the same...

Hear! Hear!

Personally this is exactly where I'm coming from. I had a sound in my head and went after it. Intuition is important. I sometimes actually pick numbers out of the air for how many winds I want to try on new pickups. There's a big pool of info out there if you just allow yourself to tap into it!

When I was building my first bass, I had a design I was following, but the bass had another idea, and evolved into something quite different as I went along. I like to say it designed itself... I just helped.

[Spence]

Time to stop lurking I guess...
Ok, here's my source. http://www.oliner.com
I was stumped too until I did a search for vulcanized fibre instead of vulcanized fiber.
Their minimum order is around $300 I think. I get 2 4x8 (slightly smaller actually) sheets cut into quarters for shipping every time I order.

I posted this link in POST 17. I wasn't suprised to see someone else using this source. Nor was I suprised to see this advice ignored.
This stuff is readily available. Why on earth would you need to use anything else?

[mkat]

I posted this link in POST 17. I wasn't suprised to see someone else using this source. Nor was I suprised to see this advice ignored.
This stuff is readily available. Why on earth would you need to use anything else?

I must be doing something wrong then, because I emailed them for a quote on two seperate occassions and they ignored both emails. They may not ship to Australia looking at the options in their account creation screen.

[dpm]

Dragging this thread from the dead, I've sourced black vulcanised fibre in Australia from E.C. Menzies Electrical - phone 03 9387 5544, email sales@ecmenzies.com.au

They were happy to sell me 470mm x 780mm sheets in 1.6mm (AUD$32) and 2.4mm (AUD$65) thicknesses and courier them to Brisbane.

I might get rid of what's left if an alternative can be found. I'd much prfer something more stable that stays flat for the long 8 and 9 string coils.

Cellulose Acetate Butyrate is what's used for humbucker bobbins, right? It's produced in sheet from by Gemini Plastics in the USA (used for snowmobile screens). Just sent an email to them to see if they know of anyone that would having single sheets or offcuts. Their minimum order is 5 sheets.

[chevalij]

As mentioned, Forbon isn't sold in small amounts. LMC Plastics sells Dynos vulcanized fibre in 500lb lots or 28 sheets of .093" for roughly $1750. NVF in Pennsylvania is about the same. GRT Genesis will return a phone call.

Links:
http://www.lmcplasticsource.com/dynos.html
http://nvf.com/forbon/forbon.htm
http://www.grtgenesis.com/

-drh
--

I must be one lucky SOB for a newbie. The place I get my wire carries vulcanized fibre from GRT Genesis. If I could get them to bring in magnets and deliver it all, I'd be golden.

[angelodp]

Item # FS-1056, 0.093" Black Fibre Sheet on ESPE Mfg. Co., Inc.

I know this a very old thread. I found this source for material that is vulcanized.

[rhgwynn]

Item # FS-1056, 0.093" Black Fibre Sheet on ESPE Mfg. Co., Inc.

I know this a very old thread. I found this source for material that is vulcanized.

A minimum order of 87$ for 13 lbs isnt that bad at all.

-Rob