Leo Fenders pickup winder

[belwar]

I may be having a blond momment right now, but I seem to remember someone had a picture of one of Leo Fenders original hand pickup winders. Does anyone have a link to that photo anywhere? I'm just curious and want to see it.

[David Schwab]

Here you go

[greenfingers]

2:42 An original winder from 56 shows up.

YouTube- Billy Gibbons&Ron Sharp tour Fender Factory

[ShannonH]

Huh?

It that a rubber band driving it?

[belwar]

That was my first thought too.. and it looks like a potentiometer sitting behind the counter too..

That motor looks to be something like 1/20th of a horse, probably 1000-1300 rpm

[ShannonH]

that's gets me thinkin

That was my first thought too.. and it looks like a potentiometer sitting behind the counter too..

That motor looks to be something like 1/20th of a horse, probably 1000-1300 rpm

I have a little sewing machine motor that I could do that with. Put a dimmer on it, and an old bike counter I also have. Ta da! Winder

[Possum]

...

Read Forrest White's book for info on the rubber band....

[Possum]

...

The '50 winder isn't all from the 50's the counter is much later. The other winder is Leo Fender's you can see other photos of it on G&L's website gallery. There is a specific reason Leo used rubber bands

[ShannonH]

a guess

There is a specific reason Leo used rubber bands

I'm betting it's to help alleviate wire breakage. Funny, but the Schatten winder isn't that different from this....

[LtKojak]

Funny, but the Schatten winder isn't that different from this....

Why? If it ain't broken, don't fix it...

[David King]

Well, from what I've heard the Schatten winder is an unmitigated POS. I doubt it would have outlasted Leo. He probably would have dropped it down an elevator shaft if he could afford one.

[jonson]

Built a winder based on that many many moons ago. Out of all my winders is still the easiest and best to use. Simplicity in itself. No traverse, no wire guides just a motor. shaft assy, triac speed adjuster and very accurate mechanical counter. What else is needed. Pic back on the cutting alnico thread page 11.

[JGundry]

2:42 An original winder from 56 shows up.

YouTube- Billy Gibbons&Ron Sharp tour Fender Factory

Ha, hah, hah! That machine is a Coweco automatic coil winder! I already knew the Fender Custom shop had this machine and another like it but had only speculated about when they got it. I had speculated they got it around 1959 as I have the exact same machine and mine is from 1959. But this nails the date of 1956. This machine has a sloped cam and it can do Strat and Telecaster pickups without a cam change. So I ask you, if Fender was only hand winding pickups why on earth would they go to the expense of buying an automatic coil winder? I say it is because as far back as 1956 they were starting to machine wind pickups. I know others have found machine wound fender pickups from 62'. One detail about this machine depending upon how it is adjusted it can be very sloppy.

What is so hilarious about this is that Fender apparently uses this machine for hand winding and uses the modern machines for machine winding. I have seen other video of the Coweco being used for hand winding. The cool sloppy wind that this thing can do is being completely bypassed by using it for hand winding. It never ceases to amaze me that people are of the mind set that machine winding should be or must have been perfect and that if it is not a perfect winding pattern it must have been done by hand.

[David Schwab]

Well, from what I've heard the Schatten winder is an unmitigated POS. I doubt it would have outlasted Leo. He probably would have dropped it down an elevator shaft if he could afford one.

The winder I have is mechanically OK, but the motor is a bit underpowered and the speed control is defective and stopped working. The top speed is too slow.

Until I get my new winder made I've been powering mine with a variable speed Dewalt hand drill! That works much better.

It's really not much more than an axle with some bearings and a counter. So in that aspect it's not much different than the old Fender winder.

[David Schwab]

Ha, hah, hah! That machine is a Coweco automatic coil winder! I already knew the Fender Custom shop had this machine and another like it but had only speculated about when they got it. I had speculated they got it around 1959 as I have the exact same machine and mine is from 1959. But this nails the date of 1956.

I didn't look at the video. Is that like this one?