Bright pickups

[jsimons]

Hi everyone. I have been lurking on here for awhile but finally decided to register since I am having trouble making my own pickups for my strat. I read Jason Lollars book on pickup making and tried to pick up as much as I could from all of your posts but here is my problem.

No matter what I do every pickup I wind has this bright kind of shrill high end. If I wind it extrat hot there are extra mids and bass but still that shrillness. I am scatterwinding by hand. I have tried alnico 2 and 5 with the same results. I have tried degausing both magnet types and all it seems to do is reduce the volume and string pull. I don't get it. Am I doing something wrong or is there something I am missing? Jason's book didn't mention this as a common problem. Is there a wind pattern that I need to know of? ANy help would be very appreciate it.

[Pep]

Have you checked the dimensions of your bobbins?

[mick]

I would also look at your pot and cap values , if it's every pickup you make then it could well be something else rather than your winding techniques...

Mick

[jsimons]

Thanks for the replies guys. The bobbin dimensions are spot on with some american strat pickups I have. Also the pots and caps are all good. Measured all pots. They are actually slightly less than 250K. Cap is good as well. I can't figure out what I am doing wrong. I have a stock pickup from a fender HW1 that measures 5.85K that is sounding more mellow on the high end than even a 6.7K that I have wound. It is really frustrating. I know that it takes awhile to dial in the exact right tone you are looking for but it isn't like this stuff is rocket science. I am charging my magnets with Neo mags. COuld that be the problem? I have been using Jason Lollars screwdriver technique to degauss them a bit. There has to be something that I am missing.

[madialex]

try this

first try differing tensions, a looser wind will be more bright and raunchy sounding, in a good way i mean. Try to keep your machine at an even speed, this will affect your scatter pattern, going from fast to slow etc will change everything about the pattern. Usually its not as much scatter needed as one would think. Wolfe uses some really wide patterns at times but he can do it and make it sound good, he can also wind at a pretty good speed. Try slowing your scatter some and a tad more tension and give us a report.

[GlennW]

Thinner wire might help.

[NightWinder]

wire

Sound vary also due to wire insulation and size......Are you using Poly? You can also try a different type. What size/insulation is going to determine your finished product....You can also use a metal shim under the slud side of the coil to make secure contact with the baseplate, changing the Eddy currents and shave of a little high end.........

[jsimons]

Thank you very much for the help guys. I am using AWG 42 Heavy Formvar wire which I thought was supposed to have a warmer sound than poly coated stuff. I appreciate the ideas about workarounds but I really want to figure out what it is that is causing this to happen. So it is true that too much scatter will actually brighten the sound? Did any of you have this happen when you first started winding? Do you guys know a way to smooth out the highs without affecting the rest of the tone? Thanks in advance.
-jeff

[corduroyew]

I use mostly formvar wire. In my limited experiance formvar gives you a smother and brighter sound than plain enamel, or poly. I think the shoothness of the formvar gets mistaken for warmth. Anyway, try winding a lttle tighter and it might not hurt to make your bobbins a little shorter

[Mark Hammer]

If you get the same problem regardless of what you wind, are you sure you have your pickups set up right?

[madialex]

Hi

You have a PM

[Possum]

duh....

well shit no wonder your pickups are too bright, heavy build anything is low capacitance so you'll never get a warm dark tone out of that wire. Never. GEt some ordinary cheap poly wire in stock 42 gauge, no heavy build, thats what you are looking for. Heavy build wire is nice for some things, not for others....

[jsimons]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but weren't all the good old fender pickups made with heavy formvar? Why are you inferring that I'm an idiot? I appreciate the help but there is no need to be rude.

[NightWinder]

Sound vary also due to wire insulation and size......Are you using Poly? You can also try a different type. What size/insulation is going to determine your finished product....You can also use a metal shim under the slud side of the coil to make secure contact with the baseplate, changing the Eddy currents and shave of a little high end.........

Oops, misses that ......single coil- heavy formvar= Bright, briite ,brite. Get some different wire! Seriously. Don't sell that stuff though, keep it and experiment AFTER you wind with some 42 MIN NOM polysol.

[NightWinder]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but weren't all the good old fender pickups made with heavy formvar? Why are you inferring that I'm an idiot? I appreciate the help but there is no need to be rude.

Maybe from 52' in the introduction of Fenders Esquire and Telecaster Solidbodys. ARE YOU GOING AFTER THESE TONES: Swing master Jimmy Burton, blues man Muddy Waters, Gatemouth Brown, Country Virtuoso Jimmy Bryant, Funk innovator Steve Cropper. These guys are some of the Earlies users of fenders. Even BB king was an earlie bird with fender, and if you dig with a big shovel, you MIGHT find the recording. But do notice something with the above mentioned.......Clean CLear Brite Tone. With Heavy Formvar. There is also a sheet on specs at Kersings (Spelling,,Sory SK)site that may be helpful too.
Possums an old Crazy Night Owl Mad Pickup Scientist that gets crazy!!!!!Knows his shit too. Im sure If you cool Down for A tad.....You'll realize he means nothing of the sort. Probably looks at you just the opposite.....Possum speaking in a real deep voice, starring at ya with hair just triple tripped out ( THE WORLD NOW SEES YOU,.. WITH A BIGGER SET OF BALLS. DON'T BE AFRAID TO PUT'EM ON THE CHOPPIN BLOCK, NOW GO GET YOURSELF 42 POLY AND REPORT BACK). Easy does it Brother!!!