Need bobbins

[Achiles]

Need bobbins for humbukers.
I dont know which one should i buy (talking about quality).
Dont need to be PAF perfect dimentions
Stewmac,Allparts,Mojo,Montreux,Gj,Gt.parts USA (dont sell to Brazil),anyone here?

[onusx]

i'm interested in this question too-- the thread about butyrate bobbins was really interesting (as is everything on here)-- but specifically, the discussion about the tonal differences in humbuckers based on bobbin dimensions and material made me curious about what people are using for their favorite humbuckers.

is there a readily available bobbin that is more vintage-correct than the allparts/stewmac version? or is everyone on the quest for the world's most accurate PAF making their own?

i'm sure that material matters a great deal, but i'm more interested in dimensional differences between the bobbins available for the time being. i'm completely new to winding, interested in doing it primarily for repairs. i'd love to be able to wind a pickup on the allparts bobbins and another on a more PAF-sized bobbin and hear the difference. i currently have a t-top that's missing a coil, and would like to wind a replacement coil to get it up and running-- what options are available?

thanks

[Achiles]

Enybody home?

[SkinnyWire]

Any of them will do the job and allow you produce a quality pickup. Mojo is a convenient and reliable source with good pricing, IMO.

[voodoochild]

If you wax pot your pickups like I do then go with Mojo bobbins. If not go with the more expensive Allparts bobbins with solid cores. They both end up looking and sounding great and if you don't plan on your customers cutting the pickup open to see what's inside (solid or hollow core) then who cares. In regards to Butyrate, I can't tell a difference in the material of the bobbins personally. I'm sure like anything it could be differentiated on paper with some fancy graphs and mathematical jargon, but the human ear is a whole different thing which all that really matters in the end.

[David King]

mojo is mojo musical supply which resolves to
Humbucker
They have wholesale pricing if you ask for it and log in.

[onusx]

thanks for the replies guys. i've been totally absorbed in reading the PAF parts thread since i saw that more recent bost about butyrate bobbins. fascinating to see all the work that's gone into debating the physical and sonic properties of that particular pickup.

are there differences in dimensions in the coils? i have both allparts and mojo accounts, so i can order from either and will probably try both. i'm curious which companies are actually selling different products, and what the main differences are? i saw some bits about rounded vs. squared corners from some suppliers.

i also read several folks' opinions that the PAFs had shorter coils than what's commonly being sold today, and that effected the wind pattern and so on. are some coils more easily modified than others? i'm interested in experimenting with the size of the coils, but as someone said, understanding the designs of various pickups can save a lot of mistakes.

are any of the parts available being made in the US? i know for some people their sources, materials, and designs are closely guarded, but of those that aren't, are there some common sources for specialized parts such as these fancy vintage screws you've been discussing, or are those things people had to have custom made, or make themselves? i'm unlikely to ever invest in replicating something enough to have new molds made and so on, but i'd love to have the chance to hear for myself the difference that screw materials and sizes might make in a pickup.

[Achiles]

I love this forum.

[SkinnyWire]

There's a thread or two here regarding the dimensions of bobbins from the different sources mentioned above. I provided some of the measurements since I have bobbins from all of them.

If you keep your eyes peeled, you might be able to get in on a group purchase for certain parts like custom screws, etc. Not too often, but a bulk buy comes along ever now and again. There are slight and perceptible differences in tone between the various alloy types.

With respect to Butyrate versus other materials, most of the postings here are to ensure that the rest of us plebes fully understand that we're lower tier when it comes to PAF "clones". It also allows for big bucks pricing and cork-sniffery. Until they're ponied up for sale, it really doesn't mean shit beyond that to the rest of us. There may be some difference in tone imparted based on the bobbin material as the end result is a complex equation. Still, you can get "that sound" with widely available materials until such time as you're ready to commit to injection molding, etc., on your own.

[onusx]

thanks for the input! i look forward to hearing the results of all the work to recreate the PAFs and comparing them to some of the other great sounding pickups out there. i certainly wouldn't reject the notion that every piece makes a difference, but i'm also interested in discovering what my own preferences are and learning about the many possible routes to the same destination...

i do think it's exciting that people are applying so much focus and knowledge to pickup design these days. it seems to me that far more attention is going into the fine details now than may have originally been the case in the designs people are emulating. we seem to be in a renaissance of sorts when it comes to materials and design in all aspects of luthiery, amp and electronics design, and so forth-- definitely a good thing!