comparisons between 42# gauge and 43# gauge plain enamel.

[David Schwab]

Yes!
A great deal of Both!
Terry

OK... Because if you wind the same turn count they will hum cancel fine, even though the DC resistance is way different.

[kevinT]

Use less scatter and more tension to increase the DCR and number of turns. In other words increase your turns per layer (TPL).

Switching over to 43 will change the entire dynamics of the pickup.

A tensioning device will help add consistant tension which will keep the coil thinner.

David,

I wind a 10K pickup in which I use 42 AWG SPN. I have to use 42 at this DCR or I wouldn't be able to get the tone I want from the pickup.

[David Schwab]

David,

I wind a 10K pickup in which I use 42 AWG SPN. I have to use 42 at this DCR or I wouldn't be able to get the tone I want from the pickup.

If you can do it, that's the way to do it. I agree about the tone. But I was pointing out that all the commercial pickups I've seen that are wound much hotter than PAF specs use 43. Sometimes that's a good thing because they don't get too bassy.

I'd rather made taller bobbins and stick with 42. But I've been doing some interesting guitar humbuckers with 43 and 44 lately.

[guitar_slinger8]

thanks guys, im gonna try to put more tensin and use more scatter

[David Schwab]

thanks guys, im gonna try to put more tensin and use more scatter

LESS scatter. More scatter makes the coil bigger. You want a more compact coil. You want to wind a very neat coil with pretty much no scatter. You shouldn't scatter humbuckers anyway, they are mostly machine wound.

[Zhangliqun]

The equivalent of 9k worth of 42 is somewhere in the mid-11's in my experience. Except the coil would be more narrow and thus a bit thinner sounding, so you may have to add a few turns, and using a shallower bobbin would help too (not all humbucker bobbins are the same height).

Rough conversion formulas based on DCR may not be as accurate as turn counts, but in my experience they get you close enough to at least have to make only fine adjustments. Also, with some patterns having differences in pitch from turn to turn and layer to layer (which means some turns are longer than others even in the same layer), even turn counts might be a little fuzzier than at first glance if you're not using a pretty high TPL.

[Peter Naglitsch]

Hey David:
Do you remember this thread? http://music-electronics-forum.com/t20673/
I wonder what happened to this guy and idea?

I sent him the parts about two months ago. Should take the parts some weeks to reach him and then he need to wind, wind and wind to get it right. He promised to report back about the outcome so we have to wait and see...