Ranking magnet wire insulations

[Mark Hammer]

So I picked up Dave Hunter's Guitar Pickup Handbook, and am working my way through it in fits and spurts on the bus-commute into work. An interesting read, but the "fits and spurts" part is hampering my big picture thinking.

Hunter regularly makes a point of alluding to what the wire is coated with, and I have the sense that different coatings present different opportunities for fitting more turns into a smaller physical space, and also being able to do so reliably.

So, a question to those of you with more experience: how do the various common insulations/coatings rank....

• in terms of thickness? (from thickest to thinnest)
• in terms of consistency? (from most consistent thickness to most variable thickness)

...or do such ranking ultimately depend on who produced the wire?

[David Schwab]

Warning! That book is rife with errors. I have an early edition, and the editing is, well non existent. No one proof read this book before it went to the printers!

Just as an example, the Lollar interview ends with "Eexactly..." There are sentences that make no sense at all. I was going to highlight them all but I figured what's the point! Jason told me he thinks later copies had the errors fixed.

In my copy a lot of the pickup specs are just plain wrong, like saying the Duncan JB is wound with 42AWG wire. He also has several contradictory explanations of "monkey-on-a-stick". He admits to not knowing the technical details and it shows. Take it all with a grain of salt.

But its an entertaining book, especially for the interviews.

Magnet wire is generally is generally coated with SPN (solderable poly nylon), formvar or plain enamel. Then you can get single or double thickness coatings. I think you can get triple too, but I don't think that's used for pickups. As far as consistency, most of the wire I get has the actual dimension written on it, such as "0.60". For what I make I notice no difference in tone between wire batches.

[Mark Hammer]

Funny you should say that. I had bought Hunter's Effects Pedals book a couple of years ago and had the same impression of it too, but of course I was much better-informed about pedals than pickups, and much better-positioned to spot the rather glaring errors....and boy were there a lot. Same impression about the interviews that book contained, though. Very informative.

[RedHouse]

...He admits to not knowing the technical details and it shows. Take it all with a grain of salt.
...

Yes definately.

I got it as a Christmas gift last year and was surprised how "inacurate" it was. Shame really.

[salvarsan]

For primary references, there are only two documents on wire insulation:
Shugg, and the NEMA 1000 spec.

Handbook of Electrical and Electronic Insulating Materials by W. Tillar Shugg

NEMA MW 1000 (2008) magnet wire specification standards

You don't need them because no one else does what pickup makers do in grading magnet wire qualitatively.

The bad news: you're on your own.
The good news: you're the final authority.

Advice: don't screw it up. Be as exact as possible in describing differences.

[RedHouse]

...Advice: don't screw it up. Be as exact as possible in describing differences.

And don't get used to it, the next batch/spool you get might not sound the same as the last batch/spool.

[salvarsan]

And don't get used to it, the next batch/spool you get might not sound the same as the last batch/spool.

That's for sure.

[mode="sarcasm"; style="ghandi";]

Q: What do you think of magnet wire quality control?
A: I think it would be a good idea.

[/mode]

[big_teee]

That's for sure.

[mode="sarcasm"; style="ghandi";]

Q: What do you think of magnet wire quality control?
A: I think it would be a good idea.

[/mode]

I doublt that anyone would want to pay the extra cost?
Hell I can't afford it now!
Terry

[RedHouse]

That's for sure.

[mode="sarcasm"; style="ghandi";]

Q: What do you think of magnet wire quality control?
A: I think it would be a good idea.

[/mode]

Ok, that made me reverse-snort pepsi out through my nose!. Damn, I think I'm gonna have'ta fasten my seatbelt and return my tray to it's upright position before I read Sal's posts anymore.

Ok, off now to change my t-shirt...

[David Schwab]

And don't get used to it, the next batch/spool you get might not sound the same as the last batch/spool.

That hasn't been my experience.