Wire in Suhr pickups

[Marco78]

Does someone knows what wire Suhr use on his pickups?

From this photo I think Suhr use poly wire. Do you confirm?

[soundguruman]

Are we supposed to know the type of wire from the photograph?

[Marco78]

Are we supposed to know the type of wire from the photograph?

From the hole on the bobbin I see a pink/orange color like poly wire. PE is very dark.

However I ask if someone have disassembled a Suhr pickups or know some info on this pickups.

[David Schwab]

From the hole on the bobbin I see a pink/orange color like poly wire. PE is very dark.

All magnet wire is the same color. It's the insulation that is colored. You can get poly that's colored black like most PE is, so that doesn't tell you anything.

I don't see anywhere that Suhr specifies a type of wire, so I would imagine it's poly. If it were PE he would say so, since that's a buzz word with people.

[Marco78]

I know that is the insulation that is colored. But I always see a "typical" color: pink for poly, brown/violet for PE and orange for HF. Because should someone color the insulation?

I also think that Suhr use poly wire, and since I'd to clone his pickups I'd use poly wire, but I'm not sure that with poly I can obtain a good quality pickups.. I associate poly with cheper asian pickups... Only obsession?

[LtKojak]

I associate poly with cheper asian pickups... Only obsession?

The insulation's color can be ordered, so you can have any poly wire with any color you want. I don't know about other types of insulation such as Plain Enamel or Formvar, but I'm pretty sure 'bout poly wire.

Wire is made of copper. There's not such a big difference in sound among wires once you get to deal with the different insulation thickness.

One of the things you learn is to "compensate" from batch to batch, specially if you buy small quantities, as every time you buy, chances are the wire you get comes from a different company than the last one you bought.

Once you get some economic muscle, you can order everything to spec, so you can guarantee consistency p'up after p'up after p'up... like Duncan does.

Don't believe the hype of "magical" wire or parts or whatever. The so oh hyped Gibson original PAFs were made from the cheapest materials they could get away with, (specially magnets) wound by women on minimum wage and assembled with no quality control whatsoever.

These are the facts. Everything else is hype.

HTH,

[Marco78]

Thanks my friend! I get some months ago 1 kg of PE 42 awg, but I'm thinking to sell it and buy some little bobbins of 42/43 poly wire.

[LtKojak]

Thanks my friend! I get some months ago 1 kg of PE 42 awg, but I'm thinking to sell it and buy some little bobbins of 42/43 poly wire.

You're absolutely and completely out of control!

AARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (running for life)

[Marco78]

You're absolutely and completely out of control!

AARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (running for life)

auhahuahuuahuahhau

I buy this 2 months ago for clone paf pickups in 2 guitar that now I have for sell. I'm waiting a friend that help me to build winding machine. Also I have a project for september and I have to save some money!

[salvarsan]

Think.

John Suhr was an early adopter of CNC manufacturing methods for his guitars. This is *not* the behavior of a vintage fetishist.

As you might expect, he doesn't care about vintage replication, but prefers his own tastes in pickup production. I am reminded of a discussion with him in which he claimed to use a Tanac (AX2?) programmable winder and changed the winding pitch on nearly every layer in order to control parasitic reactances.

In short, John Suhr is more likely to use a solderable polyester or poly+nylon magnet wire than PE.

[David Schwab]

I know that is the insulation that is colored. But I always see a "typical" color: pink for poly, brown/violet for PE and orange for HF. Because should someone color the insulation?

Magnet wire is copper colored. Most is then colored red. All the heavy Formvar I have look like poly.

What kind of wires are these?

but I'm not sure that with poly I can obtain a good quality pickups

Everyone else does.

I associate poly with cheper asian pickups...

Nope. Most pickups are made with poly. Wind some with different single build insulations and tell me you can hear a difference.

[David Schwab]

Thanks my friend! I get some months ago 1 kg of PE 42 awg, but I'm thinking to sell it and buy some little bobbins of 42/43 poly wire.

Why? Just wind with the wire you have. it doesn't make that much difference.

But you might not be able to copy his pickups anyway.

[David Schwab]

I am reminded of a discussion with him in which he claimed to use a Tanac (AX2?) programmable winder and changed the winding pitch on nearly every layer in order to control parasitic reactances.

Could be. I play with a guy who has a set of Doug Aldrich humbuckers in his Strat. They are 9k & 17.5k. You would think they would be supper muddy, but they really aren't.

[Marco78]

Why? Just wind with the wire you have. it doesn't make that much difference.

But you might not be able to copy his pickups anyway.

Why?
Because is very expensive in comparison to poly wire, and I got it to replicate PAF pickups. Now I don't have this need and I need to 43 AWG too... I think that poly is more simple to use because is more resistant. If I able to sell it I can buy 42 and 43 AWG wire and save some money.

John Suhr was an early adopter of CNC manufacturing methods for his guitars. This is *not* the behavior of a vintage fetishist.

As you might expect, he doesn't care about vintage replication, but prefers his own tastes in pickup production. I am reminded of a discussion with him in which he claimed to use a Tanac (AX2?) programmable winder and changed the winding pitch on nearly every layer in order to control parasitic reactances.

In short, John Suhr is more likely to use a solderable polyester or poly+nylon magnet wire than PE.

Hi Salvarsan,
Suhr says to use a vintage magnets build to exact specs of the 50 and 60 magnets, so his intention is replicate a old pickups probably. Probably for him the type of wire used isn't important like use a certain type of magnets.

[greenfingers]

Why?
Because is very expensive in comparison to poly wire, and I got it to replicate PAF pickups. Now I don't have this need and I need to 43 AWG too... I think that poly is more simple to use because is more resistant. If I able to sell it I can buy 42 and 43 AWG wire and save some money.



Hi Salvarsan,
Suhr says to use a vintage magnets build to exact specs of the 50 and 60 magnets, so his intention is replicate a old pickups probably. Probably for him the type of wire used isn't important like use a certain type of magnets.

I believe John uses PE for the SSV and DSV range of Humbuckers, The V stands for Vintage.