Asymmetrical Coil

[Marco78]

Hi boys, a complex topic: asymmetrical coil.

I use a photos that I can find on Throbak site to explain what I mean:



First bobbins is flat, second have V form, the third is asymmetrical and the forth have a rounded form.

I would to know how this different form can modify the pickups sound. Does someone know this differences?

[LtKojak]

Hi boys, a complex topic: asymmetrical coil.

I use a photos that I can find on Throbak site to explain what I mean:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16702[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]16703[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]16704[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]16705[/ATTACH]

First bobbins is flat, second have V form, the third is asymmetrical and the forth have a rounded form.

I would to know how this different form can modify the pickups sound. Does someone know this differences?

Marco, this is one very important part of every winder's closely guarded secret recipe.

I don't think any winder that's in business would be willing to share this kind of info with the world.

Laying the wire in the bobbin with different winding patterns and listening to the outcome teaches you about the importance of "coil geometry". This is what you learn from winding a lot of p'ups and LISTEN to them. Call it "Research And Developement"

You thought that p'up winding was so easy that everybody could do it? If you did, think again.

HTH,

[Marco78]

Marco, this is one very important part of every winder's closely guarded secret recipe.

I don't think any winder that's in business would be willing to share this kind of info with the world.

Laying the wire in the bobbin with different winding patterns and listening to the outcome teaches you about the importance of "coil geometry". This is what you learn from winding a lot of p'ups and LISTEN to them. Call it "Research And Developement"

You thought that p'up winding was so easy that everybody could do it? If you did, think again.

HTH,

I know that this topic is "winder's closely guarded secret recipe", but I wind the pickups for myself not for "entry in the business", so I don't "stolen" the work to anyone.

[copperheadroads]

One thing to remember about vintage humbuckers
One end of the bobbin had the lead wire coming through the hole
So with the lead wire lay-ed flat against the bobbin would create some uneven build of wire

[David Schwab]

My coils come out slightly different from pickup to pickup, and I don't hear any difference between the finished pickups.

I attempt to get the coil wound nice and even across. They usually have a slight hump in the middle.

[Bryan Jeppson]

I like to have one end of the coil v shaped while the other end winds up rounded. This takes a great deal of patience and a hefty learning curve , but the sound is out of this world!

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Typically my coils tend to start out v shaped and about halfway through I keep the wire more in the middle so that the final shape ends up slightly rounded. Still not a set in stone rule though.

[Earl Norton]

French curve looks nice.

[JGundry]

Those pics are from my site. All of those are machine wound with mechanical traverse machines. They are not asymmetrical from a computer program or from hand guiding. I mainly concentrate on making repros and the asymmetrical coil is one of many details that can crop up with vintage machine wound pickups like P.A.F.'s and P-90's. Particularly with P.A.F.'s I sometimes build in this variation between the two coils. Tonally what does it do? An asymmetrical coil will have a little random scatter built into it because the windings kind of have to find there own place on the coil because the traverse is not adjusted to the optimum stops. This reduces capacitance a little. One of those shapes reduces the capacitance by quite a bit and it does make for a more detailed low end. But with most of those shapes tonal difference is marginal. But I do think that particularly with a P.A.F. it is one variable among many that can add little more tonal complexity to a humbucker. You get just a little difference in the aperture between the two coils which I think.

On thing that is important to say is you do get a different sound from uniform or asymmetrical coils that are machine wound than you do from similar looking coils that are hand wound. the machine wound coil is relentless in repeating each layer. That includes repeating small imprecisions in traverse layer after layer. These shapes slowly build through the coil in a way that you cannot do by hand.