How can I make my pickups different from everyone else's?

[big_teee]

There are all different reasons for winding.
Too make money, or perhaps just to save money.
David King said the same reason I wind is to make my own, and to save money.
I was buying pickups, and didn't care for even some of the vintage pickups.
I thought I could do better, and save money.
In my mind, they sound good to me, and that's what matters.
On the Money Saving part, I think the money I save, Probably costs me more.
Like I have always said, There is no Wrong Reason to wind Pickups.
There is no Wrong type of pickup to wind, whether it be vintage, or new.
Different Strokes for different Folks.
T

[David Schwab]

There's a difference between winding pickups for your own instruments and winding pickups for sale. Sometimes you can do both. If the pickups you want for your own instruments are just plain vanilla copies of Fender or Gibson pickups, you can indeed save money. If the pickups you want for your own instruments are something different, you have no choice, and can still save money. But as with building instruments, you are not going to save money building your own guitar unless you already have a woodworking shop or access to one. Then you can indeed build one cheaper.

If you are trying to go into business selling pickups, you have to think about your market. That's not "different strokes," that's being smart in business.

The OP wants to go into business making pickups that are different. So that nullifies all the things about saving money, etc.

The whole "vintage" pickup market is really crowded, even for bass pickups. What the world doesn't need is another "vintage" Jazz bass pickup clone. But making a Jazz bass size pickup that offers something different is a good idea.

Picking a pickup that people like, such as the G&Ls, but offering them in a form factor that G&L doesn't make is a good idea, because you can't get it anywhere else.