All The Newbie Posters Here

[NightWinder]

I would like to say it has been a real pleasure reading some of your posts, and by all means, continue to. You guys are eagar and hungry for knowledge and steped right in with great ideas. Enjoy the forum, Its here for you.

[PoorMan]

I would like to say it has been a real pleasure reading some of your posts, and by all means, continue to. You guys are eagar and hungry for knowledge and steped right in with great ideas. Enjoy the forum, Its here for you.

Thanks, NightWinder. Very nice of you. Experienced winders are often hesitant when it comes to noobs (and I can understand why). Everyone here seems cool and supportive for the most part. I have a lot of respect for all the work, research and testing you all have done.

To share a little about myself, I am a tinkerer. I have a pretty decent sized guitar collection and this is a fun way for me to experiment with different tones. I don't see myself ever offering my services to the public. I have a decent gig in real estate lending that keeps me very busy.

I'm going to wind my first 'bucker this weekend. It's going in a 90's Charvel that I'm going to sell. If anyone has any last minute words of wisdom or tips to save me from potential headaches a noob might encounter, I'd surely appreciate it!

Cheers,
Dave

[black_labb]

i sencond that poorman, hopefully i can take things in pretty quickly and then soon have a pretty good understanding of things, or atleast a good basis for experementing.

im baasically an 18 year old engineering student who loves making things, ive made 1 guitar and am in the process of making the second, and thought it would be cool to make my own pickups. i have a metal lathe that i could wind it comfortably on and justified buying the materials as decent pickups are quite expensive, and again i am obsessed with making things. i have plenty of friends i could make pickups for as well.

[OFM]

Thanks Nightwinder, and everyone here in the pickup-forum...

I wasn't very sure about posting here at the beggining, but now i read the forum everyday and I think i've learned a lot...

I recongnize i was a bit "intimmidated" when I started posting here, but i'm feeling OK right now.

Greetings,
Ben

[Ruel]

This is great forum. I don't need to buy any additional book about pickup winding anymore. I got Jason's book which really pointed me in the right direction, but most of the information I need are already right here, in this forum. Sure, you get the nitpickers and gripers once in a while. Most of the time though, you get helpful tips.

[PoorMan]

I have stupid a noob question...

But first off, thanks to Zhang for offering his input and support. Also thanks to NightWinder for starting this thread.

My question is this...how do you lay the start lead wire? I've seen/heard a few different methods and I'm wondering which is best and why? Do you run it through the hole on the bobbin flange vertically up the winding surface? Do you lay the lead on the inside bottom corner? Do yoy lay it on the outside of the coil on the longside of the bobbin? Help?!?!?!

I've wound a couple coils and realized I didn't think ahead. I didn't connect the start lead before winding or consider its placement. I feel like a total dumbass!

Thanks!

[Zhangliqun]

Just running it up through the hole in the bottom is best because -- whether you run it up vertical along the end of the bobbin (perpendicular to the flanges) or along the length of the bobbin (parallel to flanges), the tension of all that coil wire on top of it holds it pretty tightly in place (especially perpendicular) and makes it less likely that it could be accidentally yanked out. Either way, obviously put some coil tape over it so the solder joint is covered.

I like to go perpendicular because it seems to hold the lead in there even tighter, though I'll go parallel once in a while when it's an overwound pickup and every cubic micrometer of space at the ends of the bobbin is crucial to keep the coil from bulging off the end too far.

It works either way and probably most makers do parallel.

There is a third way, which is to run the start lead off the end without running it through a hole in the bottom of the bobbin. I've seen it done that way too but unless I'm missing something, I think it's the least effective of the 3 ways. It's both easy to accidentally yank that lead out and it gets the most in the way of winding the coil, so to me it's the worst of both worlds.

[PoorMan]

Just running it up through the hole in the bottom is best because -- whether you run it up vertical along the end of the bobbin (perpendicular to the flanges) or along the length of the bobbin (parallel to flanges), the tension of all that coil wire on top of it holds it pretty tightly in place (especially perpendicular) and makes it less likely that it could be accidentally yanked out. Either way, obviously put some coil tape over it so the solder joint is covered.

I like this method for the reasons you mention, but I have 2 concerns. (You all tell me how valid these concerns are.)

1.) By doing this it obviously changes the coil shape to some degree. Will this have tonal implications?
2.) The winds I'm doing are REALLY filling up the bobbins. So I'm worried this might occupy valuable real estate (although that may not be true...I could always bulge the wind in the middle so as to not create a problem...but I don't know if this would have negative tonal implications)

[corduroyew]

There is a third way, which is to run the start lead off the end without running it through a hole in the bottom of the bobbin. I've seen it done that way too but unless I'm missing something, I think it's the least effective of the 3 ways. It's both easy to accidentally yank that lead out and it gets the most in the way of winding the coil, so to me it's the worst of both worlds.

All the DiMarzio pickups I've taken apart do it that way. I do it that way for high output pickups because when I'm doing a 25K humbucker I need all the room I can get.

[PoorMan]

Another Question

On a 'bucker...When I run braided wire under the screw bobbin the bobbin doesn't sit flat--it leans back a little. Anyone else experience this?

[NightWinder]

Hum,, you have a picture. Is your shoe (keeper) twisted?

[PoorMan]

Hum,, you have a picture. Is your shoe (keeper) twisted?

Nah, my camera is screwed up. I'll have to check on the keeper...the issue is probably somehow related.

[NightWinder]

It may very well also be that you may have put the screws in crooked.....Its a hard call without seeing it. Does the shoe go on easily?

[WolfeMacleod]

If I may add something..

...and despite my earlier exhanges with Nightwinder, I really am a nice guy.
Untill someone pisses me off. It's in my Scottish nature.

But..I think (and hope) we're OK now.

..for now.

[madialex]

On a 'bucker...When I run braided wire under the screw bobbin the bobbin doesn't sit flat--it leans back a little. Anyone else experience this?

I run mine under there as well and what I found with the leaning bobbin is this, Where you solder the braided wire to the base plate it may be that there is a lump of solder raising it up, at least thats what I found when I first did it like that and it still will do it if I'm not careful. I now use a small clamp on both ends just to hold the wire flat when I solder it along the baseplate, not tight, just to keep it flat and even with the lip on the baseplate. Hope this is all it is...