Reusing old wire?

[orangedrop]

Probably a stupid Q - don't hit me to hard please
Would it be possible to reuse old magnetic wire? I'm thinking of using the magnetic wire from an old P90 for winding two HB bobbins? Would the wire break or get all tangled up in the process?

[big_teee]

If you have a way to retrieve, and reroll the wire without breaking it?
Give it a try.
I think you will find it to be more trouble than it is worth.
Let us know how it turns out?
I understand that Seymour Duncan did some of this in his early rewinding days!
T

[J M Fahey]

It *may* be done, but you must be real slow and careful.
It all depends on situation.
*If* you have a spool of same diameter wire, forget it.
If you have to rewind an odd wire pickup and don't want to order a spool which later you'll never ever use or maybe it's an *urgent* job and no time to order, well, it may pay.
I do not wind pickups but transformers; diameters are much larger, even so it's hard to justify, specially because I put all old wire even from real burnt transformers in a bucket, and when full exchange it 3:1 for new wire at my supplier.

[copperheadroads]

It can be done with some pickups ,like an old p-90 that's not potted might be a good candidate .
slower speed works better when unwinding ,it is very easy to stretch the wire so use minimal or no tension.

[big_teee]

I know guys love old vintage wire!
But, my time is too valuable to spend hours trying to recover 8000 turns of wire.
You could be doing something useful like napping!
Just Kidding.
T

[orangedrop]

Thank you - would it be worth the trouble an cost?
I ask because I have an old pair of P90:ies that sounds nothing like the regular Gibsons P90 - they are just outstanding.
Depending of the coil -> which means the magnet wire - I think ... :idea

[Electricdaveyboy]

I do it for old pickups if the owner will pay for it.Cost is 250 Euro for a pickup coil.
Unwind a pickup, spool the old wire on a coil and respool it so that the outside of the original pickup coil is used on the inside of the rewound pickup.
I had good results with this.
The tone can differ a lot wehn compared to a rewind with a new wire.

[J M Fahey]

I ask because I have an old pair of P90:ies that sounds nothing like the regular Gibsons P90 - they are just outstanding.

Let me see if I understood it: you *already* have a couple of *outstanding* P90s and you want to tear them apart ?????

[David Schwab]

Thank you - would it be worth the trouble an cost?
I ask because I have an old pair of P90:ies that sounds nothing like the regular Gibsons P90 - they are just outstanding.
Depending of the coil -> which means the magnet wire - I think ... :idea

No, it's not the magnet wire, it's just the way they were wound. If they sound good why do you want to unwind them? They wont sound like anything after that.

Reusing that wire on another pickup wont make it sound the same. A pickups tone is a combination of its parts.

[orangedrop]

If they sound good why do you want to unwind them? They wont sound like anything after that.

Reusing that wire on another pickup wont make it sound the same. A pickups tone is a combination of its parts.

I will not tear apart i good sounding P90, of course not.
I think you answered my question by stating that the PU wont sound as good after a rewound. I can understand that - but please enlighten me why this is so?
If I apply the same TPL, and the same tension it should sound approx. as before?
This is just a theoretical discussion

[big_teee]

I will not tear apart i good sounding P90, of course not.
I think you answered my question by stating that the PU wont sound as good after a rewound. I can understand that - but please enlighten me why this is so?
If I apply the same TPL, and the same tension it should sound approx. as before?
This is just a theoretical discussion

If you can, mic the wire O.D.
Also measure 10 feet of wire DCR at room temp.
Then see if you have a wire that dupes these measurements.
Wire can vary greatly in size, and that does effect the tone.
I like to use larger diameter 42 PE, or SPN for neck P/Us.
I usually save the smaller 42 for Bridge pickups.
You can experiment with that, and see what you come up with.
Also don't forget the magnet composition & gauss, and the steel used for screws and keeper bars.
Those also effect tone.
Then, you have, Total Turns, TPL, and Tension.
Good Luck,
Terry

[David Schwab]

I will not tear apart i good sounding P90, of course not.
I think you answered my question by stating that the PU wont sound as good after a rewound. I can understand that - but please enlighten me why this is so?
If I apply the same TPL, and the same tension it should sound approx. as before?
This is just a theoretical discussion

No, I meant if you remove the wire from one pickup and use it on another, it probably wont sound the same.

Yes, you can copy a pickup if you follow the same parameters. Then it should sound close. But there's no need to remove the wire from the first tone to reuse.

The very first pickups I wound were with wire removed from an early 70s Gibson mudbucker from my EB-2DC! I wanted to get a clearer tone from the pickup, so I unwound a lot of wire from it and saved the wire.

I wouldn't waste my time doing that these days!

[Mark Hammer]

Unmentioned in this thread is the prospect of unwinding wire that has been firmly potted. Unless one has a way of keeping it at a temperature that makes any potting wax very soft, you run the risk of tearing the wire during the unwinding.

Of course, if the coil/bobbin is NOT potted, you're in better shape.