I just attended the Jason Lollar pickup winding class.

[glaze]

I just got back from the two day Jason Lollar pickup winding class held at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. This class was held on June 16-17, 2018 in Phoenix, Arizona. The standard class option was $425 which is what I paid. I felt like it was a bargain because I got a copy of Jason's pickup winding book, all materials were included to wind a Strat single coil and a Humbucker which I got to keep. I got to wind two coils on the pickup winding machine Jason Lollar built. I also wound one coil on the Mojotone pickup winding machine. The Mojotone machine is very cool, but the Jason Lollar built machine has the ability to wind slow on up to incredibly fast(much faster than I wanted to wind at). Jason Lollars instruction was incredible! I got far more out of this class than I expected.

I never had wound a pickup before this class. Both of my pickups that I wound worked great and I did not make any mistakes due to I was really listening to Jason Lollars instruction of each step. There were about twenty guy's in this class so you really had to be paying attention to what Jason was teaching because he does not like to waste time.

[glaze]

I do not currently own any tools or materials to wind pickups. Jason Lollar told the class he would not sell supplies to us because it is too hard to keep track of inventory for his business. I respect that and he never has built his business around selling supplies.

I have to ask the forum members what suppliers they recommend I buy from to get setup to wind vintage style pickups. I build electric guitars and I prefer the sound of 50's and 60's style vintage pickups. I need to find a U.S. supplier for smaller amounts of Electrisola wire as an example.

[GunbarrelCustom]

Thanks! I didn’t know he did something like this. Maybe a road trip to Washington in late autumn is in order.

[glaze]

GunbarrelCustom

I did not know he did either until two months ago. I seen the class listed on the Roberto-Venn website and instantly wanted to go. I am from Utah, so I flew in to Phoenix to attend the class. Most of the guy's in the class were students in the guitar building class at the school. I met some really cool people there and it is nice to hang around people who are into guitar building like I am. I have no idea if this class will ever be available again because I did not ask.

[David King]

it might make sense to ask Jason where and when he'd be willing to travel to for another class. I could see him coming to Portland for a day or two at American School of Lutherie or in Sebastopol with Harry Fleischman's Lutherie School International. Maybe Redwing in Minn? It would take some planning but if there's interest and Jason enjoys the sights why not? Most of these programs can only handle 4-5 students at once which might be too small to make it pay.

[GunbarrelCustom]

That’s why I said I’d road trip Washington during the autumn when it’s too cold to finish guitars yet not ski season. However, I have a different pass next year and might try for some days of Sierra Cement never having skied anywhere in the great Northwest.

Of course there is the danger of learning something the correct way when you’ve been getting really good results flying blind lol.

[Antigua]

The Mojotone machine is very cool, but the Jason Lollar built machine has the ability to wind slow on up to incredibly fast(much faster than I wanted to wind at).

The red Mojotone winder with the digital read out? I have one of those, I have to say, to Mojotone's credit, I think it's capable of going both much slower and much faster than I would ever want to run it at. I don't think it's lacking in that regard.

[glaze]

Antigua

The class had several of the red Mojotone winders with the digital readout. The school was selling the Mojotone winder to people who wanted them, which is an endorsement for this winder. I was very interested in the Mojotone winder and it was the first one I tried. I am very impressed with the Monotone winder, it is a great tool. I wound the next two coils on the Lollar built pickup winder which his pickup winding book describes how to make. The Lollar built pickup winder is a fast beast if you push it as fast as it will go. I had to wind two coils on Lollar's winder because when am I going to ever get a chance to do that again?

[Chuck H]

FWIW Jason Lollar is a member here. He use to be SN Jason Lollar but changed that in 2015 to Lollar Jason (probably because brand recognition is his last name?). He doesn't post a lot, but he's around (600+ posts since 2006 but his last visit was only four days ago). I would think Portland is a daytrip for him WITH the class since he's out of Tacoma.?. Maybe he just needs a nudge. I'm here on Whidbey island and a local friend of mine knows him pretty well, owns several of his products and says he's a good guy. I haven't met him yet, but since I may be needing a P-90 soon.?.

[big_teee]

When I started winding, for instructions, this manual, is basically what I had, with a few other things from the web.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/a...3&d=1368412214

[glaze]

FWIW Jason Lollar is a member here. He use to be SN Jason Lollar but changed that in 2015 to Lollar Jason (probably because brand recognition is his last name?). He doesn't post a lot, but he's around (600+ posts since 2006 but his last visit was only four days ago). I would think Portland is a daytrip for him WITH the class since he's out of Tacoma.?. Maybe he just needs a nudge. I'm here on Whidbey island and a local friend of mine knows him pretty well, owns several of his products and says he's a good guy. I haven't met him yet, but since I may be needing a P-90 soon.?.

Chuck H

If you guy's can persuade Jason Lollar to do another class, then great. Jason Lollar is a great guy. I made friends with Jason Lollar in the class and I really got to talk to him over two days time even though there were about twenty students in the pickup winding class. Jason had no problem teaching twenty guy's to wind pickups all at the same time, but the students at Roberto-Venn are serious about guitar making. Just a great experience for me and I am glad I went.

Personally I do not currently own any Lollar Pickups. I currently own Duncan, Fralin, Suhr, Van Zandt and Rolph pickups. I had a Tom Holmes humbucker which I wish I never would have sold a long time ago which sounded really good. I have tried a wide range of stuff through the years. Jason Lollars pickups sound really good to me, but I have only heard them through YouTube videos. I personally think YouTube videos are a great way to hear how things really sound. Once you hear several guy's play the same thing you have a very good idea of what they really sound like.

All of Jason Lollars pickups sound great to me on YouTube videos. Collings in using his stuff and they are very picky. A Collings with Lollar Imperials sounds fantastic to me. Lance Keltner playing an Asher guitar with a Lollar Chicago Steel in it sounds amazing to me, but he is using pedals with it. Lots of Nash guitar videos with Lollar pickups in them sound great. Waterslide guitars do some really cool stuff with Lollar pickups. I like all of it and I am picky.

The pickup I want to buy first from Lollar is the Chicago Steel because it sounds great to me and is completely different than anything else I already own. I will end up buying a few Lollar pickups... I would love to have a Collings with Lollar Imperials in it.

[glaze]

When I started winding, this is basically what I had, with a few other things from the web.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/a...3&d=1368412214

The class had the Schatten winders there also, but I did not try one. I noticed the Schatten winders spin in a slower elegant way. Some guy's in the class seemed to prefer the Schatten.

I have read many of your cool posts recently big_teee.

[big_teee]

The class had the Schatten winders there also, but I did not try one. I noticed the Schatten winders spin in a slower elegant way. Some guy's in the class seemed to prefer the Schatten.

I have read many of your cool posts recently big_teee.

You missed my point. I wasn't very clear.
I just used the Schatten winder manual for winding instructions.(no schatten winder)
Most of us started with minimum instruction.
At that time I was using a drill to turn the bobbins.
Pretty primitive, and pretty crude, but it worked.
Winding is like most things, lots of trial and error, and practice.
GL,
T

[glaze]

You missed my point. I wasn't very clear.
I just used the Schatten winder manual for winding instructions.(no schatten winder)
Most of us started with minimum instruction.
At that time I was using a drill to turn the bobbins.
Pretty primitive, and pretty crude, but it worked.
Winding is like most things, lots of trial and error, and practice.
GL,
T

Sorry big_teee. I clicked on that link in your post and seen the Schatten information. You did what I did not. You read information and got started. I read Lollar's book ten years ago and never started buying any pickup making supplies.

[Lollar Jason]

the guy from Utah- cant recall your name but yeah we talked a number of times. Everyone dont get excited! I have been teaching at Roberto Venn hands on pickup making 2 X a year for about 10 years with a typical class size of 20. I do it as a favour to William Eaton and all the people that work there I have known for some time. I like to go hiking out in the desert so sometimes I take an extra couple days to do that. Its alot of work, imagine teaching 20 people to make a humbucker and a strat pickup including putting the bobbin together in about 12 to 14 hours of class time. Often people who have never soldered and certainly most having not hand wound a coil before. Its pretty stressful. There is no time to take a breather and its 100 miles an hour from the time you start to the end- I often blow my voice out too. Point is Im not all hyped to do it more often than I do!
Yes many figure it out on your own but it will take alot longer to get to the point you would be at after taking a class. we do get people in that have been winding for some time and have had people come from as far as japan. Just the two hour tech session at the end is something you wont get anywhere else although alot of it goes over most of the students heads anyway and they will only remember it later when they stumble onto it on thier own. " OH thats what he was talking about" Anyway happy to have seen you there! that was a pretty good class with very few big mistakes. 115 degrees that thursday was insane, 90 degrees and raining was bad enough!
Point is 2 X a year is enough for me, I would go nuts doing it more often HA!