Ouch! Drill got a little too intimate with a Lawrence 290-TL

[TigerG]

I just did an embarrassingly stupid thing--let me just say that the tip of a drill bit kissed the bottom coil of a Bill Lawrence L-290TL goodbye. It looks about 20 windings might be broken. I'm considering attempting to unwind the coil enough to get beyond the breaks--I figure the worst that can happen is that I can completely destroy a pickup that's already wrecked. Anybody familiar with the construction of these pickups have any pointers (for starters, is the white or the black lead connected to the bottom coil?), or anybody have any helpful hints or other suggestions for this sort of undertaking? How might the sound of the pickup be affected by one coil losing some of its windings (it's a stacked Tele humbucker)?

Thanks, and I hope you're having a happier New Year than I am so far.