Coil "tuning"???

[ShannonH]

Hi All,
I recently, at the suggestion of Possum, made a pickup with double slugs, and actually made it with one side having the adjustable slugs Pat at GJ has. Additionally, I wound one coil with 42 one with 43, 6000 winds each. This but the resistance at 4.4 and 6.5, respectively. The result is a dead quiet pickup, with nice highs and just enough mids to sound nasal like a hot wound single coil.

It's useful, and I have learned a few things from it. I want it to be have more lows, and to "sing" just a bit more, so I am going to try a brass plate, and rotate it as well. I tried this on the basis that each coil should pick up different frequencies, because of the differences in the wire.

The pickup is in an alder strat, so the string scale and wood are factors I am looking to overcome. I started off with an open cover/ring on it, and it really tightened the sound up, which is cool too if you play a certain style. I am also thinking of peeling off a few hundred winds from one coil to see what the effect would be. The adjustable coil has the 42 on it. Incidentally, this is what Dimarzio calls "coil tuning", varying the winds to get certain frequencies and keep things quiet. They use 44 and 42 though.

Has any one tried this sort of thing, and what was your outcome? Just looking for overall impressions, in the interest of sharing. I will post a sound byte at my website if anyone is interested in hearing my mediocre playing

[SteikBacon]

How will a coil perform if I put some more winding on the same bobbin. So I could switch from 8 to 9k.... and still have same pickup.

[ShannonH]

You will drop highs and lows, and increase mids. The only trick is to properly insulate the solder joint where you join the wire. I use clear nail polish and let it dry completely.

[David Schwab]

I've been wanting to try a pickup with a difference gauge on each coil. I did do one with a different number of windings on each coil, but they both had 45 AWG.

This could be exactly what I'm looking for on one of my pickups. I did one with 42 and another with 43 (both coils) and I like both of them, so I'd love to combine the two tones.

[corduroyew]

Too bad they were able to patent on this.

It does work very well for boosting output as well and giving clearer more defined tone. I really like it but a lot of people tell me it's too twangy.

[Dave Kerr]

Patent 4501185 was issued in 1985 - it's fair game now, isn't it? Anyway, you get around the letter of the patent if the number of windings on each coil do not have "substantially the same number of turns". Thicker wire would require fewer turns to capture an equivalent hum signal because you'd have a larger average area/turn than in the coil with narrower wire.

[corduroyew]

Hmmm... I might have to start revisiting some of my old designs

[Joe Gwinn]

Patent 4501185 was issued in 1985 - it's fair game now, isn't it?

Yes. The US law is that patents expire twenty years after date of filing, regardless of grant date. (It used to be 17 years after grant.)

[David Schwab]

Yes. The US law is that patents expire twenty years after date of filing, regardless of grant date. (It used to be 17 years after grant.)

Yay! I was avoiding trying this because I assumed the patent was still active.

It's good marketing on DiMarzio's part that they list the patents on their products... besides showing that they have something novel enough to patent, they also discourage people from copying them... assuming someone didn't take the time to see when the patent expired... (like me)

[ShannonH]

I think one of things I'd like to know....

...has to do with getting frequencies tune-able. If you make a hum'b with all 42 wire, you generally vary the resistance between the coils to not totally kill the frequencies that are desirable, and to get good harmonics. If the coils are wrapped the same number of turns with different wire as I did, each coil should be picking up different frequencies, as the resistance is very different, and there are inherent differences in the wire. This particular combo sounds like a rock style pick up with less output than something wound with all 43. I intend to post a sound sample once I can sit down and put in on my website, as I'd really like some input. Thanks!

Shannon