Here's an interesting pickup

[SK66]

I once made a guitar humbucker like this. It had 4 sets of three poles divided high strings vs low strings. Each set of three had it's own output (8 wire+ ground). The "sides" were wound as humbuckers (high/low) AND the coils were wound humbucking (front/back).
Even using 46awg (might have been 45awg, don't remember?)the turn counts were low. Due to the low turn counts the finer wire did not have the "choking effect" usually associated. Due to the opposite polarity of the "sides" within the same coil it did have the odd transition spot in the middle...not good for a position with much string deviation or bending. This was for the bridge position.
Definitely need a preamp, unless maybe "straight to board".
Bench testing showed good tonality and a smooth/wide response curve. I did not have a preamp or a guitar wired to accept such a beast so I did not play it.
This was obviously a custom "one off", and as far as I know it was a success for it's intended use. (initially got good feedback; never heard anything else back). Even so, it was way too big a PITA to produce regularly (or ever again). *IF* I had custom parts pre-manufactured and a few more details already worked out, it might not have been so bad/ time consuming to make. Even then, I'm not sure it would be worth "producing"; it had very specific requirements/limitations which makes it a "custom application only" design IMO.

The general idea of "coil per string" has been around a long time and attempted/produced more than once. (most applications I've heard of are custom jobs for custom instruments)

[GlennW]

The neck pickups on Ovation Magnum basses have a coil for each string with a pot or something.

[David Schwab]

The neck pickups on Ovation Magnum basses have a coil for each string with a pot or something.

Yeah, they did that. Gibson did it too.

I posted the Wal pickup because they are fairly rare to see, not so much because it's a revolutionary pickup.


Here's a Gibson EB4L humbucker (1972-79)

[David Schwab]

Made a set of this type of pickup for my Stratocaster about six months ago.
Each coil read about 1.80k to 1.90k, total 5.60k per pickup, and only 700 feet of wire for each pickup.
The pic/sound sample of them is on my last post.
I thought my idea was original until David posted that Bass pickup photo.
Ach well, the cats out of the bag.
It`ll be interesting to see what he finds out when he does the autopsy.

Bartolini had hex coil Strat pickups in the mid 70's.

I made this 5 string Jazz bass pickup in 1991. This is a bottom view of the guts outside of the case, and with one magnet missing.

[Alabam]

Bartolini had hex coil Strat pickups in the mid 70's.

I made this 5 string Jazz bass pickup in 1991. This is a bottom view of the guts outside of the case, and with one magnet missing.

Neat looking job,- how did you wind them, did you have to wind each coil and then solder them to each other, or as i did, in one continious wind.

[David Schwab]

Neat looking job,- how did you wind them, did you have to wind each coil and then solder them to each other, or as i did, in one continious wind.

Interesting story...

Those coils are actually from the old Thomas Edison factory in West Orange NJ. I grew up down the street from his lab, which is now a museum. Neighboring the lab was a number of very large factory buildings. They took up a whole city block and were about 4 stories tall. Back in the 70's when the factory either went out of business or moved, one of the buildings was converted to other things, but one was razed. They blasted the sucker! it was pretty cool.

Before it was razed they let people in to take what ever they wanted... there were big machines and stuff. My dad brought home a box of small parts, including some real cool Art Deco knobs from Dictaphone machines that I plan on recreating (the knobs that is).

In with those parts was en envelope filled with those coils. So years later when I started messing with pickups I figured why not utilize them? I also had six of them in a Strat cover for my lucite longhorn guitar I built. I had planned on trying to get them to work with an ARP Avatar (guitar synth) I had, that was missing the pickup. Later I used them for the bass pickup.

Originally I had a small alnico button magnet on the bottom of each coil. Then I went to two ceramic bars. I wired them in series. I forget exactly, but each coil was about 300 Ohms. I used a JFET preamp to boost the level. It was installed into a Jazz cover. Each coil has a small screw end sticking up that extended through the cover though a small hole I drilled. I installed it into an Ibanez 5 string at the bridge position. I used flats at the time, and it was a pretty cool tone. Real naked and clean.

They have pretty thin wire on them... looks like 45 or something. They are starting to unravel a bit as the tape gets old and falls off.

[NightWinder]

Poo

Yeah, they did that. Gibson did it too.

I posted the Wal pickup because they are fairly rare to see, not so much because it's a revolutionary pickup.


Here's a Gibson EB4L humbucker (1972-79)

Now that looks like cheezewizz compared to the wal?? Like poo?

[Alabam]

Now that looks like cheezewizz compared to the wal?? Like poo?

As long as it farts out a good sound, who cares.

[jop120]

Hey, could anyone confirm the size of the magnets in a Wal pickup? they look roughly 30x8x8mm. Also in this pic, they look as though they're magnetised along the length of the magnets, so that both coils on each string share the same polarity, is this correct or is that just some paint denoting the type of magnet?
It seems like that'd be a weird way to orientate the magnets, would you not get some cancellation in the field between the A and D strings? wandering if orientating the magnets in a more normal way (as in a PAF) would require smaller magnets to offer similar results.
Also if anyone has any additional dimensions on these pickups, I'd appreciate any notes you have.
Cheers