Daily Run Down, & Round Table-P/Us

[ReWind]

Hey, I'm actually around tonight. Usually, I work straight up to bed. I'm staying up a bit tonight. No work in the morning. Just a trip to the park with my lady friend and her dog.

I even have something to report - I built another weird pickup tonight. Just playing around with some extra parts. It's a single HB slug bobbin wound with almost 8000 turns of 42AWG PE. It's really bulged in the center so I had to tape fast and careful to keep the outer turns from falling off the buried flanges. I used 1215 slugs and put a long UOA5 on either side in a P-90 N-to-N fashion. I used a PAF baseplate and put it under a solid (no holes) nickel cover.

Looks good, but I don't like it. It's actually much louder than even a 17,000 turn A5 HB I have in the bridge and not as bright as I would like to have seen in a 7.15k SC. I thought the A5 magnets would be a good way to keep the output up, since I wasn't using any poll screws, and also to compliment the 1215 slugs. I'm going to put A2s in it (or an A2/A3) and change the slugs to 1022 in an attempt to change the character of this.

MAYBE, if that still doesn't work, I'm going to try using magnetic poll pieces with/without an bar magnet as well.

[SonnyW]

Where is everyone tonight?
T

I was out for a while at a charity event, back now but didn't get one thing done on pickups today. My '65 set guy from Houston emailed me after he got the .1 caps in and the result was great he is happy as can be now. Me too when the orders start rolling in .. maybe..

Other than that we are having a cold front roll in, it is 77 and raining now. This is good in one way we need rain but it is messing up the aerial spraying for the mosquitoes which are responsible for the West Nile virus. We have had 10 fatalities from that so far in Dallas and it is an emergency situation. That is over half the national total. Too mild of a winter didn't kill enough of them. Rain neutralizes the spray so they had to stop. But the dang mosquitoes like the rain plenty.

[SonnyW]

Hey, I'm actually around tonight. Usually, I work straight up to bed. I'm staying up a bit tonight. No work in the morning. Just a trip to the park with my lady friend and her dog.

I even have something to report - I built another weird pickup tonight. It's a single HB slug bobbin wound with almost 8000 turns of 42AWG PE. It's really bulged in the center and I have to tape fast and careful to keep the outer turns from falling off the buried flanges. I used 1215 slugs and put a long UOA5 on either side in a P-90 N-to-N fashion. I used a PAF baseplate and put it under a solid (no holes) nickel cover.


Looks good, but I don't like it. It's actually much louder than even a 17,000 turn A5 HB I have in the bridge and not as bright as I would like to have seen in a 7.15k SC. I thought the A5 magnets would be a good way to keep the output up, since I wasn't using any poll screws, and also to compliment the 1215 slugs. I'm going to put A2s in it (or an A2/A3) and change the slugs to 1022 in an attempt to change the character of this.

MAYBE, if that still doesn't work, I'm going to try using magnetic poll pieces with/without an bar magnet as well.

IMHO, a couple of things contribute to the darkness. The double magnets will tend to give a wider magnetic window that favors the longer wavelength harmonics and more winds make for a darker sound. Since it might be almost too loud anyhow I'd say cut down slightly on the turns and try to keep the A5U or even go to regular A5 or A8 mags, instead of the other way round to A2's. Maybe even try going all the way to a pair of C8's. I would offhand say the A2 or A3 wouldn't increase brightness much. Mags ought to be easy enough to swap quickly if you have them around. Just my thoughts on it.

[big_teee]

I was out for a while at a charity event, back now but didn't get one thing done on pickups today. My '65 set guy from Houston emailed me after he got the .1 caps in and the result was great he is happy as can be now. Me too when the orders start rolling in .. maybe..

Other than that we are having a cold front roll in, it is 77 and raining now. This is good in one way we need rain but it is messing up the aerial spraying for the mosquitoes which are responsible for the West Nile virus. We have had 10 fatalities from that so far in Dallas and it is an emergency situation. That is over half the national total. Too mild of a winter didn't kill enough of them. Rain neutralizes the spray so they had to stop. But the dang mosquitoes like the rain plenty.

I'm back.
I finally got rid of the red guitar that has been promised for about a month.
He came and got it today.
He didn't bring it, but he has an old ailing Jackson P/J bass that I may trade for.
It needs some TLC, but has potential, may get it later.
It has some knobs missing, some corrosion here and there.
I have been wanting something to test P, & Js in.
T

[ReWind]

I have all the common AlNico mags on hand. I don't actually have any ceramics now. I don't usually use those. Maybe I'll try a single magnet first? Interestingly, I've wound the same coil, but on a P90 bobbin and it sounded great with two UOA5s. Keeper and poll screws and coil shape would be the difference, of course.

[big_teee]

I have all the common AlNico mags on hand. I don't actually have any ceramics now. I don't usually use those. Maybe I'll try a single magnet first? Interestingly, I've wound the same coil, but on a P90 bobbin and it sounded great with two UOA5s. Keeper and poll screws and coil shape would be the difference, of course.

I built a similar pickup last winter.
I used flatwork and some 1018 Slugs.
I thought it sounded best If you kept the winding gap narrow. .25".
It was really bright with 2 magnets. I ended up with 2 A2s medium charge.
It was noisey like all single coils.
I actually prefer a low wound A2 humbucker for a mellow neck tone. 6.8-7.2k range.
I agree with Sonny on the C5s and C8s for certain pickups are hard to beat.
So what's going on today?
T

[LtKojak]

Hey, I'm actually around tonight. Usually, I work straight up to bed. I'm staying up a bit tonight. No work in the morning. Just a trip to the park with my lady friend and her dog.

I even have something to report - I built another weird pickup tonight. Just playing around with some extra parts. It's a single HB slug bobbin wound with almost 8000 turns of 42AWG PE. It's really bulged in the center so I had to tape fast and careful to keep the outer turns from falling off the buried flanges. I used 1215 slugs and put a long UOA5 on either side in a P-90 N-to-N fashion. I used a PAF baseplate and put it under a solid (no holes) nickel cover.

Looks good, but I don't like it. It's actually much louder than even a 17,000 turn A5 HB I have in the bridge and not as bright as I would like to have seen in a 7.15k SC. I thought the A5 magnets would be a good way to keep the output up, since I wasn't using any poll screws, and also to compliment the 1215 slugs. I'm going to put A2s in it (or an A2/A3) and change the slugs to 1022 in an attempt to change the character of this.

MAYBE, if that still doesn't work, I'm going to try using magnetic poll pieces with/without an bar magnet as well.

Change the slugs to 1018 and add 2 A4s. Easy peasy!

[SonnyW]

Anybody made any pickups today? I didn't. Just took it easy, did a little cooking and some website work that's all.

[big_teee]

Anybody made any pickups today? I didn't. Just took it easy, did a little cooking and some website work that's all.

I built a Mini Baby Bucker for a guitar shop.
I'll take it in tomorrow.
I have the Night Club Display guitar to make Pickups for next.
The blades are starting to catch on.
I wish we could get the Vintage White Mini Bobbins made.
I think I could sell a lot more if we could something besides black!
T

[SonnyW]

I built a Mini Baby Bucker for a guitar shop.
I'll take it in tomorrow.
I have the Night Club Display guitar to make Pickups for next.
The blades are starting to catch on.
I wish we could get the Vintage White Mini Bobbins made.
I think I could sell a lot more if we could something besides black!
T

There is the paint that is made for plastics, I have some, from Home Depot, seriously thought about using some of it on bobbins, but never have tried it yet.

[big_teee]

There is the paint that is made for plastics, I have some, from Home Depot, seriously thought about using some of it on bobbins, but never have tried it yet.

I sent Tom at mojo an email.
I told him how it would, IMO make the mini rails take off, if we had something to go with light colored Pick guards.
I guess no reply to my email meant No!
Got any idea how we could make a plastic topper to go on top of the rail.
It would need the 2 grooves to go over the rails, a spot of super glue to hold it on.
T

[Stratz]

Anybody made any pickups today?

Built two sets of PE Strat pickups today. So much easier when making multiple sets to the same specs. It allows me to pick the best matching pickups for each set.
The hard part is explaining to the customer that the DCR reading is not important.

Rob.

[SonnyW]

I sent Tom at mojo an email.
I told him how it would, IMO make the mini rails take off, if we had something to go with light colored Pick guards.
I guess no reply to my email meant No!
Got any idea how we could make a plastic topper to go on top of the rail.
It would need the 2 grooves to go over the rails, a spot of super glue to hold it on.
T

I suppose it could be done with a laser engraver, maybe I could sell one of my yachts....

[big_teee]

Built two sets of PE Strat pickups today. So much easier when making multiple sets to the same specs. It allows me to pick the best matching pickups for each set.
The hard part is explaining to the customer that the DCR reading is not important.

Rob.

Multiple sets???
That would take me a month!
T

[SonnyW]

Built two sets of PE Strat pickups today. So much easier when making multiple sets to the same specs. It allows me to pick the best matching pickups for each set.
The hard part is explaining to the customer that the DCR reading is not important.

Rob.

I agree 100%, on both things. I like to make them in threes. That's 9 pickups at a shot, but I wind each position differently. It also helps me on my testing, I have to do a different setup for the output test and so I measure the output on all 9 then set up my regular way.

I have a low end model set that has the neck and middle wound with a larger gauge wire and it is always a question why the DCR is so low. I point out the output test, which is the same as other strat pickups and try to explain, but I wonder if they get it all.