juist too stupid i guess

[tonequester]

toinequester here.


I just printed off the Stew-Mac Strat pickup kit info, with a nind to try my first "hand wound" pickup for a guitar that I am completely modding both acousticaly and electronically. I've read a lot of posts oin the pick-up makers part of the forum, but I sure missed an important part of the art. Hand wound pick-ups aren't hand wound at all that I can tell. I did some googling and found out that I'm not the only person to make this mistake. On one post(not from this forum) a guy was being told "do you think that anybody would actuallky make 8000 windings by hand"? Well, I may be stupid, but I was quite prepared to do just that. At my age patience for such a thing is not a problem. I couldn't find one example of this being done though, so it may not be even possible to do, even though it is my understanding, and I have seen pictures of early examples of "hand wound" factory pick-ups that were very unevenly wound. There was even speculation that this might explain some of nthe early pick-0ups mystique. Any way I checked out the how to's on the Stew-Mac thread, and if I buy the kit,wire,eyelet setting tool(seems a must), a new 19/64" bit black cloth tape to wrap the finished pick-up, and a black plastic cover, I'll have $65.00 plus almost ten dollars in ship[ping fees. I had selected Bill Lawrence pick-ups for my project. I want a humbucker in the bridge position, and his recommended humbucker is $54.00 plus shipping. I'm afraid that pick-up winding will have to wait, especially with the needed jigs, blocks, drill press/brass or plastic hammer, etc., that is needed according to the instructions. I would like to know if anybody has truly Hand woun a pick-up. Just cobbling a makeshift winder with a cordless drill would necessitate my getting one that is not nearly so touchy as to speed and sudden starts. If anybody has done this by hand I'd like to know. If it is possible to do so and come up with a functioinal pick-up, the winding can't be any more monotonous than needlepoint. tonequester.
P.S. No disrespect to any of the pick-up makers out there intended, like the title says : "just too stupid I guess". Have a good turn for me !

[big_teee]

toinequester here.


I just printed off the Stew-Mac Strat pickup kit info, with a nind to try my first "hand wound" pickup for a guitar that I am completely modding both acousticaly and electronically. I've read a lot of posts oin the pick-up makers part of the forum, but I sure missed an important part of the art. Hand wound pick-ups aren't hand wound at all that I can tell. I did some googling and found out that I'm not the only person to make this mistake. On one post(not from this forum) a guy was being told "do you think that anybody would actuallky make 8000 windings by hand"? Well, I may be stupid, but I was quite prepared to do just that. At my age patience for such a thing is not a problem. I couldn't find one example of this being done though, so it may not be even possible to do, even though it is my understanding, and I have seen pictures of early examples of "hand wound" factory pick-ups that were very unevenly wound. There was even speculation that this might explain some of nthe early pick-0ups mystique. Any way I checked out the how to's on the Stew-Mac thread, and if I buy the kit,wire,eyelet setting tool(seems a must), a new 19/64" bit black cloth tape to wrap the finished pick-up, and a black plastic cover, I'll have $65.00 plus almost ten dollars in ship[ping fees. I had selected Bill Lawrence pick-ups for my project. I want a humbucker in the bridge position, and his recommended humbucker is $54.00 plus shipping. I'm afraid that pick-up winding will have to wait, especially with the needed jigs, blocks, drill press/brass or plastic hammer, etc., that is needed according to the instructions. I would like to know if anybody has truly Hand woun a pick-up. Just cobbling a makeshift winder with a cordless drill would necessitate my getting one that is not nearly so touchy as to speed and sudden starts. If anybody has done this by hand I'd like to know. If it is possible to do so and come up with a functioinal pick-up, the winding can't be any more monotonous than needlepoint. tonequester.
P.S. No disrespect to any of the pick-up makers out there intended, like the title says : "just too stupid I guess". Have a good turn for me !

The definition IMO of a modern hand wind, is a pickup turned by a motor, and the wire is guided by hand, thus Hand Wound.
A machine wound pickup, is turned by a motor, and a Traverse device automatically guides the wire, Thus Machine wound.
**Most guys that get started in winding already have a lot of tools and such.
I already had a full shop, and lots of tools.
If you are completely starting from scratch, and have nothing, I would just buy pickups.
Perhaps buy someones hand winds.
Most of the guys on here sell pickups.
You can pay whatever amount you want, a little or a lot!
As far as winding one completely by hand, I had rather have a Root Canal!
T

[rjb]

I would like to know if anybody has truly Hand wound a pick-up.

I once attempted to hand-wind (with no mechanism at all) an old lap steel pickup- but gave up.
I then built a hand-cranked winder from scrap, and did this here:
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t26723/

That was only 2300 turns of 38AWG for a 600 ohm pickup- and I wouldn't want to do it again.
I wound in several shifts, writing down every 100 turns to keep count.
Got hypnotized watching the bobbin go round and round and....
Had to carefully conceal the setup between sessions, to deter a cat that eats anything resembling string.

The good part is, it's done.
Has a nice sweet, clear tone that I like for corny old-style country.
But there's no way I would wind, say a 10,000 turn P-90 style pickup by hand.

[JoeM]

I have a great deal of respect for those here that wind pickups. I wont ever, ever consider attempting to do any myself. One hell of a lot of work and dedication. From a players point of view, there's a lot of pickups and pickup makers to choose from.

[Ward]

Once upon a time I was just like everybody else regarding pickups, it never crossed my mind to even imagine winding my own pickups. Then one day the Stew Mac catalog arrived in the mail and on the cover they were selling pickup kits. As I looked over the page and read the blurb I thought what the hey, so I bought a humbucker kit and a 1/2lb roll of the red poly, I've still got some on that little spool I made up a round plate from 5mm acrylic, put a 1/4'' bolt through it, drilled two more holes to bolt the bobbin on, actually made two, one for the screw and one for the slug bobbins. Put my cheap ass drill press on it's side and away I went, didn't even break the wire. Sadly I sold the very first one I made, being a nostalgic fool I wish I had kept it here. Anyway, that's how it started, it only took one and I was hooked, the same as building amps. You don't need a lot of tools but some dudes are just not tool men and if you have no tools at all then I wouldn't think you'd be the kind of guy to wind pickups. Actually winding them is nothing but a chore to me but it's a necessity these days. Once you're set up the cost isn't a killer.

To me the biggest killer is in the fact that I spent my whole life being a muso, gigging touring and all the crap that goes with it, one band I was in made good and we actually were awarded a gold record, they kept the dough n we got the plaque. With all the evils of the music "biz" what really shits me to tears is that now there isn't one. After spending my life building my craft, it's just gone. Imagine the money pricks if it happened to them. Sorry, end of rant. I'll just go quietly into oblivion. I could av been anything so I guess I'm just too bloody stupid as well.

[big_teee]

Once upon a time I was just like everybody else regarding pickups, it never crossed my mind to even imagine winding my own pickups. Then one day the Stew Mac catalog arrived in the mail and on the cover they were selling pickup kits. As I looked over the page and read the blurb I thought what the hey, so I bought a humbucker kit and a 1/2lb roll of the red poly, I've still got some on that little spool I made up a round plate from 5mm acrylic, put a 1/4'' bolt through it, drilled two more holes to bolt the bobbin on, actually made two, one for the screw and one for the slug bobbins. Put my cheap ass drill press on it's side and away I went, didn't even break the wire. Sadly I sold the very first one I made, being a nostalgic fool I wish I had kept it here. Anyway, that's how it started, it only took one and I was hooked, the same as building amps. You don't need a lot of tools but some dudes are just not tool men and if you have no tools at all then I wouldn't think you'd be the kind of guy to wind pickups. Actually winding them is nothing but a chore to me but it's a necessity these days. Once you're set up the cost isn't a killer.

To me the biggest killer is in the fact that I spent my whole life being a muso, gigging touring and all the crap that goes with it, one band I was in made good and we actually were awarded a gold record, they kept the dough n we got the plaque. With all the evils of the music "biz" what really shits me to tears is that now there isn't one. After spending my life building my craft, it's just gone. Imagine the money pricks if it happened to them. Sorry, end of rant. I'll just go quietly into oblivion. I could av been anything so I guess I'm just too bloody stupid as well.

Don't run off, we might need to see the gold record!
T

[Ward]

Seen one you seen em all T.

[SonnyW]

I for one have never seen a gold record up close.

On winding completely by hand, it isn't a pickup but my hunting buddy once rewound a clock motor totally by hand it took him two days. He's got plenty of tools, just hard headed I guess. But that clock timer is still working. It was one of those old types that isn't available anymore and he had spent a lot of effort designing this particular timer and didn't want to change the design, when it got damaged after 20 years.

I think that some of the big names in early aftermarket pickups used a 78 rpm record player for their first rewinds. That would be almost as tedious as wrapping by hand. I have tried unwinding by hand and you are right about the hypnotizing part rjb.

[Ward]

Here you go then. Just don't ask what band it was please.

[big_teee]

Here you go then. I'll leave this up for a little while. Just don't ask what band it was please.

I like the Hell out of that!
Where can we find some tunes?
T

[Ward]

I like the Hell out of that!
Where can we find some tunes?
T

Now that would just give away who it is.

[big_teee]

Now that would just give away who it is.

Don't get mad, but I bet you played backup for O.N.J.
T

[Ward]

Don't get mad, but I bet you played backup for O.N.J.
T

ONJ? I played drums on this debacle.

[SonnyW]

I'm impressed. That is great!!

[Ward]

Don't get mad, but I bet you played backup for O.N.J.
T

Oh I get it now, Olivia good one.
Thanks Sonny. I would have preferred some of the dough, that's the point of me bringing it up in the first place, I think I'd be happier if it never happened but that's life.