Pickup design for stealth esquire pickup suggestions needed

[gdmart]

My first pickup on my winder wants to be for a stealth neck pickup on an Esquire. It will sit under the pickguard. My guitar will be a set neck so the finger board will sit on the body bringing the distance between pickup blade and string closer. Some folks say balance can be a problem between the bridge and neck pickups, has anyone given thought to how this stealth pickup could be wound? I was thinking side winder firebird type pickup for higher ohms but clear deep tone. What do you think??

[big_teee]

My first pickup on my winder wants to be for a stealth neck pickup on an Esquire. It will sit under the pickguard. My guitar will be a set neck so the finger board will sit on the body bringing the distance between pickup blade and string closer. Some folks say balance can be a problem between the bridge and neck pickups, has anyone given thought to how this stealth pickup could be wound? I was thinking side winder firebird type pickup for higher ohms but clear deep tone. What do you think??

Welcome!
I just researched the Pickup and I guess your wanting to build a pickup under the pick guard.
I guess you could mount anything under the pick guard.
Personally I want a pickup I can adjust to string height.
Good Luck,
T
**Anyone got any Ideas, that would help gdmart?

[SonnyW]

My first pickup on my winder wants to be for a stealth neck pickup on an Esquire. It will sit under the pickguard. My guitar will be a set neck so the finger board will sit on the body bringing the distance between pickup blade and string closer. Some folks say balance can be a problem between the bridge and neck pickups, has anyone given thought to how this stealth pickup could be wound? I was thinking side winder firebird type pickup for higher ohms but clear deep tone. What do you think??

On the sidewinder design, it depends what you want the tele to sound like. If it is for a jazz esquire it might work, but if you want it to sound much like a tele, the sidewinder design is going to be pretty dark, in my opinion, because of the wide magnetic window of that design, especially down deep under the pickguard.

[gdmart]

yes many folks want to be able to adjust. The esquire is sort of unique in that it only had the bridge pup and 1-2 useable tone switch selections.To keep the look, Fender added a tex-mex pickup under the pickguard, probably with as much thought as the pickup used in the musicmaster bass ,a strat 6 pole pickup with a cover to hide pole pieces. Fender called it their stealth esquire . My thought would be to keep a classic esquire one pickup look but have a pickup wound some how different to balance with the selected bridge pickup, adding a couple more pickup combinations as well, The whole idea of winding your own pickups to me anyway is to be different and small shop economical. Im hoping to be inspired here.

[big_teee]

yes many folks want to be able to adjust. The esquire is sort of unique in that it only had the bridge pup and 1-2 useable tone switch selections.To keep the look, Fender added a tex-mex pickup under the pickguard, probably with as much thought as the pickup used in the musicmaster bass ,a strat 6 pole pickup with a cover to hide pole pieces. Fender called it their stealth esquire . My thought would be to keep a classic esquire one pickup look but have a pickup wound some how different to balance with the selected bridge pickup, adding a couple more pickup combinations as well, The whole idea of winding your own pickups to me anyway is to be different and small shop economical. Im hoping to be inspired here.

Go for it, sounds like reason enough for me.
Is the guitar already routed?
How much room do you have.
I would go with some kind of a narrow bucker.
How about you Sonny?
With it under the pick guard the options are endless.
You could make a 2 bobbin firebird pickup with magnets in the bobbins, no cover over the bobbins.
You could attach the bobbins to forbon or a sheet metal base plate.
T
T

[SonnyW]

Go for it, sounds like reason enough for me.
Is the guitar already routed?
How much room do you have.
I would go with some kind of a narrow bucker.
How about you Sonny?
With it under the pick guard the options are endless.
You could make a 2 bobbin firebird pickup with magnets in the bobbins, no cover over the bobbins.
You could attach the bobbins to forbon or a sheet metal base plate.
T
T

Well, a Firebird pickup might work, or a regular mini-humbucker. It all depends on what you are going for tonally, and what the bridge pickup is. On the balancing part of the question, the neck position is naturally louder because of the more vigorous string vibrations there, so if you are looking to get a clean tone, it wouldn't have to be too hot. The firebird pickup is naturally bright, some say too bright. I dunno, for a clean sound, I guess I might suggest a regular mini humbucker design with maybe 4500 turns per coil of 42 spn or PE. I didn't do the pickup estimator, but that should be in the neighborhood of 6.5k DCR , still be fairly clean, and would have an output level similar to a strat tex mex.

[big_teee]

Well, a Firebird pickup might work, or a regular mini-humbucker. It all depends on what you are going for tonally, and what the bridge pickup is. On the balancing part of the question, the neck position is naturally louder because of the more vigorous string vibrations there, so if you are looking to get a clean tone, it wouldn't have to be too hot. The firebird pickup is naturally bright, some say too bright. I dunno, for a clean sound, I guess I might suggest a regular mini humbucker design with maybe 4500 turns per coil of 42 spn or PE. I didn't do the pickup estimator, but that should be in the neighborhood of 6.5k DCR , still be fairly clean, and would have an output level similar to a strat tex mex.

I think you would want something stouter, and brighter under the pick guard.
It being in the neck.
If it is like most projects, you will have to try several things to come up with what your looking for.
T

[David Schwab]

Sidewinders are not efficient pickups, unless you really wind them hot. So the output will probably be lower than you want.

So a full size humbucker with two slug bobbins might be a better way to go.

[Knarleybass]

What if you wound a pickup with strong neo magnets?

[davos]

I'd go for a singlecoil with long and thick rods, you essentially need to strengthen the magnetic field so it reaches the strings. So something tall would be my advice