B/H Round Table & Misc

[big_teee]

I always thought the Jaguar, Mustang, and Jazzmaster guitars were neat instruments.
You don't see many of them around this part of the country.
Everyone is hung up on the same old Strat and Tele.
I wound a couple of bass coils yesterday with the Phelps Dodge 41 Red SPN I have, for a lower impedance Bass Soap bar P/U.
It will end up between 5-5.5k.
The coils are pretty full, and I may have to reduce them if the pickup is too dark.
The wire, best I can remember is around .0031 inch size diameter.
I'll let you know what the pickup sounds like, and what I come up with.
T

[SonnyW]

I always thought the Jaguar, Mustang, and Jazzmaster guitars were neat instruments.
You don't see many of them around this part of the country.
Everyone is hung up on the same old Strat and Tele.
I wound a couple of bass coils yesterday with the Phelps Dodge 41 Red SPN I have, for a lower impedance Bass Soap bar P/U.
It will end up between 5-5.5k.
The coils are pretty full, and I may have to reduce them if the pickup is too dark.
The wire, best I can remember is around .0031 inch size diameter.
I'll let you know what the pickup sounds like, and what I come up with.
T

You might like the bigger wire T. I have wound a number of strat neck and middle pickups with 41 and they can sound pretty good for some things. A strat set with 41 SPN on the neck and middle and 42 HF on the bridge, is one of my stock models. I would doubt it will be too dark, particularly on a bass.

[big_teee]

I tried the 41SPN on strat coils, and it was IMO just a little too big.
So instead, I do a larger 42 HPN that I have for the strat neck P/U.
I have a mid sized 42HPN for middle, and just depends how stout I want the bridge P/U.
I usually use 42 SPN for the bridge, with a full coil, to keep it rounder sounding.
Lots of options out there, if you don't Get in a rut, and do the same thing over and over!
Unless you like doing the same thing over, and over!
(Insanity= Doing the same thing over, and over, expecting Different Results: Albert Einstein)
T

[rhgwynn]

I tried the 41SPN on strat coils, and it was IMO just a little too big.
So instead, I do a larger 42 HPN that I have for the strat neck P/U.
I have a mid sized 42HPN for middle, and just depends how stout I want the bridge P/U.
I usually use 42 SPN for the bridge, with a full coil, to keep it rounder sounding.
Lots of options out there, if you don't Get in a rut, and do the same thing over and over!
Unless you like doing the same thing over, and over!
(Insanity= Doing the same thing over, and over, expecting Different Results: Albert Einstein)
T

I'd try making a low-output blade-bucker for a Strat if I had some of that.

[big_teee]

I'd try making a low-output blade-bucker for a Strat if I had some of that.

If you had some of what?
As far as using 41 on a Strat blade, you could do that, but you wouldn't get much on there.
It measures over .0030" diameter, it would be low wound for sure.
Maybe a candidate for a Preamp.
Build one and please report back, with your results!
T

[SonnyW]

I guess the 41 that I have is on the small side. It is actually metric wire, .071 mm. It measures about .0285 inch, so I must have lucked out. I can get about 8700 turns on my strat bobbins the way I have them spaced and it's full, but not over. I usually put around 8350 turns and it comes out about 5k DCR. I have a couple of 25 pound spools of it I picked up a long time ago on ebay for a song, so I will probably never run out.

[big_teee]

I guess the 41 that I have is on the small side. It is actually metric wire, .071 mm. It measures about .0285 inch, so I must have lucked out. I can get about 8700 turns on my strat bobbins the way I have them spaced and it's full, but not over. I usually put around 8350 turns and it comes out about 5k DCR. I have a couple of 25 pound spools of it I picked up a long time ago on ebay for a song, so I will probably never run out.

Sonny, that is a great size.
I have some 42 that is that large.
It's neat to have lots of different sizes of wire, it gives a lot of options for tones and sounds.
I wish I had some 40 gauge to try on my bass pickups, while I'm experimenting.
The 38 gauge sounded good on the bass neck pickup, I think the 40 would be better, or just different sounding.
T

[big_teee]

I think that a guitarist really needs to play pickups himself to judge their sound and response so sound samples aren't necessarily that useful- I would place more credence on your evaluation of them.

Some winders offer a free "redo" within 30 days like if the customer thinks that the pickup is too hot or not hot enough- or whatever. That does cost the winder money but it should be factored into the sell price.

Steve Ahola

P.S. Do you think that your post here had anything to do with the sale of the pickups? Had I read your post earlier I might have wanted to buy them myself.

I ran across this months later.
I have almost sold that set at least 10 different times, but they are still in my new Pickup drawer!
I have made lots of different custom sets for customers since, but Like I said, that set is still in the drawer.
They probably sound as good as any buckers I've made, and I've built a bunch of them.
I thought that ironic!

[copperheadroads]

Getting some flatwork lazer cut locally but having a little trouble with the right specs .......Anyone got any good cad,pdf,dwg,vector files of any of the popular fender pickups mainly strat & tele stuff there willing to share ..?

[big_teee]

Hot Rail Type Strat Blades!

Anyone got any speed up tips on Baby Micro Mini Blades.
I make some along, and strat guys love them in the bridge position.
I just wish I could build them faster.
It seems to take me forever to build one.
I hand cut and machine the blades, and the only way I've had any luck keeping them together, is with super glue.
I also have lots of issues winding the coils with 44 gauge wire.
The 44 for my customers is a must, and the only way to get enough turns for that hot rail tone.
Discuss Away!
T

[rhgwynn]

Anyone got any speed up tips on Baby Micro Mini Blades.
I make some along, and strat guys love them in the bridge position.
I just wish I didn't Suck at building them.
It seems to take me forever to build one.
I hand cut and machine the blades, and the only way I've had any luck keeping them together, is with super glue.
I also have lots of issues winding the coils with 44 gauge wire.
The 44 for my customers is a must, and the only way to get enough turns for that hot rail tone.
Discuss Away!
T

What's wrong with a few dabs of CA? I use it; assumed it was the only way to keep things sturdy. A little bit of coil-tape helps keep thing together as well. What kind of problems are you having with the 44awg?

[big_teee]

Just trying to come up with any tips to get faster at it.
That is a pickup I don't make all the time.
Got any speed up tips.
I'm listening.
Do you guys make your own blades, or use the mojo blades?
I never could get them to sound right.
On the tape or Super glue, the super glue is the only thing I've found that will hold the bobbins to the flatwork.
Compared to other pickup designs, its all a pretty cheezie setup IMO.
I'm going to try to convince someone that they need to make some vintage white bobbins.
Sure am tired of black.
T

[rhgwynn]

Try wearing an eye patch when you wind. You'll find its easier to focus on the wire. What do you mean by "getting the wire behind the bobbin"? Do you mean when it snags on the wrong side of the flange? I'd guess you need a touch more tension or a traverse limiter.

[big_teee]

What's a traverse limiter?
That's my fingers.
Eye patch, can't you close one eye.
Like I said looking for tips to make them faster.
I know how to make them, I've made lots of them and yet they are always a struggle.
They seem to take forever. I can make a couple sets of SCs while jacking around with a micro blade.
Like Steve was saying about the time it took to make a regular humbucker.
These little things are much more tedious, and labor intensive than regular buckers.
And there is no way to charge for the time and aggravation they take.
Yet I keep making them, Not too smart am I?
T

[rhgwynn]

I understand your frustration. For me, it's about time management. If you just focus on the one task, then it will take a bit of time. But if you combine the steps with other similar tasks, then things move along at a steady pace. If you have multiple orders, you can sit down and prep the flatwork for everything at once, then do all of your bobbin assembly and gluing (assuming winding singles as well), then wind the blade bobbins while the singles dry, then glue the bobbins and lacquer the singles while the glue cures, eat some lunch and have a beer, etc, etc. Do you get what I mean? If you just focus all of your attention to the one pickup, it may be a while before you get to the next order.