Wide Range Humbucker!

[big_teee]

Welcome Jared to the forum.
Not sure what you are calling a reflector plate on a wide range?
I guess that is just a metal baseplate
Philadelphia Luthier I think sells those.
T

[Lollar Jason]

I wouldnt call it a reflector plate because the magnets pass through it- it a steel plate under the bobbins that boosts the induction.
I encourage people once again if you dont have an injection mould made that building a bobbin up out of pieces is quite easy and is what I did prototyping my wide range a number of years ago. Flat work for the top and bottom with an acrylic core you drill and tap out for the threaded magnets- really easy to do and its how I have made hundreds of one of a kind custom pickups and still make all my P-90s that way- tens of thousands of them by now. I preffer the P-90 bobbins made how I do it rather than how gibson does it thats why I do it, saves time on final assembly and has better strain relief. If you have a system its actually quite fast, certainly not as fast as using an injection moulded part but fast enough to still be profitable.
For those that havent seen an interior shot there it is- the bobbins are pulled apart from each other, usually you wouldnt see the interconnects and you can just barely see the edge of the inductance plate underneath and between the bobbins. The solder posts are one of the worst features SL came up with and youll see them on a couple Gibson designs too. They are super fussy about heat and will melt out of the nylon bobbin and they tend to short out against the coil or wear through the tape that was applied over them and they short against the cover- at any rate a little fussy to mess with.

[big_teee]

Not a genuine Wide Range, but I think this would be a cool kit to build up.
The bobbins are already built, gives the wood look.
It is cheap, and you could sub threaded magnets, or use an Alnico bar magnet.
It looks like a good deal, at $11.03 + $.99 shipping.
http://www.amazon.com/Docooler-Humbu...0Z97HB7Q1BTYJ8

[big_teee]

I made a WR layout using J. Lollars bobbin data.
Thanks Jason.
T

[Jared Brandon]

Ya know, the term "reflector plate" didn't make much sense to me anyways. I had around 500 of those fabbed out. I paid a guy $30 to have them all zinced. Building your own bobbins sounds cool but its also nice to reach into a box full of bobbins ready to go. If anyone here is interested, let me know. We could work out a deal or whatnot. They are now made to accept the 10-24 in case another builder wanted to use that particular size. I personally found a great process to use the 12-32 size threaded mags without having any trouble.

[big_teee]

Jared, could you update your profile, so others will know where you are.
A great consideration when someone is thinking of shipping costs.
We are a world wide forum and group!
Thanks,
T

[Mark Hammer]

Back when I had one of those in the 70's, I knew much less about pickups, and what to look for when I took it apart. So, as interest in these resurged, I was never sure (couldn't remember) if the bottom plate was a) ferromagnetic and b) required the bottom-facing magnets to be screwed into/through that baseplate.

So are the two coils magnetically coupled through the baseplate?

[big_teee]

Mark, I know what you're saying.
I remember when no one liked them and guys were taking them out.
I could've got a pulled matched set several years ago for a song.
At that time, I didn't really know what they were about.
T

[Mark Hammer]

If memory serves, I paid $27 for it, new. It was over 40 years ago, so I can't recall whether I installed it in the neck or bridge position (or switch from one to the other)on a homebrew maple body Telecaster with an Ibanez neck. I also can't remember what it sounded like.

[Lollar Jason]

the steel plate couples the magnets but it doesnt seem like it would do so very efficiently as the steel plate is located at least 1/4 from the end of the magnets- so close to middle of the magnets- not quite- where there isnt alot going on, its does boost the inductance up and gives a little of that gritty tone steel adds. They sound like you would expect if you put two somewhat under wound fender pickups together in series so you get some of the attack typical of fender pickups blended in with a more typical humbucker sound. When I was prototyping these original sets were going for around $700

[big_teee]

I thought I would bring this thread back to the top, recent discussions.
T
**Edit
The data looks way too overwound on the neck pickup?
Especially if the height of the bobbin is only .25 inch high.
Looks like, lots of room for experimentation and testing for good sound?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Wide_Range
**Edit-2
Not to be overlooked, the originals used 1 meg volume and tone pots.
Without these 1 meg pots, expect dark and muddy.