I was thinking I had a handle on pickup winding, but.....

[GunbarrelCustom]

My humbuckers, P-90s and Tele pickups sound great! But, my Strat pickups are dreadful. I don't know if it is because Strats were my main guitars for 33 years and I have had some amazing guitars and pickups in that time, or Strat pickups are really that different from Teles?

I really like the 54-57 Strat sounds as well as the late 61 sound of Rory Gallagher's Strat during the first half of the 1970s. I can't seem to get a sweet, open and punchy sound from my pickups. I've tried twice with A5 (fully charged then weakened) on a flat mag set using 42 poly and my latest try with A3 using 42 heavy formvar (though it measures the same thickness as the 42poly so heavy is kinda false advertising). My pickups tend to have nice harmonics, but lack punch and sweetness. Not ice picky, but a cold, unfriendly top end. I wound the A5 set to around 6.5k and the A3 set to 6.0k Ohms (8000 +\- 100 turns).

Any and all help/tips are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

[Lyrebird Steve]

Try the HFV on the A5s ... but in the 7500-7800 turn range. Late 50s had DCRs around 5.6-5.8k (from my info)

If you jump on eBay and search for "1958 stratocaster pickup" you will see a number of people posting the specs (DCR readings on Multimeters in the pics)

[big_teee]

Are you trying to wind all three pickups the same amount of turns?
I never had much luck with that, regardless what year your trying to emulate.
Some variables on Strat SCs Are.
1. Bobbin Height
2. Magnet type and gauss
3. Wire type and size
4. Tension, & TPL
A3 magnets sound good, but are a bit weaker on the bottom end.
A2 Tonally are a bit different than A3s, but also weaker on the bottom.
A5s IMO are great with Alder and rosewood, but a bit harsh when used with Ash and Maple neck.
So I end up Coming up with different winds for different guitar combinations.
On bridge pickups I like to scatter some, to fatten up the coil and the tone.
GL,
T

[David Schwab]

How are you winding them? Doing a lot of scatter? Try winding very neatly with no scatter. Also try regular build 42 poly. Heavy build wire has a rounder tone, and doesn't seem as punchy to me. I like it for neck pickups.

[big_teee]

This thread is about the OP having trouble with Strat pickups, and Heavy build and Scatter are viable options for Tall Single coils.
These are IMO, IME, with Single Coils, that I've wound.
A single coil with 7500 turns with no scatter, will be smaller in diameter and less DCR that a scattered coil
These are both exceptable methods of winding Single coils.
If you are trying to get a overwound coil for a bridge pickup, and want lots of turns, then try no scatter and this allows more room on the bobbin for more turns.
If you want a fat sound with less turns then scatter wound will up the DCR with less turns, and make a larger diameter coil making is a bit fatter sounding than the narrow coil, with same Turn Count.
Single poly puts the turns closer together, and IMO gives the pickup more bite.
Heavy build wire puts the wire turns spaced farther apart, and IMO gives a smoother less agressive sound for the same amount of turns.
These effect can be used to your advantage, depending on what sound, or effect you are going for.
T
Edit Note to OP.
The 54-57 strats were wound primarily with 42 HFV Wire.
I think the magnet grade varied some.
Some say A3s, and some say A5s were used then.
Try some of both.

[Rick Turner]

Try A5 for the wound strings, A2 or A3 for the unwound. Might have to adjust magnet height differently from what is "normal"...

[big_teee]

Yes you can d a 3/3 set or a 4/2 set.
I like the 4/2, A2/A5, or A3/A5 .
I tried the 3/3, and prefer the 4/2.
YMMV,
T