Pickup Rewinds

[copperheadroads]

Take notice on the direction it is wound & like the guys suggest mark the top & bottom , 6.8k would be a average working output for a mini . let us know how it turns out ..& tpl if you go in the coils.....

[big_teee]

I'm guessing 44 if it is 6.8k.
You might get that much 43 on there but I think it will be trickey.
Depends on the diameter of you 43 wire.
T

[Stratz]

42 gauge was standard from Gibson. At 6.8 it sounds like he's reading a working mini HB, It may be one of the newer abominations from Gibson. If so it could be either 43 or 44.

[kayakerca]

Good advice T. I've done that as well............

Bobbins can easily fit 5,000+ winds so 42 gauge single build is fine.

Thanks T. Thanks Stratz. I asked the luthier to measure the screw side coil which was ~ 6.8k, so I'm guessing 43 gauge on this pair?

[Stratz]

be careful to mark the top and bottom of the bobbin.
Since both sides look alike, you don't want one bobbin turned top up, and one turned top down, after winding.
I did that once and the pickup was assembled with the cover on and was out of phase.
I learned that the hard way!


T

Good advice T. I've done that as well............

Bobbins can easily fit 5,000+ winds so 42 gauge single build is fine.

[big_teee]

They are easy enough to rewind.
When winding and assembling, be careful to mark the top and bottom of the bobbin.
Since both sides look alike, you don't want one bobbin turned top up, and one turned top down, after winding.
I did that once and the pickup was assembled with the cover on and was out of phase.
I learned that the hard way!
I wonder how he damaged a coil, if the cover was soldered on?
There is not a lot of room on the bobbins, so smaller wire is usually used.

T

[Stratz]

Be careful handling and stripping the bobbin, They're not very robust.
If it's a bridge pickup it's important to center the bobbins/blade on the base plate or in the cover (depending on how you assemble it) because the blade is barely long enough to cover both the high and low E strings. I usually cheat the blade bobbin towards the high e string a bit since the low E has more oscillation.

You also need to make sure that the cover is lined up dead center on the base plate or when the installer put the pickup ring on the mounting holes will not line up with the mounting holes in the base plate. For this task I use an old mini HB ring to line up the mounting screw holes before I clamp the cover down to solder it to the base plate.

I mount the mini hb bobbins on my face plate with two 4-40 screws (that's what my face plates are drilled for) by using the outer screw holes of an old 49.2mm humbucker bobbin (wound and potted for rigidity) to lock the mini hb bobbin in place.

Make sure the owner sends you the cover and the mounting ring along with the pickup.

Good luck

[kayakerca]

Any tips on rewind one of these mini's? A local luthier sent me the picture of a coil he damaged (blade side) while removing it from the guitar.

[kayakerca]

Hey Jim:
South/Up, CCW or CW?
T

It was North/Up, CW (same as bridge and neck). The customer wanted to change from a 3 way switch to a 5 way with hum cancelling in 2 & 4 so I reversed the magnetic polarity and wind direction. Now South/Up, CCW on the middle pickup.

[big_teee]

Hey Jim:
South/Up, CCW or CW?
T

[kayakerca]

Well, the rewind of the middle pickup from the '55 Strat has been reinstalled by the luthier for his customer. The luthier`s comment was "Perfect. Finished the work on the Strat today. I can't tell the pickup isn't original, it blends in perfectly. I tried finding a difference, but really couldn't describe one."

Put on HFV and went with a tpl that reflected what I saw on the tearing apart of the pickup and a guess of what type of tension might have been used to lay down that down back in the day. Although I'm a CNC winder, it would appear that some days you just get a little luckier than others with your production processes and guesses. All in all, I was very happy with how it all turned out. Now hopefully the luthier's customer hears it the same as the luthier and it will be playable for another 60 years!

[big_teee]

Yes the main ground tab was gone, one on the other side fell off before I ever got it put on.
The cover was already off when I got the pickup, and had been man handled pretty good.
The brass seems to be much more brittle than the nickel covers I've worked on.
It was just make the best of a bad situation, you guys know the drill!
T
**If you are like me and never seen a up close and personal Pink Paisley?
Here's a demo of a 1968 P.P.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZgG7OOhEXg

[Stratz]

I dont know if the tabs were broken when it got to you but a good tip is to heat the tabs with your soldering iron on high. This will allow them to bend rather than snap off.

[big_teee]

Here's the repaired 68 Tele Neck pickup.
With the broken damaged crimp tabs, it was tricky to ground.
I ended up running a wire across the bottom to the far side.
It will leave here tomorrow afternoon.
T

[big_teee]

I had a dead 68 pink paisley tele neck pickup come in.
Height between the flats, .500"
South Up/CCW
43PE, Coil lacquer potted.
A5 .187" Magnets, .692" long, 1450-1500 Gauss.
Bobbin Core Length 2.170"
Bobbin Top flange length 2.490"
Bobbin Top flange Width .497"
Old coil diameter, .485"
Bobbin magnet wire pile up is more in the center, and Bottom, much less at the top.
Cover is chrome over brass.
Crimp tab is broken on hookup wire side.