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50's Tele pickups Q's - inductance, wire etc...

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  • 50's Tele pickups Q's - inductance, wire etc...

    I know folks like keepin stuff secret - but I figured Id ask...

    So Ive been winding for a little over a year now and have a pretty good grasp at the basics. I mean, I get a good tone ya know? The folks whove bought my pickups really dig em.

    Anyway. I took a different approach than most I think. Instead of being a scientist a la "Possum" (by the way Dave, how the hell are you)

    What I did was find materials, and go at it. I do a bit of research etc on the science of it but Im no expert.

    So do you guys think the tolerances of the wire back then were so different that sometimes a bridge pickup could be 41 gauge or 43 gauge when the spool was 42?

    Also, I see different readings on pickups etc, especially on Fender's site. They seem to have inductance all over the place. For instance, their alnico 3 52 reissue Tele pickup, is wound to 7.2k - and only 3.27 Henries.

    I dont know about you, but no matter what winding pattern I use, or tension on the wire, I hit around 3.8 henries at 7k. With the plate on there its 4.1 or so.

    Ive also been noticing that I dont dig the 7k tone so much lately. I use MWS min nom PE - and magnetic hold magnets .197" (Shea is the man)

    I wind some low output, some higher. And its like it "misses" the area of the sound I have in mind. They sound good dont get me wrong, but lower they sound too bright or thin, and higher they lose the twang and that spanky bass, and when I try to shoot for the middle-ground, its not there. Its like Im on a highway going parralell to the one I want to be on tone-wise...

    So without changing the dimensions of the pickup, like the wire area, or the magnet length, or the baseplate, wire has to be the way to change the inductance correct? Ive wound some 43 gauge tele bridges that sound good, but its not the right sound.

    Does one get nom-max wire? Double insulated PE?

    And can winding pattern actually significantly affect inductance?

    Ive been experimenting with patterns lately, and honestly - I think an even pattern works best... but what do I know. I dont think it changes things a ton. I mean I hear subtle differences in patterns, but nothing I liked. And obviously back in the 50s, winders just sat there going back and forth trying to be neat, day in and day out...

    By the way, do you guys that use MWS prefer it most of the time? Or do you like other wire vendors as well? Elektrisola, wirenetics etc...

    Just thinking of ideas to get different tones...

  • #2
    I know this really doesn't answer your question and I am by no means an expert in the science behind pickup design but I have run into similar issues as far as winding goes. It seems to me that the type of magnet and it's Gauss has a larger impact on the sound of the pickup. That being said, I have found that the windings do affect the sound and I look forward to seeing some replies to this thread from more experienced pickup makers.

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    • #3
      I see what you mean. Windings do affect tone for sure. Its subtle but its there. Number of turns per layer, tension etc. Magnets are big, even between manufacturers.

      Im still hard a work figuring these things out...

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      • #4
        ....

        Possum is still alive.....still doing the tone science thing, I think I've aged 20 years in the last year from overtaxing my brain :-)
        No, vintage wire didn't vary quite that much, the insulation varied and is not the same as modern specs. No, there is no PE Heavy, though there are some weird spools that AWC did that have pretty thick insulation. Insulation in modern times is done in many multiple coats, back then it was done through dies and way fewer coats, (if not one, though not sure about that).
        Fender's pickups are machine wound so you can't hit their low Q and inductance with handwinding unless you're very good with a steady hand. I suspect their custom shop stuff is also machine wound too. If you want a more clear tone keep your hand at a completely steady rate in each pass trying to hit the same number of turns per layer. Generally fewer turns per layer give a brighter tone and more turns per layer give a darker more dense tone. It doesn't always work out like that though, there is a non-logicalness about various TPL's sometimes. A good way to try to wind like a machine is keep your eye on the counter and time your passes to hit the turns per layer you're aiming at. Or read the CNC winder thread and build your own machine winder. I machine wind and have for maybe 5 years now, its another steep learning curve...
        http://www.SDpickups.com
        Stephens Design Pickups

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        • #5
          Hey Dave! Glad to see your still kicking ass and taking names.

          Your right. Theres such an ill-logicalness to it. I messed with tension, tension variation, turns per layer, turns per layer variation, etc...

          I remember winding one as fast as I could, at like 10-20 turns per layer. That pickup ended up loose, I couldnt hold it tight at that rate. It had a high inductance for the wire and turns I had though. Was thick and fat sounding.

          To my ears, when I wind tight, it kind of takes some of the high end sizzle away.

          Anyway, Ive got my recipes for current stuff going... Im still messing with all the tension and patterns to get shades of tones for other recipes.......

          I go through phases where I am swapping pickups and winding all day just for R&D, and then I have to let that go for a few months. I can only do it so much! It sucks the life out of me...

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          • #6
            ....

            Shit, I have to do the R&D thing 7 days a week, I wonder sometimes why I feel like I'm about to drop dead any moment, then it dawns on me.....oh year I been working too hard, duh. It helps to record you experiments with a constant recording setup, leave an amp set up at the same settings and use mics that don't have the treble range squelched. Write everything down, keep giant logs of everything you do. One reason real fast traverses sound fat is because each wind is actually a longer piece of wire, so for the same number of turns your total wire length is longer, more wire equals more inductance, AC resistance. When all else fails stay in the MIDDLE of things. Winding too tight increases capacitance 'cause you are forcing the wire tight against itself. Its all easy right?
            http://www.SDpickups.com
            Stephens Design Pickups

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            • #7
              Originally posted by achase4u View Post

              I go through phases where I am swapping pickups and winding all day just for R&D, and then I have to let that go for a few months. I can only do it so much! It sucks the life out of me...
              I understand exactly. While working a full time job (an hour commute each way) and trying to have a life, I'm getting to the point where I get an order and the first thing out of my mouth is "dam, why don't these people leave me alone?" Don't get me wrong, I still like winding pickups, but I generally keep track by how many sets I'm behind!
              www.chevalierpickups.com

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              • #8
                Possum, lol

                Yes its SO easy! lol

                Well, I think I'll keep testing some things. Its interesting stuff, but boy does it burn me out. So much testing/winding/swapping out pickups to sometimes no result.

                I took down all measurements from the Extech of a pickup, so Im going to wind it a little differently this time and see if I can hear the changes.

                Ive been shooting for the middle of everything for a while now - tension and TPL etc... If I keep those things constant, I can change tones with number of turns or alnico type.

                Looks like Im just not satisfied yet. Will be trying different stuff soon......

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                • #9
                  you guys ever peel any vintage pickups?

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                  • #10
                    ....

                    Of course. They are textbooks once you learn how to read...
                    http://www.SDpickups.com
                    Stephens Design Pickups

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by achase4u View Post
                      you guys ever peel any vintage pickups?
                      Im having internal conflict about doing that with a 1950 broadcaster pickup now. Im leaning no.

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                      • #12
                        Well put, Possum.

                        I figured you guys had done alot of that. None have come my way. And as with Belwar, Im not sure I could take a peice of history apart.

                        Belwar, is that pickup still reading? Whats the specs on this particular one? Fat coil? Kinda skinny?

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                        • #13
                          ....

                          I feel your pain bro. Broadcaster pickups are too rare to kill, if you rip it up you'll never be able to listen to it as it was. I'd love to tear my early patents apart but will only happen if they die.
                          http://www.SDpickups.com
                          Stephens Design Pickups

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                          • #14
                            Yea those are too rare!

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                            • #15
                              Seymour did that to old pickups years ago, so buy a Duncan and peel that.

                              I wouldn't put any credence in any of Fender's repros being close to the originals.
                              It would be possible to describe everything scientifically, but it would make no sense; it would be without meaning, as if you described a Beethoven symphony as a variation of wave pressure. — Albert Einstein


                              http://coneyislandguitars.com
                              www.soundcloud.com/davidravenmoon

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