Stacked Humbucker for Tele Bridge

[kelcy]

I'm making a stacked humbucker for a Telecaster bridge. Am I correct in thinking that the coils need to be wound in opposite directions?

[verhoevenc]

No. They can be wound in any direction, you just need to make sure that the current moves through them in opposite directions. IE: If they are would the same direction you could hook them up with the end of the first coil going into the start of the second coil. Or, if you wind them the same direction, just hook them up with the end of the first coil going into the end of the second coil.
Chris

[kelcy]

Thanks! I figured I could do that, I had just overthought the situation until I confused myself. I know it seems like a stupid question - I guess that's why I posted in the beginner's corner.

[Rob DiStefano]

... If they are wound the same direction you could hook them up with the end of the first coil going into the start of the second coil. Or, if you wind them the same direction, just hook them up with the end of the first coil going into the end of the second coil. ...

oops, i don't think you meant to type that ....

[big_teee]

oops, i don't think you meant to type that ....

Hi Rob:
That is a pretty old post.
Are you working on a Stacked Pickup?
If so, What were your results?
T

[Rob DiStefano]

howdy terry,

i'd tested the waters a few years back, mostly with a tele bridge footprint, and built more than a few. i started messing with 42awg but even with tall mags 43awg is just better.

i basically use mojo a5 .710 .187 rods into the base and a pair of bobbin tops (with a "nick" on one edge of the center flatware, to allow the coil wire to pass over to the bottom coil for winding), run the 43awg up to the top bobbin (through the tiny flatware center hole) and wind it first, then down to the bottom coil. one continuous wrap, which ends up with 2 leads, start and finish. after winding, string wrapping, lead soldering, vacuum wax potting, charging, and adding a copper base plate, it looks just like any other "vintage" tele bridge pup. the tone is quite single coil - not at all anemic, treble harsh or tinny. the last one i wound was a few months ago and it's really that good - 'cept i lost the paper i wrote down the turn count spex! ack!!! got it in a tele i threw together for travel last month and i can't stop playing that bugger.

cheers,
r.

[big_teee]

howdy terry,

i'd tested the waters a few years back, mostly with a tele bridge footprint, and built more than a few. i started messing with 42awg but even with tall mags 43awg is just better.

i basically use mojo a5 .710 .187 rods into the base and a pair of bobbin tops (with a "nick" on one edge of the center flatware, to allow the coil wire to pass over to the bottom coil for winding), run the 43awg up to the top bobbin (through the tiny flatware center hole) and wind it first, then down to the bottom coil. one continuous wrap, which ends up with 2 leads, start and finish. after winding, string wrapping, lead soldering, vacuum wax potting, charging, and adding a copper base plate, it looks just like any other "vintage" tele bridge pup. the tone is quite single coil - not at all anemic, treble harsh or tinny. the last one i wound was a few months ago and it's really that good - 'cept i lost the paper i wrote down the turn count spex! ack!!! got it in a tele i threw together for travel last month and i can't stop playing that bugger.

cheers,
r.

Great, sounds like you have it all perfected.
You may want to make a blade version so you can compare them and report back, the Pros, and Cons.
That would be cool.
Later,
T

[Rob DiStefano]

Great, sounds like you have it all perfected.
You may want to make a blade version so you can compare them and report back, the Pros, and Cons.
That would be cool.
Later,
T

perfected? hah! no way. ain't nothing that can compare to a *good* 'n' true single coil.

i'll never do up a blade, them buggers look fugly.

my fave is still a true single coil, honkin' fat tele bridge pup. i have a coupla esquires i built that can easily sound quite nice doing bach to beatles. to each their own.

[big_teee]

perfected? hah! no way. ain't nothing that can compare to a *good* 'n' true single coil.

i'll never do up a blade, them buggers look fugly.

my fave is still a true single coil, honkin' fat tele bridge pup. i have a coupla esquires i built that can easily sound quite nice doing bach to beatles. to each their own.

Nice Pictures.
That's funny about the F-Ugly.
IMO it can't be much uglier than the regular Tele Config.
I like my blades, I don't have them in a tele, but I have run them in the Strats.
I have one in the neck of my Bedroom Strat, cause of the bad 60 Cycles got going on back here.
The bridge is a Full Sized.

[David Schwab]

I did one back in '06, with a blade, and two ceramic magnets on the bottom:

It was crudely thrown together as a proof of concept, more than anything else. I use PCB material, so routing for a blade was a bit sloppy!







I wound it with 43 gauge wire. I had wanted a slightly hotter tone, but what I got was pure vintage tele twang! So as you find out, you need to really wind these suckers extra hot because of the low end cancelation that occurs.

I ended up going with a dual blade pickup instead, because I wanted a slightly more humbucker tone, but this was great for a single coil bright type of tone.

[big_teee]

howdy terry,

i'd tested the waters a few years back, mostly with a tele bridge footprint, and built more than a few. i started messing with 42awg but even with tall mags 43awg is just better.

i basically use mojo a5 .710 .187 rods into the base and a pair of bobbin tops (with a "nick" on one edge of the center flatware, to allow the coil wire to pass over to the bottom coil for winding), run the 43awg up to the top bobbin (through the tiny flatware center hole) and wind it first, then down to the bottom coil. one continuous wrap, which ends up with 2 leads, start and finish. after winding, string wrapping, lead soldering, vacuum wax potting, charging, and adding a copper base plate, it looks just like any other "vintage" tele bridge pup. the tone is quite single coil - not at all anemic, treble harsh or tinny. the last one i wound was a few months ago and it's really that good - 'cept i lost the paper i wrote down the turn count spex! ack!!! got it in a tele i threw together for travel last month and i can't stop playing that bugger.

cheers,
r.

This is an Old thread, and may be the next project!
I'm trying to read and understand how Rob wired his Stacked Pickup with one continuos piece of wire.
He says he runs the 43 ga wire through the center hole to the top coil.
Winds the top coil.
puts a notch in the edge of the middle forbon to run the wire to bottom bobbin.
So if you wrap the bottom bobbin, which direction would it be?
If you Ground the inside of the top bobbin and go from top to bottom?
It would be like tieing the finish of the top to the start of the bottom.
and out on the finish of the bottom.
I would feed the finish of the bottom and ground the start of top coil, Maybe!
So right off hand with one continuous piece of wire, I think You would have to wind top coil one direction and the bottom the other.
Does anyone follow this madness???
T

[rhgwynn]

This is an Old thread, and may be the next project!
I'm trying to read and understand how Rob wired his Stacked Pickup with one continuos piece of wire.
He says he runs the 43 ga wire through the center hole to the top coil.
Winds the top coil.
puts a notch in the edge of the middle forbon to run the wire to bottom bobbin.
So if you wrap the bottom bobbin, which direction would it be?
If you Ground the inside of the top bobbin and go from top to bottom?
It would be like tieing the finish of the top to the start of the bottom.
and out on the finish of the bottom.
I would feed the finish of the bottom and ground the start of top coil, Maybe!
So right off hand with one continuous piece of wire, I think You would have to wind top coil one direction and the bottom the other.
Does anyone follow this madness???
T

Hey T, I think I get what he's saying,

On the top coil, secure the start by sticking the wire through the center-hole on the MIDDLE piece, down to the bottom where the plate is. Then wind the top coil CW, when it's pack out pretty good - the wire will pass down to the bottom coil, through a little nick in the edge of the MIDDLE piece, then wind that CCW. As far as what gets soldered to what, I'm still not quite sure, but a bet with a few guesses, you could figure it out

-Rob

[copperheadroads]

Hey T, I think I get what he's saying,

On the top coil, secure the start by sticking the wire through the center-hole on the MIDDLE piece, down to the bottom where the plate is. Then wind the top coil CW, when it's pack out pretty good - the wire will pass down to the bottom coil, through a little nick in the edge of the MIDDLE piece, then wind that CCW. As far as what gets soldered to what, I'm still not quite sure, but a bet with a few guesses, you could figure it out

-Rob

Why would you be winding the 2 coils different direction ? Is it to make the wires align better ?
Your probably better off using 28 gauge hookup wires with a 4-conductor wire untill you get every thing figured out

[big_teee]

Was trying to figure how rob DiStefano was doing it with only 2 wire ends.
It would make a neat looking package.
It could be catastrophic if things went wrong though.
I rebuilt the Seymour Stacked a while back.
It had 2 bobbins both wrapped the same way, and finish leads tied together.
If you can run the top start through the bobbin, I guess you could run the bottom start that way also.
Tie to eyelets, then all that is left is the two finish leads.
Thanks,
T

[Rob DiStefano]

it's relatively easy. first you build a stacked coil with vulcanized fiberboard. the center fiberboard, that separates and creates the two connectect bobbins, needs to have a tiny slot cut in its middle - this is to allow the passage of the coil wire. it also pays to wick in thin cya around each magnet/fiberboard - greatly strengthens the resulting bobbin, and i do it to all my pup builds. run a the 42awg through the middle hole of the center fiberboard and on up to the "top bobbin". wind on the wire. when you hit your target turn count, pass the wire into the middle fiberbard slot that you made, and down to the bottom bobbin, wind on the wire in the opposite direction than the top bobbin. that's it. in effect, you've created a pair of coils that are joined at their pseudo finish leads and thus it's a series circuit. because the pole piece alnico magnets are charged north/south, each bobbin thinks it's truly a separate coil, connected by their finish leads, and thus you have really created a humbucking pickup that's dead quiet. hope this helps.