Lipstick Pickups

[walcen]

Hi all, I have a curious question regarding lipstick pickups.

Can a rod magnet be used instead of a bar magnet with the wire wrapped around the rod width instead of it's length, on a long narrow round bobbin?

It would mean it could be wound hotter if required and would be easier to wind. BUT will it work? Are they wound the way they are traditionally or because they only work that way?

Has any one tried winding the other way?

Just curious that's all

regards

Walt

[David King]

I'd think with the poles coming out the ends you'd need to redirect the field over the strings to work like a horseshoe pickup??

[big_teee]

Hi all, I have a curious question regarding lipstick pickups.

Can a rod magnet be used instead of a bar magnet with the wire wrapped around the rod width instead of it's length, on a long narrow round bobbin?

It would mean it could be wound hotter if required and would be easier to wind. BUT will it work? Are they wound the way they are traditionally or because they only work that way?

Has any one tried winding the other way?

Just curious that's all

regards

Walt

Still not totally clear how you would position the rod?
I built one of these kits once.
Guitar Lipstick Tube Pickup Kit
It had the ceramic magnet that fit in the small bobbin.
Then you slid the completed bobbin in the lipstick tube.
If I did it again, I think I would cut or grind down a standard magnet, and just wind around the magnet.
Tape it first.
That would be a good one to use the lacquer while your winding.
every now and then coat the edges let dry, then wind some more.
That would help keep the wire on the magnet.
You would need to keep up with the size of the coil so it would fit in the lip stick tube.
T

[soundmasterg]

and just wind around the magnet.
Tape it first.

T

Thats how the originals are made....wire wound around the Alnico 6 bar magnet and stuffed into the tube. They sound great that way too....nothing needs to be changed. They're just harder to wind than some other designs....

Greg

[LtKojak]

Thats how the originals are made....wire wound around the Alnico 6 bar magnet and stuffed into the tube. They sound great that way too....nothing needs to be changed. They're just harder to wind than some other designs....

Greg

Well, I agree with you, Greg.

Having said that, this is a design I'd LOVE to hear with an A8 mag in the bridge position.

Any takers...?

[soundmasterg]

I would bet that would be even brighter than usual....

Greg

[David King]

I imagine all the lipstick tubes are solid brass so the eddy losses must dim them considerably.

[big_teee]

I imagine all the lipstick tubes are solid brass so the eddy losses must dim them considerably.

I wound the kit with the bobbin and ceramic magnet.
You can't put much wire on them, and the one and only I made was so bright no one liked it.
That ended my lipstick tube experiments.
I never did make a regular with the wire wound directly on the alnico magnet.
Hopefully it would sound better.
T

[Peter Naglitsch]

The few I have made were not overly bright at all. I used the hardware from GJ without the mini Hb bobbin, winding directly on the magnet. I might have made them a tad to hot also as the "chimey" quality of the pickups were not that precent at expected. Or as David said, brass tubes -> treble killer.

[soundmasterg]

I had the Duncan custom shop make me some back about 5 years ago. I made sure the used the correct alnico 6 magnets. The stock pickups on the Korean reissue Dano DC3 were about 3.7k and they were pretty wimpy and bright. The Duncans are a bit close to 4k and they sound WAY better overall....similar to Strat single coils but a bit thicker and less quacky, though part of that is the series wiring in the guitar. I've played some old Danos too and the Lipstick pickups are not too bright on those either. I think winding direct on the magnet and using alnico 6 for the magnet is the ticket myself. I'm very happy with these pickups.

Greg

[walcen]

Man you guys sure make for some interesting reading. So how is a lipstick magnet oriented? N S end to end or side to side like a hum bucker magnet?

[Bryan Jeppson]

Does anybody sell Nickel Silver lipstick covers?, or is there maybe a plastic equivalent like something manufactured for real lipstick?

[Peter Naglitsch]

Man you guys sure make for some interesting reading. So how is a lipstick magnet oriented? N S end to end or side to side like a hum bucker magnet?

HB manget style, standing on its edge, wire wrapped directly on magnet. A bit of search have gotten you the answer...

Does anybody sell Nickel Silver lipstick covers?, or is there maybe a plastic equivalent like something manufactured for real lipstick?

Not to my knowledge. But as the original most likely were brass, and they sound good, why look for nickel silver? And I'm just guessing, but the brass cover is what makes the pickups not being ear piercingly bright.

[rhgwynn]

Guitar Lipstick Tube Pickup Kit

Dont know what they made that tube from... doesnt look like brass to me....

-Rob

[big_teee]

Guitar Lipstick Tube Pickup Kit

Dont know what they made that tube from... doesnt look like brass to me....

-Rob

I built that kit a couple of years ago.
I used the ceramic magnet and bobbin.
You can't get much wire on it.
Mine Sounded like an Ice-Pick Thru the Heart!
What I was saying, if I built another one I would throw the bobbin and magnet away, adn go to plan B.
Plan B, would be winding around a Alnico bar.
I think the tube was thin, don't remember if it had any brass in it or not.
It was a lot of Damn trouble, and I decided there were other exercises in futility to keep me busy besides LipSticks!