41G wire compared to 42G

[Brian W.]

I've been considering winding a couple of Strat pickups with 41G wire instead of the usual 42G. It was suggested to me that the bass would be accented and the overall sound would lose clarity and that the 41G is better for lower volume clean tone rather than high volume stuff. Anybody have experience with this gauge of wire??

[Helmholtz]

I've been considering winding a couple of Strat pickups with 41G wire instead of the usual 42G. It was suggested to me that the bass would be accented and the overall sound would lose clarity and that the 41G is better for lower volume clean tone rather than high volume stuff. Anybody have experience with this gauge of wire??

According to PU theory wire gauge has no influence on bass response. Bass transfer response will always be linear typically at least up to 500Hz in a magnetic PU, independent wire gauge, number of turns, coil size etc. This is confirmed by a wealth of PU measurements.

[big_teee]

I've experimented with different things on strat pickups.
Not with measurements, but with what they sound like to me.
I imagine you are talking about the neck pickup.
The neck pickup in a strat is so far from the bridge, it gets muddy fast.
I found that 41 is too large and I couldn't get enough turns on the bobbin for the tone I wanted.
Rather than go to 41, try 42H, and limit the amount of turns on the neck pickp. Less than 8000 turns.
Another thing that effects clarity and brightness, is bobbin height, the height between the flats.
Taller bobbins sound brighter.
That can require taller magnets.
Magnet type also effect tone.
Experimentation is the key to all of it.
T

[big_teee]

This should be a good bright sounding neck pickup.

[Mark Hammer]

I've made Strat coils for myself using #41. Sounded decent to me. Although big-teee's point about being able to fit enough turns on should be taken into account. You'd be surprised how a small change in gauge adds bulk to a coil after a few thousand turns. You should be able to fit as many turns as you are aiming for on a neck pickup although you may have some difficulty fitting a plastic cover over it. But if you're fine with leaving it bare, with only tape of some kind protecting the coil, you should be fine.

[big_teee]

My experienc with 41, it was sterile bright sounding, used on strat pickups.
But, hey, try it and let us know what you think!
I had good luck using 41 on bass pickups.
Bright is usually a good thing with bass picups.
GL,
T

[Brian W.]

Well...I was basing this on the premise that 41G wire wound to 6K would have a fatter coil and more low-end than 42G wire wound to 6K. Helmholtz has added some new ingredients to the mix.
A friend mentioned that the thicker gauge wire added more bass to the sound and muddied things up a bit more. Maybe the 41G is pushing the signal into the amp more and giving the illusion of more bass?
I have an original Red Rhodes Velvet Hammer Strat pickup with A5 magnets and 41G wire wound to 4.5K. I just finished winding some 41G wire onto a Strat coil to 5.5 K [also with A5 magnets ]. I put this in the bridge and the 4.5K in the neck. Of course the bridge pickup is still a little on the thin side but it sounds good to my ears in comparison to the neck pickup. Maybe wind one up to 6K ? There is still room on the coil for more wire. I've mixed & matched pickups for different positions before [real hot in the bridge...etc etc..] but would like to hit on a formula using the same basic magnets and wire for all 3 pickups.

[Helmholtz]

A friend mentioned that the thicker gauge wire added more bass to the sound and muddied things up a bit more. Maybe the 41G is pushing the signal into the amp more and giving the illusion of more bass?

Your friend is wrong.

More turns give more output and less treble. This may give the illusion of increased bass.

[max oersted]

Another option is 42 max/nom: the "fat" side of the 42awg spec. I won't share specifics beyond this but I will say it's absolutely worth the $ and time to play with for huge, glistening Strat neck pos tones.

[Brian W.]

Another option is 42 max/nom: the "fat" side of the 42awg spec. I won't share specifics beyond this but I will say it's absolutely worth the $ and time to play with for huge, glistening Strat neck pos tones.

Would Remington Industries carry that wire?? I failed to mention that up to now I have been using 42G heavy formvar for my Strat pickups.

[Brian W.]

My experienc with 41, it was sterile bright sounding, used on strat pickups.
But, hey, try it and let us know what you think!
I had good luck using 41 on bass pickups.
Bright is usually a good thing with bass picups.
GL,
T

HHmmm......maybe a good candidate for a Strat neck pickup!

[big_teee]

HHmmm......maybe a good candidate for a Strat neck pickup!

I tried it, I didn't like it.
YMMV,
T

[Brian W.]

I tried it, I didn't like it.
YMMV,
T

How did it compare sound-wise to a pickup wound with 42G Formvar [ A 5 magnets] ?

[max oersted]

Would Remington Industries carry that wire?? I failed to mention that up to now I have been using 42G heavy formvar for my Strat pickups.

MWS and BAE do for sure but I can't speak to Remington. 42HF is the stuff for vintage Strats but at this stage of your winding prowess, save this expensive wire and get some 42 HPN. It's more cost-effective in your experimentation phase and if done right will yield a very similar tone. My .02, FWIW, IMHO.

[big_teee]

Ditto what Max said.
I have great luck with the 42 HP and 42 SP.
Brian, another thing, when reporting on here.
Are you winding By Turns, or just DCR.
I usually state both so we have more to go on, but if possible we wind by turns, and state how many turns for what gauge of wire your using.
Then list your DCR for comparison, if you want to?
T