I know pickups aren't complex, and it can get technical as I spent years in electronics, and a couple years when I was much younger winding, soldering, and repairing transformers and I'm I got the IPC soldering certifications. Pretty much I know to be gentle, and I've seen it's best to pull the magnet out from one side. with how things are wired. I do have a cheap artec pickup I was messing with and notice it was potted using black epoxy, much like I would often with transformers as well as bonding the core, and circuit board builds in which they could be in certain harsher conditions to protect it from failure. Is there a reason why the JB I opened up and looked at is wax potted? I would think the American made name brand would use epoxy potting? figuring out a sure-fire process wouldn't be difficult. But yeah all the details preferably in a video with no riff raff, like it's made for people with short attention spans. Plus how winds relate to tone and the different construction, magnets, styles of music, etc. Perhaps someone Glenn Fricker hates.
Best subject matter expert on pickup engineering?
- Thread starter jeffb1979
- Start date
beaubrummels
Well-known member
One of the best subject matter experts on pickup engineering is Seymour Duncan, and I say that not because this forum bears his name, but because I've read his "Ask Seymour" column in the archives where he laid out detailed knowledge about pickups, their construction, engineering considerations and all the testing and details that go into making them.
Regarding why not use epoxy, if you pot a pickup with epoxy you could never repair it or modify it, you'd just have to replace it. The Duncan company started as a pickup repair company, then later released their own models. Pickups shouldn't ever see extremes that mandate epoxy for protection because such conditions would also ruin the instrument they are housed in.
Regarding why not use epoxy, if you pot a pickup with epoxy you could never repair it or modify it, you'd just have to replace it. The Duncan company started as a pickup repair company, then later released their own models. Pickups shouldn't ever see extremes that mandate epoxy for protection because such conditions would also ruin the instrument they are housed in.
Yeah, I think the decision to use wax means that it could be re-wound or fixed. I can't imagine there would be a change in sound no matter what they used, but I've never compared. Cheap pickups are just thrown out if something breaks inside (or you try to mod it).
SD's stack pickups are glued together (at least the cover is glued on), though, and are not modify-able without breaking something.
SD's stack pickups are glued together (at least the cover is glued on), though, and are not modify-able without breaking something.
freefrog
Well-known member
What beaubrummels and Mincer said. 
Before EMG, Bill Lawrence was an adept of epoxy potting, as illustrated by his own pickups and by his designs for other brands (like the Gibson "TarBacks", precisely named like that because they were sealed in their covers by black epoxy resin).
Not only it makes mods and repairs extremely difficult if not impossible, but it doesn't avoid pickups to die without clear reasons, IME...
For further information, there's a long testimonial from "Sonny W", on the Music-electronics-forum, in the "Pickups Rewinds" topic. Tittle:
Rewind from Heck! Gibson "Tarbacks" Not recommended!!
it sums up the problem, me think. YMMV...
The same forum is also full of useful infos about magnetic transducers, FWIW.
Before EMG, Bill Lawrence was an adept of epoxy potting, as illustrated by his own pickups and by his designs for other brands (like the Gibson "TarBacks", precisely named like that because they were sealed in their covers by black epoxy resin).
Not only it makes mods and repairs extremely difficult if not impossible, but it doesn't avoid pickups to die without clear reasons, IME...
For further information, there's a long testimonial from "Sonny W", on the Music-electronics-forum, in the "Pickups Rewinds" topic. Tittle:
Rewind from Heck! Gibson "Tarbacks" Not recommended!!
it sums up the problem, me think. YMMV...
The same forum is also full of useful infos about magnetic transducers, FWIW.
maug2122
New member
What beaubrummels and Mincer said.
Before EMG, Bill Lawrence was an adept of epoxy potting, as illustrated by his own pickups and by his designs for other brands (like the Gibson "TarBacks", precisely named like that because they were sealed in their covers by black epoxy resin).
Not only it makes mods and repairs extremely difficult if not impossible, but it doesn't avoid pickups to die without clear reasons, IME...
For further information, there's a long testimonial from "Sonny W", on the Music-electronics-forum, in the "Pickups Rewinds" topic. Tittle:
Rewind from Heck! Gibson "Tarbacks" Not recommended!!
it sums up the problem, me think. YMMV...
The same forum is also full of useful infos about magnetic transducers, FWIW.
My favorite Bill Lawrence pickup is the L-250 for its ability to bring out only what tone that part of the guitar has to offer.
Sometimes, I wonder if any one ever back engineered those epoxy encased pickups.
For me, the BL L-250 is like the "Statovirious" of guitar pickups. In the neck position on a couple of guitars, it reminds me of a Dimarzio YJM ( HS 4) when driven, but it is amazing when used clean or when using an acoustic simulator pedal .
freefrog
Well-known member
Just to be clear: I love BL pickups (at least vintage ones from before the split and the "Wilde" PUs produced after)... and a local pickups winder for whom I've worked was among the firsts to import BL PU's in Europe in the early 80's, FWIW.
Their epoxy potting is a PITA for various reasons but fortunately, there's no reason to reverse engineer them: Willi Lorenz Stich has been rather clear about his strategies, including mainly the use of thin blade poles + the absence of metallic baseplates for a more focused magnetic field and the least possible eddy currents... IOW, the "secret" of BL's is not really in how they're wound, except for innovative products like his "Micro-Coils".
Interestingly, DiMarzio applied an opposite strategy, with brass baseplates and big magnetic poles for MORE Foucault currents, hence a raunchier tone (initially inspired by Ray Butts pickups, in my understanding : when one thinks twice, the Super-Distortion had more than one spec in common with Filter'Tron's, even if it had 4 times more muscle)...
Damn, I've rambling like an old fart! Sorry for that... At least you know that I hold Bill Lawrence in high esteem, despite the frustrating aspect of his epoxy-mania.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
I wish I could like this thread twice. I have a L-250 in my Strat paired with a Dimebucker. I can cover everything with that pair.
uOpt
Something Cool
Here is a good book:
https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Gui...ology-ebook/dp/B09VTMHMKX?ref_=ast_author_mpb
https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Gui...ology-ebook/dp/B09VTMHMKX?ref_=ast_author_mpb
Attachments
Oh! I hadn't seen that book! I will check it out.
freefrog
Well-known member
Yeah, Lemme covers the basics in a clear and useful way. There's a nice digest of his work in a web page named "The secrets of electric guitar"...
Then there's "next generation" research, as done by the GITEC / Manfred Zollner. Can be close-minded IMHO but remains a gold mine when it comes to technical infos.
Same feeling for me about the Guitarnutz2 forum, albeit I find some contributions really close-minded in this context. YMMV...
Then there's "next generation" research, as done by the GITEC / Manfred Zollner. Can be close-minded IMHO but remains a gold mine when it comes to technical infos.
Same feeling for me about the Guitarnutz2 forum, albeit I find some contributions really close-minded in this context. YMMV...
