BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Since I dont have a winder, I am handwinding a pickup and I am trying to decide if its worth the time though its fun and relaxing for me. any benefits over machine winded pickups?
Handwinding Pickups
- Thread starter BunnyGuitarShredder
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hamerfan
Well-known member
richard parker
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
From the Bare Knuckles site, although I believe the bobbins are spun on a machine with the actual wind being hand guided:
Winding
We scatter-wind the coils of each pickup one at a time with a variety of different gauges of enamelled copper wire; the gauge and type of wire insulation we use being dependant upon the sound we're after for each particular pickup. The majority of our pickups are wound with the traditional plain enamel wire (or Heavy Formvar in the case of single coils) used originally in the early days of pickup winding, although we do wind with modern polyester and polysol wires too.
Scatter-winding can only truly be done by hand and represents a high degree of skill by the person winding the coil. Although time consuming, it has many advantages over conventional machine winding and mass-production, not least the far superior tone and dynamics produced. We deliberately scatter the wire as we build up the windings of the coils so the wire isn't as even turn on turn, layer on layer, as with the more uniform wind of an automated machine with pre-tensioning. This lowers the distributed capacitance that exists between the turns of wire. Lower capacitance means improved high-end clarity, the resonant peak increases slightly and frequency response is greatly extended. The tension of the wire is also varied as it moves through the operator's fingers reflecting the ability to control the tension within the coil by the person winding the pickup. The result is a clearer, more open tone that has the impression of being louder purely by the amount of extra detail and dynamics present.
There are many folks on this site who will attest to the great tones of scatterwound buckers although SD says he doesn't approve.
From the Bare Knuckles site, although I believe the bobbins are spun on a machine with the actual wind being hand guided:
Winding
We scatter-wind the coils of each pickup one at a time with a variety of different gauges of enamelled copper wire; the gauge and type of wire insulation we use being dependant upon the sound we're after for each particular pickup. The majority of our pickups are wound with the traditional plain enamel wire (or Heavy Formvar in the case of single coils) used originally in the early days of pickup winding, although we do wind with modern polyester and polysol wires too.
Scatter-winding can only truly be done by hand and represents a high degree of skill by the person winding the coil. Although time consuming, it has many advantages over conventional machine winding and mass-production, not least the far superior tone and dynamics produced. We deliberately scatter the wire as we build up the windings of the coils so the wire isn't as even turn on turn, layer on layer, as with the more uniform wind of an automated machine with pre-tensioning. This lowers the distributed capacitance that exists between the turns of wire. Lower capacitance means improved high-end clarity, the resonant peak increases slightly and frequency response is greatly extended. The tension of the wire is also varied as it moves through the operator's fingers reflecting the ability to control the tension within the coil by the person winding the pickup. The result is a clearer, more open tone that has the impression of being louder purely by the amount of extra detail and dynamics present.
There are many folks on this site who will attest to the great tones of scatterwound buckers although SD says he doesn't approve.
richard parker
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
Of course not Pepe, but you knew that.
Of course not Pepe, but you knew that.
richard parker
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
Just been listening to some of Zhang's clips. AMAZING tones. If I had the cash and a guitar to put them in I'd order something now. In fact I'm thinking about replacing the JB in my SG Junior with something more vintage sounding ..... anyone need a child for their satanic ritual ?
Just been listening to some of Zhang's clips. AMAZING tones. If I had the cash and a guitar to put them in I'd order something now. In fact I'm thinking about replacing the JB in my SG Junior with something more vintage sounding ..... anyone need a child for their satanic ritual ?
BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
yeah i have been scatter winding it lol, getting a good even wind with it also and i hope it turns out alright because this is taking forever, i started at 4 am, was winding on and off til 10 am and its a little bit more than half way, also if there is a little slack does that affect tone negatively, i havent been allowing much slack
yeah i have been scatter winding it lol, getting a good even wind with it also and i hope it turns out alright because this is taking forever, i started at 4 am, was winding on and off til 10 am and its a little bit more than half way, also if there is a little slack does that affect tone negatively, i havent been allowing much slack
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Handwinding Pickups
So you're saying I'm not the only idiot who hand-wraps pickups?
So you're saying I'm not the only idiot who hand-wraps pickups?
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Handwinding Pickups
If you keep doing it, you'll get to where you can get a coil done in 90 minutes, which includes lots of breaks.
If you keep doing it, you'll get to where you can get a coil done in 90 minutes, which includes lots of breaks.
BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
well i have had a few breakages because i am doing pickup to pickup winding, so i am snatching wire from another pickup and winding another. I am just doing this to learn so when i wanna wire some nice pickups i will be better prepared, who knows maybe what i am doing now will produce some nice pickups lol.
well i have had a few breakages because i am doing pickup to pickup winding, so i am snatching wire from another pickup and winding another. I am just doing this to learn so when i wanna wire some nice pickups i will be better prepared, who knows maybe what i am doing now will produce some nice pickups lol.
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Handwinding Pickups
Oh, yikes! Just grab a quarter pound spool from Stewmac.
Oh, yikes! Just grab a quarter pound spool from Stewmac.
BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
winding a humbucker now the same way, do i reverse the winds from each other, also i am gonna customize them into a 4 wire instead of a 2 wire, any tips?
winding a humbucker now the same way, do i reverse the winds from each other, also i am gonna customize them into a 4 wire instead of a 2 wire, any tips?
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Handwinding Pickups
Best way to learn is just take the tape off a 4-conductor pickup and look at how it is wired together.
Best way to learn is just take the tape off a 4-conductor pickup and look at how it is wired together.
BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
okay another question since this is in the hand winding realm for me, i was talking to a local dulcimer/mandolin maker and got him interested in me making some pickups for his instruments as an experiment, im gonna hand wind the pickups but the question is are there any bobbins small enough for it, or will i have to fabricate some?
okay another question since this is in the hand winding realm for me, i was talking to a local dulcimer/mandolin maker and got him interested in me making some pickups for his instruments as an experiment, im gonna hand wind the pickups but the question is are there any bobbins small enough for it, or will i have to fabricate some?
Brow
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
A good friend of mine is a luthier and tech and for the electric mandolins he builds he uses a single part of the pickup from a P-Bass. He's always been really happy with the results.
A good friend of mine is a luthier and tech and for the electric mandolins he builds he uses a single part of the pickup from a P-Bass. He's always been really happy with the results.
Re: Handwinding Pickups
I really need to finish the other pup so I can rip the old samshin out of my epi lp's neck.
90 minutes!?!?!?! wow, it took me about 90 days to wind a single PAFish spec humbucker by hand. the task was the background to lotttts of episodes of Lost and Battlestar Galactica. LOTS. I was terrified about breaking the wire though, so that probably didn't help my speed.
I really need to finish the other pup so I can rip the old samshin out of my epi lp's neck.
BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
never said PAFs were handwound, just saying I am handwinding my own because I dont have the materials to make a winder and cant afford to do so if there is any benefit to handwinding Ill keep it up. Thanks Brow Ill see how that works for a dulcimer since I need 3 posts for this guys instruments
never said PAFs were handwound, just saying I am handwinding my own because I dont have the materials to make a winder and cant afford to do so if there is any benefit to handwinding Ill keep it up. Thanks Brow Ill see how that works for a dulcimer since I need 3 posts for this guys instruments
BunnyGuitarShredder
New member
Re: Handwinding Pickups
Yeah I know what you mean lol, thats 3 seasons of Supernatural and the entire series of X-files for me til I finish all these pickups lol
