Masta' C
Well-known member
Re: Introducing from the Custom Shop: The George Lynch Hunter
Not sure, but definitely not 43 awg (the bobbins would be overflowing) and extremely likely not 44 awg either, if MJ's accounts are assumed accurate.
Because of Duncan's varying magnet wire stock and the fact that modern coatings are available in virtually any color these days, making classic "that looks like enamel" assumptions risky, it's hard to be completely certain about the insulation type.
The wire on my Hunter has a reddish-copper insulation that looks similar to the insulation I remember on the Black Winter pickups I recently sold. It's also very similar to the wire I see on the handful of NOS early-'80s JB pickups I have here, while my newer production JBs are a lighter, more typical "copper" color. Still, that's not saying much. Could easily be poly, poly-nylon or even enamel, which is the most common choice in the Custom Shop.
Here's a pic:
More about gauges...
A standard JB or Distortion is wound with 44 awg, while pickups like the Custom series and Screamin' Demon are 43 awg.
All other things kept equal (construction, coil geometry, magnet type, etc), to get an equal resistance with lower output, you'd have to move to an even narrower wire size. A 14K pickup with 44 awg will have roughly 20% less output than a pickup with 43 awg wound to the same 14K spec. As always, you have to be very careful about universally equating DCR with "output", because there are so many other factors that play into both the actual and perceived "output" level, some more than simply the amount of wire on the bobbins!
Pickups like the Prototype JB, the RTM and the Super V, which range from 16K - 18K, aren't nearly as "hot" as a JB or Distortion of similar or even lower DCR because they utilize a thinner wire gauge that causes the DCR to escalate without becoming a middy, compressed mess. This is also how pickups like the "Slug" and "El Diablo" can have such ridiculously high DCR values (22K+) and still maintain a manageable response with good tone...they use a much thinner magnet wire than your more popular production models.
I also caught mention a while back (maybe in one of the SD tour videos? Can't remember...) about the Custom Shop using half-gauge sizes in some models and there's also the whole "min-nom-max" thing, which proves that not all wire labeled as "plain enamel 44awg" is the same in application.
Realistically, though, we're probably looking at 44.5 awg or 45 awg in the case of the Dokkenbucker & Hunter models, but that's just an educated guess based on limited information.
If so, the popular "JB+" or "Distortion Lite" conversions would be much different animals than the Dokkenbucker and even an "underwound" Distortion would likely yield different characteristics than the Hunter.
Not sure, but definitely not 43 awg (the bobbins would be overflowing) and extremely likely not 44 awg either, if MJ's accounts are assumed accurate.
Because of Duncan's varying magnet wire stock and the fact that modern coatings are available in virtually any color these days, making classic "that looks like enamel" assumptions risky, it's hard to be completely certain about the insulation type.
The wire on my Hunter has a reddish-copper insulation that looks similar to the insulation I remember on the Black Winter pickups I recently sold. It's also very similar to the wire I see on the handful of NOS early-'80s JB pickups I have here, while my newer production JBs are a lighter, more typical "copper" color. Still, that's not saying much. Could easily be poly, poly-nylon or even enamel, which is the most common choice in the Custom Shop.
Here's a pic:
More about gauges...
A standard JB or Distortion is wound with 44 awg, while pickups like the Custom series and Screamin' Demon are 43 awg.
All other things kept equal (construction, coil geometry, magnet type, etc), to get an equal resistance with lower output, you'd have to move to an even narrower wire size. A 14K pickup with 44 awg will have roughly 20% less output than a pickup with 43 awg wound to the same 14K spec. As always, you have to be very careful about universally equating DCR with "output", because there are so many other factors that play into both the actual and perceived "output" level, some more than simply the amount of wire on the bobbins!
Pickups like the Prototype JB, the RTM and the Super V, which range from 16K - 18K, aren't nearly as "hot" as a JB or Distortion of similar or even lower DCR because they utilize a thinner wire gauge that causes the DCR to escalate without becoming a middy, compressed mess. This is also how pickups like the "Slug" and "El Diablo" can have such ridiculously high DCR values (22K+) and still maintain a manageable response with good tone...they use a much thinner magnet wire than your more popular production models.
I also caught mention a while back (maybe in one of the SD tour videos? Can't remember...) about the Custom Shop using half-gauge sizes in some models and there's also the whole "min-nom-max" thing, which proves that not all wire labeled as "plain enamel 44awg" is the same in application.
Realistically, though, we're probably looking at 44.5 awg or 45 awg in the case of the Dokkenbucker & Hunter models, but that's just an educated guess based on limited information.
If so, the popular "JB+" or "Distortion Lite" conversions would be much different animals than the Dokkenbucker and even an "underwound" Distortion would likely yield different characteristics than the Hunter.
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