Mincer : I certainly have some 'target' pickups that I use as references when I'm winding; it's too hard (for me, at least) to start without some sort of basis in what I like to hear, if that makes sense. For instance-I love a 59 in the neck of an alder super-strat, but with it was just a *touch* smoother, so I've would a couple neck humbuckers at 5,000 turns/bobbin of 42 gauge wire, and used an A5 in one and an A4 in the other, then wound another at 5,300 turns per bobbin with an A2. I'll try them all out and see which one seems to be going in the direction I'm looking for.
In the past I've wound some genuinely weird stuff, just to see what it might sound like: 5,000 turns of 43 on one bobbin, and 5,500 of 44 on another with an UO A5(VERY aggressive), one wound with 44 to 20K with a polished A5 (basically a buzz saw) and one wound with 42 to 6.7K with an A2 (sounded great through a modeler, but lacked 'push' on a tube amp.) It's like cooking, but with wire so fine it's ALMOST imaginary.
@ICTGoober: I can't imagine doing this for money...I'd starve.
@Masta'C: I built a winder from scratch this time (I had been using a converted mini-lathe) and have this one set up so I can screw mount the bobbins, rather than using double-sided tape, which is WAYYYYY easier and cleaner.
Larry
