wire insulation. why does it matter
- Thread starter orpheo
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Gearjoneser
Gear Ho
Re: wire insulation. why does it matter
Here's an article from the website.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/tales-from-custom-shop/seymour-duncan-company/the-way-of-wire/
Here's an article from the website.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/tales-from-custom-shop/seymour-duncan-company/the-way-of-wire/
Re: wire insulation. why does it matter
the size of the insulation matters since it will determine coil size. a thinner insultaion will result in a smaller coil given the same wind. i cant tell you why formvar sounds different than pe but i can tell you it does.
the size of the insulation matters since it will determine coil size. a thinner insultaion will result in a smaller coil given the same wind. i cant tell you why formvar sounds different than pe but i can tell you it does.
blueman335
Mojo's Minions
uOpt
Something Cool
Re: wire insulation. why does it matter
I think flexibility and stickyness has to do with it, too.
A lot of the "life" in American pickups comes from them not being tied down like cast from concrete. If some wire has insulation that allows a little complexity in it's movement that should make a difference.
I think flexibility and stickyness has to do with it, too.
A lot of the "life" in American pickups comes from them not being tied down like cast from concrete. If some wire has insulation that allows a little complexity in it's movement that should make a difference.
copperheadroads
New member
Re: wire insulation. why does it matter
I was hoping some one else do it but here goes
Plain enamel has probably the thinnest insulation of all the common magnet wire used for pickups & the most expensive ,It also has dielectric properties in the insulation that tames treble ,which gives it its more clear ,not so squeaky tones
Heavy Formvar is wire with thicker or 2 coats of insulation ,which creates a thick bright but smooth tone .
Formvar has similar tone to poly-nylon,poly,spn wire, that has similar bare wire diameter & insulation thickness
I was hoping some one else do it but here goes
Plain enamel has probably the thinnest insulation of all the common magnet wire used for pickups & the most expensive ,It also has dielectric properties in the insulation that tames treble ,which gives it its more clear ,not so squeaky tones
Heavy Formvar is wire with thicker or 2 coats of insulation ,which creates a thick bright but smooth tone .
Formvar has similar tone to poly-nylon,poly,spn wire, that has similar bare wire diameter & insulation thickness
LtKojak
New member
Re: wire insulation. why does it matter
In theory, yes, but the insulation differs in how it's been distributed on the wire, and that's the biggest factor that will affect what's called "coil geometry". I don't have the necessary scientific background to explain it and motivate it, mind you, but it just happens and what's documented on the different winders R&D processes.
What I think is that in the beginning of coil winding applied to guitar p'ups, every manufacturer basically used the kind of wire they could get from the supplier, so wire was wire, just like a p'up was a p'up.
I haven't seen all the different insulation under the microscope, but seeing at Plain Enamel, it looks a little bit like barb wire, and this helps with the coil keeping the shape it was wound in the first place without altering the coil geometry with time and without even using a lot of tension, allowing to wind "looser" coils without the need of potting to prevent squealing.
Using poly nylon insulation, the surface of the wire is the smoothest, so if not enough tension is applied to the wiring, squealing is almost inevitable, so potting is a necessity, being the lesser of two evils. Fortunately, due to the dielectric properties making the wire "brighter", potting doesn't alter the tone in a bad way, and can even "enhance" the final outcome.
The winder can take all this characteristics into count when designing a p'up to perform a certain task, so no method is inherently better than the other, just different and/or cheaper/more expensive, more/less traditional.
In a nutshell, one can't really say potted vs. unpotted one is "better" than the other, as it all boils down to the intended design. The same with "coil mismatch". Historically, PAF coils were all mismatched only because they were wound carelessly with no quality control whatsoever. Hype made a fault to a feature. Also, the PAF p'up sold was NOT even the same as the patent applied by Gibson shows, and that the final outcome was "produced by commitee", and the complete disregard to the required specs by using whatever part was the cheapest, specially regarding magnet type. As long as it was "Alnico" written on the invoice, it was all good.
HTH,
In theory, yes, but the insulation differs in how it's been distributed on the wire, and that's the biggest factor that will affect what's called "coil geometry". I don't have the necessary scientific background to explain it and motivate it, mind you, but it just happens and what's documented on the different winders R&D processes.
What I think is that in the beginning of coil winding applied to guitar p'ups, every manufacturer basically used the kind of wire they could get from the supplier, so wire was wire, just like a p'up was a p'up.
I haven't seen all the different insulation under the microscope, but seeing at Plain Enamel, it looks a little bit like barb wire, and this helps with the coil keeping the shape it was wound in the first place without altering the coil geometry with time and without even using a lot of tension, allowing to wind "looser" coils without the need of potting to prevent squealing.
Using poly nylon insulation, the surface of the wire is the smoothest, so if not enough tension is applied to the wiring, squealing is almost inevitable, so potting is a necessity, being the lesser of two evils. Fortunately, due to the dielectric properties making the wire "brighter", potting doesn't alter the tone in a bad way, and can even "enhance" the final outcome.
The winder can take all this characteristics into count when designing a p'up to perform a certain task, so no method is inherently better than the other, just different and/or cheaper/more expensive, more/less traditional.
In a nutshell, one can't really say potted vs. unpotted one is "better" than the other, as it all boils down to the intended design. The same with "coil mismatch". Historically, PAF coils were all mismatched only because they were wound carelessly with no quality control whatsoever. Hype made a fault to a feature. Also, the PAF p'up sold was NOT even the same as the patent applied by Gibson shows, and that the final outcome was "produced by commitee", and the complete disregard to the required specs by using whatever part was the cheapest, specially regarding magnet type. As long as it was "Alnico" written on the invoice, it was all good.
HTH,
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