Damonjames Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Hey guys, I was reading the other day that tim commerford winds his own pickups. Has anyone had a shot at this? Sounds like fun!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Tried to wind pickups by hand many years ago and the wire kept breaking so I gave up. Often thought that I'd like to have another go now I'm older and wiser, Allegedly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 (edited) Another one? It's very simple. The trick is doing it well. A steady hand and some basic supplies is all you need. Power drill, handdrill (for winding), multimeter (to test output), magnets (emagnetsuk), wire (.42 guage) and some pcb board (or ready made flatwork and cases). Oh and a bit of imagination and creativity. Edited August 18, 2012 by lettsguitars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 No..but I had a few done for me... it was good to experiment and I learnt you can have too thick a gauge and/or too many winds.. and powerful is not necessarily better for tone..AT ALL..!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethFlatlands Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Aaages ago there was a really long thread linked to on here where a builder goes through every step of making a jazz bass copy, including pickup winding that was a really interesting and informative read. ..And with a bit of googling, here it is [url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/169606-1960-jazzbass-build.html"]http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/169606-1960-jazzbass-build.html[/url] Pickup build starts around page 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 (edited) building my own pickup is something that i have though about many times. but theres a couple of reasons why i have never done it. 1- i don't have the money for such a devilishly expensive thing. 2. i don't have the skills or expertise. 3. i don't have the tools. and 4. i have no idea how to make a pickup sound like tim commerfords! (love his sound!) Edited August 22, 2012 by MiltyG565 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 just finished reading that thread..... wow. that guy goes to extreme measures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTool Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 [quote name='GarethFlatlands' timestamp='1345381397' post='1776838'] Aaages ago there was a really long thread linked to on here where a builder goes through every step of making a jazz bass copy, including pickup winding that was a really interesting and informative read. ..And with a bit of googling, here it is [url="http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-home-depot/169606-1960-jazzbass-build.html"]http://www.tdpri.com...bass-build.html[/url] Pickup build starts around page 4. [/quote] That is the best build thread I have ever seen AWESOME!!! Thanks for putting that link up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 [quote name='BassTool' timestamp='1345818188' post='1781973'] That is the best build thread I have ever seen AWESOME!!! Thanks for putting that link up [/quote] agreed (Y) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethFlatlands Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) It's awesome isn't it? It's been linked here before, but I'm going to read it all again anyway. Edit:- I forgot he makes his own PIO capacitors. Crazy but brilliant. Edited September 5, 2012 by GarethFlatlands Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xgsjx Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 (edited) Make your own Pick up??? You mean like this? Edited September 5, 2012 by xgsjx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shizznit Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 I wouldn't have the patience or skill to build my own pick up. It's not as easy as you think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technicality Posted September 8, 2012 Share Posted September 8, 2012 (edited) I made some, it was fun and not that hard even though I didn't really know what I was doing. It did take a lot of patience though. It took about 15 minutes at the highest speed my drill would go (fast enough that the bobbin was a blur) to wind one, during which one lapse in concentration can mess it up, in which case its time to start again. Here was my set up [url="http://www.idlecreations.com/loz/pup1.jpg"]http://www.idlecreat...om/loz/pup1.jpg[/url] For counting the winds I had an arduino counting clicks of a little switch which triggered from a bolt taped to the drill. I overwound them both a bit, measured the impedance, and then took some winds off by hand. You could possibly do it without counting, but the taking winds off after measuring process would take a lot longer. The tape around one end of the bobbin is to try and discourage the wire coming off that end and winding round the screw. When this happened at high speed it was a real pain because in a fraction of a second you have a load of winds on it that you need to unwind very carefully. The wire is so thin its really really flimsy. I found that the closer the spool of wire was to the winding mechanism the more likely it was that the wire would snap from the changes in tension due to the bobbin shape. As a result the spool of wire is way way out of the picture out the door across the hallway and in another room. I think I had two failed winds where the wire snapped around the 7 minute mark (before I moved the spool further away). Oh, I also had a way of securing the drill in the on position. Holding the very springy button in for 15 minutes whilst concentrating on winding proved too difficult for me. And they eventually came out like this: [url="http://www.idlecreations.com/loz/pup2.jpg"]http://www.idlecreat...om/loz/pup2.jpg[/url] After this picture I wound string around the windings and potted them for protection. The surrounds are a bit big because I really had no idea how much space the wire would take up. The only things I bought were the wire and magnets, so it was pretty cheap. Edited September 8, 2012 by Technicality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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