Making my own pickups - is this a good plan or just mental?

[d-basser]

Hi guys. I am currently toying with the idea of building a Fenderbird style bass. One of the things I really want for it is chrome covered pickups ala classic Thuderbirds but these aren't really available unless you can afford Lulls/Thunderbuckers/Custom Seymour Duncans. Whilst this is a custom project it is a very low budget one so they are completely out of the question. Instead I have formulated a plan to build some of my own and I was wanting to run it by you people in case I am insane:

Plan would be to build a humbucker pickup from scratch that I could epoxy into a cover like this: [url="http://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/pickup-making-parts/chrome-plated-metal-bass-pickup-cover-for-gibson-thunderbird-bass-guitar/"]http://www.philadelp...rd-bass-guitar/[/url]

The internal pickup I would make to a design broadly similar to this one: [url="http://home.zonnet.nl/wilmaremy/makingpups.html."]http://home.zonnet.n...akingpups.html.[/url]

Essentially I would just be building a MM style pickup but tailored to the dimensions of the above cover. Parts needed seem to be relatively simple, really just some vulcanised fibre sheets for the bobbin, some 9mm diameter Alnico 5 magnets, 42 AWG pickup wire and then wire for connecting the coils and the final pickup to the rest of the electronics. Plan is to wind them using a hand drill, time consuming but simple. The only parts that seem hard to source are the 9mm diameter magnets and if they prove to be a real pain I could always opt for two 5mm magnets per string like a jazz pickup. I am aware this DIY deal is not going to sound like an old Tbird pickup but really I just want a big sounding humbucker that looks cool.

Is there anything about the above plan that seems really stupid or any advice you would like to give?

Edited August 24, 2013 by d-basser

[Kiwi]

Pickup winding has so many variables its on the verge of a dark art for specific results but it's not difficult to get a decent sounding pick up. There's no harm in mucking about with something if you haven't set your expectations too high.

[neepheid]

Sounds great, go for it. I'm too lazy to embark on something like this, so do it for me as well as yourself

[borisbrain]

I can't comment on the specifics of your plan, but I do know of many folks - friends and professionals - who've custom rewound their pickups to achieve some fabulous sounds. If I had the faintest idea of how to do it (or the slightest modicum of talent), I'd do the same for my Jap P bass which is woefully underpowered. Go for it.

BB

[d-basser]

Thanks for the encouragement guys, might take me a month or two to get started (I am skint at the moment and can't use my right arm after breaking my collar bone and elbow) but when I do get going I will make sure to do a little build diary. Will probably do a build diary for the bass too, going to build it from scratch with a friend as we are starting a wee luthiery side project.