Raving_camel Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 I done a quick search in here and couldn't find anything, I hope this is the right section aswell. Last month i decided to start modding basses out of boredom, to get me through a boring winter. Anyway, i've decided after doing pretty boring things so far (LED fretboard, de fretting, building a neck) that i'd try and make a pickup. I bought myself 10 neodymium magnets and 75 metres of .50 copper wire. I'll use two sticks to hold the magnets in place, so sideways on it will look like this Magnet = M, stick = | M|MM| I then wrap that in the copper wiring, (they say between 5,000 and 8,000 times! ), tape it up, cover the two wires, plug into a volume pot, and I have a pickup. Is it really this simple? I am a complete noob to building and modifying. I would post on another forum I use, but i'd get ripped to shreds by elitists and you guys seem a lot more respectable and nicer. My long term plan would be to make a working bass from parts i've made (ie, make the pups, bridge, tuners, etc) Also interested in hearing from people who have made a pickup themself, or have read up on it. Thanks for reading and take care everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 There used to be a really good build thread on BW/BT where some awesome bloke went through making pups step by step for his own handmade bass. From what I remember the construction theory is simple, creation is like most things, needs practice to get done right. I do remember something about mounting the pup on the end of a variable speed drill on the lowest setting (with the drill in a vice), and holding the spool of wire so it can rotate freely, apparently it not only speeds up pup winding massively from doing each loop by hand but allows you to be quite accurate as well. And yes, it's thousands of times round and round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
octavedoctor Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 [quote name='Raving_camel' post='374735' date='Jan 9 2009, 02:58 AM']Is it really this simple? I am a complete noob to building and modifying. I would post on another forum I use, but i'd get ripped to shreds by elitists and you guys seem a lot more respectable and nicer.[/quote] In theory, yes, although you need to consider things like wire tension and winding speed. You can't wind coils very quickly or you get something called "looping". I reckon about 300rpm is the max so 5000 winds will take you about 15-20 hard minutes. I usually take a break every few minutes or I develop a squint because it takes a lot of concentration. What are you using as a winder? I did my first rewind using a drill in a vice but I wouldn't recommend it. i know others who've used home made faceplates mounted in lathes. I currently use a geared electric motor mounted on a bracket and the bobbins are held in place with No More Nails tape. Sounds primitive but it works! I wind by weight rather than number of turns, using the feed spool on a very accurate balance. It's extremely accurate; I had to rewind a TV Jones pickup the other week that the owner had trashed.. i had no idea of the spec or number of turns so I just measured the wire diameter and wound the coils with the exact same weight of wire. I finished up with two coils each of 2.4k, global impedance 4.8k. That didn't seem right to me so i went online to check the spec. Eventually found it and it was spot on... Also, i didn't understand your magnet configuration You may run into problems with 50 micron wire and NeoD magnets. NeoD is VERY powerful and creates a lot of magnetic weighting which can affect tone, sustain and intonation. 50 micron wire is generally used for humbuckers and 8000 turns will create a very high impedance which won't necessarily sound more powerful but will have and attenuated top end response and a fat middle. Most bass players want a bit of sparkle at the top end and an expanded bass spectrum but he only way to find out is to suck it and see... Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 Don't forget to count each wind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 You should also "pot" the pickups. That is, dip the pickups into hot wax which solidifies the wire winding and prevents microphonic feedback. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splund Posted January 9, 2009 Share Posted January 9, 2009 (edited) Winding my own pickups was got me into bass, in a convoluted way. I was determined to make and test a humbucker pickup, as an engineer/electrician/fiddler I was curious about their hum canceling properties. I set out to wind some coils using a cordless drill with a block of wood with a screw through it, a very crude face plate. I used a strip of nylon with 6 neodymium magnets and some thin black plastic glued on either end to make a bobbin. I mounted 2 brass strips to the drill chuck with a piece of metal taped to the chuck to create a cam that caused the brass strips to make and break a connection. The following video will make everything clearer I soldered the make/break connecting to an old mouse left click button, then opened Windows calculator, typed 1+1 then placed the cursor over the = sign. Every time the mouse "clicked" the calculator added 1, this was effectively my wind counter. This design could be improved with the use of a micro switch instead of the brass contacts. Anyway, a long story shortened, I built 2 of these, built a humbucker, built a guitar from scratch and mounted the pickup. It worked but as octavedoctor pointed out, the force of 12 neo magnets caused heavy damping to the strings it sounded rubbish. Lifeless with no sustain. However, this venture did put me on the road to playing bass, time well spent. Here is youtube clip of my winder. [url="http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfNGYTT1IM0"]http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfNGYTT1IM0[/url] Bob Edited January 9, 2009 by splund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raving_camel Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 Holy smokes, one day and so much information! Thanks to everyone who added their input (even you BB ). I'm gonna print this page off tonight and read it all thoroughly in bed. Thanks for uploading the video, splund. What a creative way of counting the winds, I'd probably have had a pen and paper and hoped for the best! lol. As you say, my first time will fail and I kinda want to fail, just so I learn what went wrong for the future. I'll give this shot a next weekend when I have spare time and see how badly it goes lol. Again, thank you to everyone who made a comment! What a wonderful place this is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splund Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Good luck with the winding, maybe you could post back when you finished, let us know how it went, Im curious now. Im having trouble picturing you magnet configuration though Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prosebass Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 [quote name='Raving_camel' post='374735' date='Jan 9 2009, 02:58 AM']I done a quick search in here and couldn't find anything, I hope this is the right section aswell. Last month i decided to start modding basses out of boredom, to get me through a boring winter. Anyway, i've decided after doing pretty boring things so far (LED fretboard, de fretting, building a neck) that i'd try and make a pickup. I bought myself 10 neodymium magnets and 75 metres of .50 copper wire. I'll use two sticks to hold the magnets in place, so sideways on it will look like this Magnet = M, stick = | M|MM| I then wrap that in the copper wiring, (they say between 5,000 and 8,000 times! ), tape it up, cover the two wires, plug into a volume pot, and I have a pickup. Is it really this simple? I am a complete noob to building and modifying. I would post on another forum I use, but i'd get ripped to shreds by elitists and you guys seem a lot more respectable and nicer. My long term plan would be to make a working bass from parts i've made (ie, make the pups, bridge, tuners, etc) Also interested in hearing from people who have made a pickup themself, or have read up on it. Thanks for reading and take care everyone.[/quote] Great to see someone having a go at this and although in theory it seems quite easy, the variables actually make it rather difficult. There is a hell of a lot of machining, mathematics and trial and error involved. I would recommend you read this first [url="http://www.amazon.com/Animal-Magnetism-Musicians-Erno-Zwaan/dp/9090018581"]Book by Erno Zwann[/url] He is the guy who makes the Q-Tuner pickups and is one mean bass luthier as well. The book covers the building of several different types of pickup with full instructions and also the build of a fretless bass which is awesome. I have a copy and probably have read it 10 times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BassKS Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 A back f the envelope calclulation says youd need 20000odd turns to get an 8.7kohm Jazz pickup. Thats a fair few turns. And tehr's me thinking I could count the turns which I would do by hand and after a few days get a nice pickup. Dumbass. 42 gauge wire is the 0.1mm diameter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 [quote name='Raving_camel' post='374735' date='Jan 9 2009, 03:58 AM']I done a quick search in here and couldn't find anything, I hope this is the right section aswell. Last month i decided to start modding basses out of boredom, to get me through a boring winter. Anyway, i've decided after doing pretty boring things so far (LED fretboard, de fretting, building a neck) that i'd try and make a pickup. I bought myself 10 neodymium magnets and 75 metres of .50 copper wire.[/quote] is your copper wire coated with insulated material...sprayed laquer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BassKS Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 Sorry for hijacking but Im thinking about making my own jazz pups and was wondering what kind of solder do people use. stew mac recomends the rosin core 60/40 which has lead and is probably illegal in the UK. Any alternatives or should I go for the brain damaging one... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 [quote name='BassKS' post='564270' date='Aug 9 2009, 05:29 PM']Sorry for hijacking but Im thinking about making my own jazz pups and was wondering what kind of solder do people use. stew mac recomends the rosin core 60/40 which has lead and is probably illegal in the UK. Any alternatives or should I go for the brain damaging one...[/quote] why do you think the 60/40 is recommended doesnt the solder act as a electical conductor some pc circuits are joined with [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/searchtemplate.asp?criteria=CONDUCTING%20GLUE"]conducting glue[/url] if you need a mechanical joint then maybe one would need solder electrical integrity is normall all that is required and lots of solder is not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BassKS Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 huh? Well, my point was whether to use a rosin core 60/40 or a lead free solder for stuff like connecting pups to the pots and onnecting the jump wires to the bobbin wire etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveO Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 [quote name='BassKS' post='564288' date='Aug 9 2009, 07:01 PM']huh? Well, my point was whether to use a rosin core 60/40 or a lead free solder for stuff like connecting pups to the pots and onnecting the jump wires to the bobbin wire etc...[/quote] Don't worry about it. I use B&Q own brand solder for pretty much anything electrical (from soldering jack leads to fixing washing machines) on the side of the pack it says its a tin/lead solder. I seem to remember something about an EU directive about electrical equipment using lead free solder in manufacturing, but don't know if this means that the solder you buy now is also lead free. At the end of the day, solder is solder. Unless the joint is gonna be stressed (i.e. taking some weight) then use whatever you can get your hands on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted August 9, 2009 Share Posted August 9, 2009 [quote name='BassKS' post='564288' date='Aug 9 2009, 06:01 PM']huh? Well, my point was whether to use a rosin core 60/40 or a lead free solder for stuff like connecting pups to the pots and onnecting the jump wires to the bobbin wire etc...[/quote] you can use glue if you dont want to solder and if you do...solder is solder...40/60 is not a prerequisite only a suggestion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS73 Posted August 14, 2009 Share Posted August 14, 2009 Ok, what you need is a Coil Winder, I bought this one years ago, just love things like this, I had intended to wind my own pup's but have'nt got round to it yet. Basically the reel goes on the top beam and the wire goes over the jocky wheel then through the tufnel bias clamp and onto your pup base, which is fixed between the spinner and the steady point, it has forward and reverse, a counter and various gears.[attachment=30848:IMG00241...812_1726.jpg][attachment=30849:IMG00240...812_1726.jpg] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BassKS Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 [quote name='SS73' post='568834' date='Aug 14 2009, 11:36 AM']Ok, what you need is a Coil Winder, I bought this one years ago, just love things like this, I had intended to wind my own pup's but have'nt got round to it yet. Basically the reel goes on the top beam and the wire goes over the jocky wheel then through the tufnel bias clamp and onto your pup base, which is fixed between the spinner and the steady point, it has forward and reverse, a counter and various gears.[attachment=30848:IMG00241...812_1726.jpg][attachment=30849:IMG00240...812_1726.jpg][/quote] where did you get this? how much? Give it to me... Ill give you a fuzz pedal and a wah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SS73 Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 [quote name='BassKS' post='573264' date='Aug 18 2009, 05:55 PM']where did you get this? how much? Give it to me... Ill give you a fuzz pedal and a wah...[/quote] ok, but add a 1/4 of Pear Drops and a Strawberry Mivi... Think it was a car boot, it was £25, must get round to using it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henry norton Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 You can buy relatively cheap coil winders off the internet these days (not car boot sale cheap mind you), although it's worth bearing in mind some of the most sought after pickups - Gibson's early PAF's for example - were wound on a small winder without a counter. The coils were wound for a set period of time, meaning there was quite a variation between one coil and another. What this means is if you know what speed your electric drill runs at you could wind pretty much world class pickups on tools you already have in your shed. Go for it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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