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Re: Why are cheap pickups rubbish?

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9/9/2002 9:48 PM

Re: Why are cheap pickups rubbish?

I measured a used Squire Strat pickup( I don't know if this pickup is rubbish 'cause I haven't heard it yet but it's cheap pickup )I've got when I bought another pickup and it reads 4.94k! - that's pretty low - isn't that to low ? Maybe you're right,Gus?
How low can you get , shouldn't it be at least 5,4-5.5k or is 4.94k ok when you use ceramic magnets instead of alnico ?
I've never used ceramic magnets just alnico so far , I was going to but I didn't.
Is it that easy -
plastic bobbin , ceramic magnet - bad pickup
vulcanized fiberboard,alnico magnets - good pickup ?
I like the fiberboard it's easy to work with , easy to drill , thread and shape.
I've got nothing against plastic bobbins but I prefer vulcanized fiberboard.
But why is it ok to use plastic bobbins in a humbucker but not in a Strat ?
I'll stop here it's getting to long.....

9/10/2002 1:40 AM
SK	Nothings that easy Many of us rewind cheapo plastic bobbin fender singles and get very good results with them. A few of my most popular pickups use ceramic magnets typicly. It's all in "the art" it seems...

9/10/2002 9:24 AM

Thanks SK,
Is that the S-90,S-45 and T-90 pickups?
What´s that on the bottom of the bobbin, a brass or copper plate?
I've been many times on your website looking for info and out of curiosity too. Like your little new winder , has your old winder retired ?

If I need things from Allparts and WD I know where to turn to , actually I'm gonna send you a mail about your hookup wire.
You sure got a lot of self-confidence in your pickup-making! That's good!

I found two empty plastic bobbins and ceramic bar im my "pickup-making-drawer" , so I'm gonna give it a try!

Can you give me some tip about winding "plastic bobbin/ceramic magnet" vs "vulcanized fiberboard/alnico magnets" without , of course , giving trade secrets away , but if you wanna that's perfectly OK by me.

I've tried hard to get plastic bobbins for Strat and Tele , humbucker plastic bobbins is everywhere , but for Strats and Teles !

I been in contact with SKY Pickups and after sending some amount of e-mails , they replied 6 months ago "Yes , they do sell plastic bobbins for Strat and Teles and How many do I want? and they cost US$0.50 per bobbin".
So I ordered 100 pieces and I heard nothing !

So I and sent e-mail after e-mail , so for the moment it's time out. (maybe I'll try a phone call instead)
It feels like they don't care!
I've tried other places too , but no luck.
I'm making a very long reply again , I'll try to be shorter next time !

Gunno

9/10/2002 12:16 PM

Yes, particularly the -90 pickups. The plate is copper plated steel. I spent alot of time giving away pickups and working with guitar builders and stores when I started out, that's how I got the confidence in my pickups...
There's nothing special about plastic bobbins, they are probably more forgiving than the Forbon ones when it comes to winding. Getting the right ceramic magnets can be a problem, but it sounds like you have some already from pickups. Use a good quality glue to secure them. Barge works well (shoe makers cement). I also tried to get parts imported or to find suppliers in the states, PIA! The prices I got quoted were very good but either the quality was bad, or they were not interested in small orders (as in less than thousands repeatedly it seems).
One thing that kills me about this "field" is how little helping/networking makers do or are willing to do. I have contacts w/ Seymour Duncan and Harmonic Designs, and Bill Lawrence is only an hour away from me. None of them will even tell you where they get thier parts supplied. Much less anything "secret", hell everythings "secret".

9/10/2002 2:02 PM
Ralph	May I ask why you use ceramic magnets? I have only ever wound with allnic 2 magnets. Also, where can I buy magnets?

9/10/2002 5:30 PM
Gunno	Thanks for the info SK . You say "The prices I got quoted were very good but either the quality was bad,......" How should a good quality plastic bobbin be? I don't know much about plastic. Yeah , it's hard to get your stuff in small quantities and ,yeah there is a lot of secrecy in this pickup making world. It's very strange.

9/24/2002 10:07 PM
Weevil	Re: Why are cheap pickups rubbish? Ask Bill Lawrence.

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