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Winding on P90s

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10/23/2003 10:33 PM

Winding on P90s

I have just acquired two Gotoh P90's which read 5.9kOhms, which I understand is very low for P90's.
Maybe it's time for me to try my first windings! I was thinking of keeping the original winding for each in place as a tap and winding on top to a hotter output which I could switch to. This assumes I can get the tape off the old winding without damaging it.
How many turns of which gauge wire should I use? (I am in the UK - where is the best place for me to get the wire?)
Any other tips or remarks would be welcome.
Many thanks
James

10/24/2003 9:09 AM

James: I'm a bit new at this but have been focusing exclusively on P90s. Use lighter fluid (naptha) to help unstick the tape, good luck though, wire breaks real easy. Forget counting winds especially if you are doing it by hand with no motor, wind untilthe bobbin is nearly full, you should shoot for 8-9.5K, 95 better for the bridge and 8 for the neck position. This is what I use in a Gold Top Les Paul copy and its a killer sound, though the magnets are Alnico 5's and not sure what yours are. Probably ceramic. Anyay, have fun with it. Don'tknow where to get wire in the UK, maybe somebody else here does...Dave

10/24/2003 5:55 PM
James	Cheers Dave - these magnets are alnico 5s too , one reason I thought it worthwhile having a go at this. The tip about the lighter fuel is especially valuable. Thanks. James

10/25/2003 12:13 AM
Dave Stephens	Another thought I had is your pickup is probably machine wound and you are going to scatterwind on top of that. Machine wound picups have an annoying treble screech and scatterwounds don't. Anyway, if it was me I'd rewind the whole thing. You can use the internet to find magnet wire in the UK I'm sure there's a source. Lollar's book has sources in Germany and Sweden but not UK....Dave

10/27/2003 10:39 AM
James	Thanks Dave This encourages me to go ahead and not be too scared about gently removing the tape around the stock coil - if I do break it it sounds like a rewind might actually be better, although I think I shall be trying to avoid this and certainly at least on one for comparison purposes! James

11/3/2003 9:54 PM

James,
My Gotoh pups are tapped @ 6.3k and 10.8k.
Over 10k on the bridge for warmth is a good thing. I use a pot rather than a switch for a vari-tap thang'. This works interesting w/pups combined especially in #2 and #4 strat positions. Anyway, quite a variety.

For me, A2's on 90's are kinder to my ears than A5's.

If you break the wire, the break should only be superficial. Un-winding to that point would be do-able.

Good luck

11/3/2003 10:38 PM
James	I've always found A2's much nicer in humbuckers, so chances are I'll prefer them in a P90 too like you (I've not used a P90 before). I could always use the stock A5's and do the "cardbucker" (rather than "airbucker") trick (a piece of card placed between magnet and screws) ! Can anyone advise me what weight of wire I should buy? Cheers James

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