Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on July 24, 2010 at 9:32am

Copper is just really expensive these days. The prices have risen considerably (doubled?) since I got into winding a few years ago.

If you just want to mess around with a few pickups, I would get a very small amount from tech-fixx on eBay. I did this recently when I wanted to experiment with some different gauges. It was maybe $12 per roll to do this.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on July 24, 2010 at 11:13am

One piece of advice I have for you is to not focus on the impedance but rather the number of turns. This is especially so when winding smaller 3 & 4 pole pickups for CBG's. The output and sound of a pickup has more to do with the type and strength of the magnets and the number of turns and the gauge of wire and the height, width and length of coil. The typical 10k 6 string pickup will not translate with the same sound in a smaller pickup. When I started building smaller pickups it took me some time to figure out the right balance, gauge and magnet type to get the sound I wanted.

That said it takes less wire per turn for a small pickup so you won't use as much wire for the same output as a 6 string. I've been buying 5lb rolls from various places. Mojotone has very good quality but the prices are high. I found some 42 gauge heavy at a midwest electronic surplus place online but the roll was beat up on the outside making the first 10th unusable. But for $70 for a 4.5lb roll that's not bad. The place is called surplus sales of Nebraska. I wouldn't use this for building humbuckers or strat coils but more than suitable for building CBG pickups.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Don Thompson on July 24, 2010 at 11:36am

http://www.guitarpartsusa.com/item--Guitar-Pickup-Coil-Winding-Wire...
The price has gone up since the last time I bought some,lots cheaper than Stew Mac
http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=magnet+wire+42+gauge+&_cqr=tru...

better price I think, depends on shipping I guess
Don

• ▶ Reply