Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on August 5, 2009 at 12:21am

"plus, where is a good place to get thin copper wire..."

Go to http://www.stewmac.com for your pickup wire and most anything else. They also have a wad of information on building pickups.

Ted C. here is the man when it comes to making pickups (I have not made one yet) so he'll be one of your best resources.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Doc Oakroot on August 5, 2009 at 1:36am

I mostly use piezos, but when I do wind a pickup, I wind the wire on a sewing bobbin using a jury rigged pickup winder made from a hand drill:
Then press a quarter inch magnet into the hole. Makes a one string pickup. For multiple strings I just use several of them. I usually just use the Radio Shack wire, because I don't wind many pickups, but you can get a big spool of 42 gauge wire at Stew Mac. A couple of links:
Magnets
Pickup wire

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wil Rogers on August 5, 2009 at 11:59am

I was thinking about pickups and stuff the other day. I remembered back a long time ago in high school we wrapped wire around a 16 penny nail, hooked it up to a battery, and 'ta da' electromagnet. You know those danoelectro "lipstick" pickups, (I've never seen one taken apart), but, I'll go out on a limb a guess that they're made that way. I might attempt to make to a pickup this way. If I have any luck I'll post up a little 'how I did it'.

Am I the only one that wants a "quadbucker"? (4 magnet 2 string humbucker)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Darwin Gentry on August 15, 2009 at 2:21pm

don't waste your time on the radio shack wire,it's too thick.Check out Stu Mac 42 or 43 ga. 1spool will cost you about 35 bucks.I can usually get 6 or 7 pickups from 1 spool depending on how many winds per pickup. I usually have between 8000 and9000 winds per pickup.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Ben on August 16, 2009 at 4:22am

So far I've only built with radio shack parts (although I plan to add some wire to a pretty big stewmac order soon). I've found that for simplicity, RS wire works pretty well. Use the red from the 3-pack. Since it's a short length you don't get a ton of output but run it through any preamp and you're good. Listen to my version of "In the Pines" either on my page or the WCBN page for a sample of it. Clean and kinda mellow. It can really cook too if you want it to.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Matt Wasser on August 16, 2009 at 10:24am

I thought of a "Tribucker" once while reading a magazine at Giant Eagle. Paul Gray from Slipknot had a signature bass out, and it had 3 coils. I thought it looked cool

Wil Rogers said:

I was thinking about pickups and stuff the other day. I remembered back a long time ago in high school we wrapped wire around a 16 penny nail, hooked it up to a battery, and 'ta da' electromagnet. You know those danoelectro "lipstick" pickups, (I've never seen one taken apart), but, I'll go out on a limb a guess that they're made that way. I might attempt to make to a pickup this way. If I have any luck I'll post up a little 'how I did it'.

Am I the only one that wants a "quadbucker"? (4 magnet 2 string humbucker)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by HOGS GRUNT on August 16, 2009 at 10:47am

If you really want something for nothing then do what I have done in the past and wound the pups by using the wire from an old car ignition coil. There is more than enough wire in that to wind several pups.
Good luck.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on August 16, 2009 at 11:26am

Check out my pickup winding workshop. http://cigarboxguitars.com/workshops/Pickup_Workshop.php

If you move to 42 gauge wire, you will soon find out that a winder is necessary. You can make a guerilla pickup winder from anything motorized that spins, like a record player, a hand drill, a drill press, sewing machine, etc.

Personally I think the Stew Mac wire is overpriced, but it is convenient and good quality. There are other sources for wire and pickup parts such as GuitarpartsUSA. The good news is, availability of pickup winding supplies is getting better all the time. These sources didn't even exist a few years ago.

Skeesix
--
http://skeesixcbgs.com/
Making your cigar box guitar rock!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on August 16, 2009 at 11:19pm

I am more interested in making a pickup out of junk. I saw a pic on the web where some guys just took some spools of wire and stuck maganets in the center of them. I went back to find that pic and can't find it. If something like that would work, that would be awesome.....I am thinking about a pickup for a diddley bow, more than a cbg.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on August 17, 2009 at 8:43am

Like my workshop says - a pickup is simply a magnet with wire wrapped around it. You can literally take any magnet, and wrap it with any kind of insulated wire and it will work. Thinner wire is better because you can get more wraps, thus more output. So yes, a spool of wire with a magnet stuck in the middle should work.

Did you know a speaker is also a magnet with wire wrapped around it? Small speakers will also work as pickups, although they are also kind of low output.

Ear buds make nice sounding contact mics (ie pickups), but again, they're not the loudest.

Have fun experimenting!

Skeesix

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Kevin Sprague (Knotlenny) on August 18, 2009 at 3:16am

My own personal image of 'Hell' would be living in an eternity of being forced to wind pick-ups. I've tried it and I'll never, ever do it again. It's the most UNenjoyable activity ever developed by man. Especially given the wonderful and inexpensive product you can purchase from builders here - such as Ted Crocker and Skeezix.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on August 18, 2009 at 4:49am

I had a break through today........Went to the garage and found some coated wire and wound it around a spool and stuck some fridge magnets in the center and I got noise. Sounds good through my test amp in the garage, but bring it insdie through my crate amp, not so loud.....so back to he drawing board, but I made a pickup.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page