Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Skeesix on October 25, 2010 at 1:42am

Good one. I had the "opportunity" to cut open a pickup I had potted (the pickup died after potting). After 15 minutes the wax had only gone halfway through the coil.

Permalink Reply by Dave Hughes on October 25, 2010 at 2:59am

I think after reading the article I'm not going to worry about how much the pickup is potted. All the stuff I've read up to not seems to indicate microphonics were all bad and we should do everything to get rid of them but Jason seems to say he builds a certain amount into his pickups. I don't pot mine as in dipping them after they are fully wound, I varnish the layers as they go on, say every 200 winds or so. It might be easier doing it this way to play with micrphonics than normal potting as I have more control over how much goes on. Up to now I've been trying to fully coat the windings that would produce a solid pup, but I might have a play leaving a section or two without varnish and see what happens.
One thing I did get from the article is that winding is as much an art as it is a science!

Permalink Reply by Don Goguen on October 25, 2010 at 3:08pm

The key to how much you want to pot your pickup all comes down too how loud you want to play and what you want it to sound like. I also find that the more microphonic the pickup is, the worse it sounds with heavy distortion. I have a couple of instruments that get played much like jazz instruments. Here the added microphonics of an un-potted pickup really add a level of shimmer to the sound.

One trick for potting for heavier distortion is to add seep holes in the bobbin. I use forbon and drill two holes in the bottom and add the pickups top down into the wax. The holes allow the air to escape from the inside of the wire coil. This way you get penetration inside and out. I'm just careful to leave the pickup upside down until the wax sets.