101. What is a quick way to make a humbucker sound like a single coil pickup for doing sessions? Art Weber-Pittsburgh, Pennslyvania
I’ve found the easiest way to convert your standard humbucker to a single coil sound (if you don’t have any coil splitting switches) is to remove one row of adjustable poles in your pickup. By removing the adjustable poles you are using only the stud side of a typical humbucker. You actually have a stronger magnetic field on the stud side of the pickup than the adjustable side using 5/40 x 3/4” long fillister head screws. You can easily put them back in when your done the session. Make sure you don’t use a screw driver wider than the screw head as you could burr or scrape the bobbin.

102. I rewired my guitar and now the pickup shorts out when the string hits the pole piece.
This usually happens when the wires are reversed on Fender style single coil pickups. When installing other brands of guitar or bass pickups, they may be out of phase with the existing pickups, (magnetically-in or out of phase)(Electrically-winding direction). The magnet wire is wound directly around the rod magnet pole pieces. At times the insulation on the wire can fatigue from, too much tension and winding speed (stretching the wire) that can expose the bare copper magnet wire allowing it to touch the polepiece. If the hook up wires are reversed (the black wire connected to the positive contacts) and the white wire or positive side (usually the outer wrappings of the coil) soldered to ground, the pickup can short out when the string (that’s grounded) touches the exposed pole piece in the pickup. When wiring a Fender style pickup in an instrument , it’s always best to ground the beginning wire. The black wire is usually the beginning of the coil and grounded to controls. On most instruments the strings and bridge are grounded to the control plate to reduce buzz from the instrument. If you disconnect the strings from ground on the control plate, the pickup will not short when touching the exposed polepiece. Removing the ground wire from the bridge and strings will give you more buzz as if your hands are removed from the instrument. You can reduce some buzz if the instrument is fully shielded and isolated from any electrical interference. I would not use any insulation type paints in a older or vintage instrument. This will reduce the value of your instrument drastically. I’ve repaired guitars where a pickup didn’t read at the controls but if you touch the string to the pole piece the pickup then read at the controls. What I found out was the beginning magnet wire in the coil was broken from the eyelet to the 1st turn inside the coil. Then I realized the magnet wire was shorted to the magnet inside the coil. When the string hit the pole (the string being grounded) the circuit was completed and made the pickup work. I enjoyed trying to figure that one out!
Some things not to do:
1. Never solder a ground wire to pole pieces on Fender style pickups: The heat from the soldering Iron can cause the magnet to get quite hot and cause it to lose it’s magnetism and hot enough to melt the insulation on the magnet wire (coil) that could later cause the exposed copper wire to oxidize and break.
2. Never realign the poles on Fender style pickups: The magnet wire is wound directly around the magnets and moving pole pieces could break the inner wrappings of the coil. If the coil is broken from the inside, rewinding the pickup is necessary.
3. Keep from reversing wires to properly phase your pickups. Either ask the manufacturer to reverse wind a pickup or reverse the magnetic polarity when the pickup is out of phase with another.
4. Never grind a magnet in a pickup. I’ve seen old Telecaster pickups where the D & G poles have been ground down to lower the poles. The heat from grinding will demagnetize the pole piece and melt the magnet wire insulation inside the coil.
5. Never use a soldering gun that has a coil built in. They can demagnetize your pickups. Use soldering irons...
Note: When ordering pickups, try to know what type pickups you have: You need to check the magnet polarity on the top side of the single coil pickup (South or North) and determine the winding direction of the coil (Top Coming or Top Going). Newer Fender Strat pickups are wound Top Left-Top Going-South Magnet Polarity. Fender Telecaster Lead and Rhythm are wound Top Left-Top Coming-South Magnet Polarity. Gibson humbuckers normally have the adjustable fillister head screws as South Polarity.
Single coil pickups can be wound 4 different ways.
Top Left-Top Going-South Polarity (modern Fender Stratocaster pickups)
Top Left-Top Going-North Polarity (early Fender Stratocaster pickups)
Top Left-Top Coming-South Polarity (current Fender Telecasters pickups)
Top Left-Top Coming -North Polarity (some early Fender Tele pickups)
Gibson style humbuckers:
Looking at the top of the pickup, the coils is wound counter-clockwise. The finish of both wires are hooked together-the beginning of the adjustable coil (south magnet polarity) is grounded and the beginning wire on the stud coil is hot or positive.

103. Can acoustic guitar strings be used on my electric guitar?
Normally the lower 4 strings of acoustic guitar strings are wound with a non- ferrous alloy (usually bronze). The E-1st, B-2nd and inner core of the 3rd to 6th string are made from a ferrous material called spring steel. When plucked it will move the magnetic field in the pickup and generate an alternating current signal.
The diameter and mass of the 1st and 2nd acoustic guitar string are sufficient enough to generate normal amounts of output in an electric guitar. The strings wrapped in an non-ferrous alloy generate only the amount given by the diameter or mass of the spring steel. You will get output from the lower strings but they lack the thickness, depth and volume you would normally get out of strings made for electric guitars. Many times I’ve used an acoustic 1st & 2nd strings (plain) for the B-2nd and G-3rd sting on my Telecaster. I’ve tied broken guitar strings together when I didn’t bring any extra ones to the gig too!

104. Can I replace the pole pieces on my Humbuckers?
You can change the pole pieces as long as they are a ferrous material (conduct a magnetic field). Do not use brass or non-ferrous stainless steel screws unless you want less output from the strings. Try keeping the same thread and diameter of the screw so you don’t damage your bobbin. The stud side of a humbucker carries a large portion of magnetic field to the strings. Using shorter pole piece screws will slightly brighten the sound of the pickup and longer screws tend to soften the sound. Using longer pole piece screws extend the magnetic field further out the bottom of the pickup and away from the strings.

105. Can I put a Gibson pickup in my Fender Guitar? How about a Fender in my Gibson?
For years players have customized their guitars by adding different types of pickups to get that all-in-one sound. Albert Collins and Keith Richard’s put humbuckers in the neck position of their Telecasters and Alvin Lee form “Ten Years After” put a Stratocaster pickup in between the two humbuckers on his Gibson ES-335. Years ago Eddie VanHalen put a slanted humbucker in the bridge position of his customized Kramer guitar. Today many builders are using a combination of Fender and Gibson style pickups in the same instrument for a variety of tonal variations. When using a Gibson style humbucker in a Fender type instrument remember the string and pole spacing will be different. The average pole spacing for a Gibson type humbucker is 1.935” and a Strat is 2.075”. The humbucker is about .14” narrower than the Strat and makes the E-1st and E-6th string slightly extend beyond the outside poles. This could have an effect on the output of the two strings. For the different pole spacing see VGM pickup questions XXI.

106. What are the screw diameters for popular screws?
You can find many types of screws at hardware and speciality screw stores. The majority of hardware screws used today are oval head Phillips. The early years of Fender and Gibson, oval head-slotted screws were used in the majority of instruments. If you are replacing or needing extra screws, it is important to find the same type used to retain the value of your instrument. If you have an old Broadcaster, you don’t want to replace the # 4 slotted-wood screws with a # 6 phillips on the pickguard. It’s good to make note of all the pickup screws used in your instrument for further reference. If you repair guitars or work on them, I have lost screws in the carpet and need to find another one. It’s good to know how to determine what the screw is: Here is a little list to work with.
A. Test the material: steel (attracts to a magnetic field), brass, stainless steel
B. Type of head (round head, oval head, flat head etc.)
C. Measure the length of threaded shaft
D. What type of threads: Machine screw thread, wood screw, sheet metal screw, metric thread. Machine screws used # of threads per inch. Wood screws are threaded about 2/3 up the shaft with the rest un-threaded, Sheet metal screws are wood type screws-threaded the full length of the shaft, Metric screws have metric threads.
E. Need to determine the plating: Nickel, Chrome, Cad etc.
F. You need to measure the screw diameter: use a pair of calipers or a Screw I.D. Gauge. To determine the threads per inch you need a thread gauge. I use a “Gauge for American National-60? Threads” to measure threads per inch.
Keep notes on all the hardware on your instrument as it will come in handy one day. There are many guitars I don’t have all the information on and would like to find out from you players and collectors out there. I’ll compile all the information for future articles.

Below is the basic diameter of standard american screws.
Screw size Screw diameter Screw size Screw diameter
# 1 .073” # 8 .164”
# 2 .086” # 10 .190”
# 3 .099” # 12 .216”
# 4 .112” 1/4 .250”
# 5 .125” 5/16 .312”
# 6 .138”

107. What kind of magnets are used in the Fender humbucker?
The Fender humbucker was designed by Seth E. Lover who also designed the popular P.A.F. humbucker for Gibson in the 50’s. Seth later worked for Fender and designed the Fender humbucker using a Cunife # 2 magnet rod magnets. It was used because it could be threaded, slotted, plated and used as an adjustable polepiece. The Cunife magnet was developed in Germany in 1937. The properties of Cunife 1 and Cunife 2 are as follows:
Cunife # 1 60 Cu 20 Ni bal. Fe
Cunife # 2 60 Cu 20 Ni 2.5 Co bal. Fe

108. Why do pedal steel and lap steel pickups have a higher DC resistance than guitar pickups?
In some cases this is true for 8 to 12 string pedal and lap Steels. The 6 string lap steels can use a traditional guitar style pickup with standard winding specifications. On instruments with extra poles the pickup is usually longer as it takes a longer length of magnet wire to wrap around the wider spaced poles. Also, if you listen to a pedal or lap steel you hear the notes can sustain for a longer time. The steel pickups often have many more turns of magnet wire and the pickups are placed closer to the bridge to retain the high end (brighter tone). Most all pedal and lap steels use 42 AWG gauge of magnet wire. On older pickups Plain Enamel and Formvar insulation’s were used on the magnet wire. In future articles I will be doing extensive articles on various pedal and lap steel pickups, so get your questions in.

109. I lowered the neck pickup in my Les Paul , now it thumps and flops around when I move. What can I do?
By lowering the pickup you have reduced the compression on the height adjust springs. You can either put a piece of foam in the bottom of the cavity to stabilize the pickup and make sure your using the correct spring. Stock Gibson springs are pretty strong and depending how low you put the pickup will determine how firm the pickup will be in the mounting ring. Also by using a pickup without a cover will cause it to flop around more. If the springs are too loose, the springs can vibrate and generate an unwanted feedback in your guitar. If you lower the pickup extensively, use a longer spring and one with stronger compression. Pickups with two height adjust screws tend to move around more so having a stronger compression spring should help firm the pickup in the mounting ring.

110. There was a group in the early sixties called The Fendermen. Did they use Fender guitars and pickups? Troy Page- Thorofare, New Jersey
The Fendermen released an album May, 1960 and titled “Mule Skinner Blues”. Their only hit was of the same title. During that period, band members Jim Sundquist (24 years) played lead guitar on a late 50’s Fender. Phil Humphrey (24 years) played a late 50’s Fender Telecaster doubling on rhythm and vocals. Their album was released on Soma Records (MG 1240) and today is very collectable. An interesting thing about the band is they only had one hit and several songs on the album just used lead and rhythm guitar without drums or bass. The sound of Jim’s Strat was very clean, bright and twangy. I enjoyed his playing and hearing him use his bridge pickup for many solos. Jim and Phil had bands in Wisconsin where they got together in late 1959. In 1962 Phil toured and recorded with a band call the “Carroll Brothers” featuring Pete Carroll on lead Guitar. The album was called “College Twist Party” (Cameo 1015). They can be seen backing up Chubby Checker on early Rock & Roll films. During the mid 60’s, Phil reformed the band and called it “Phil Humphrey and The Fendermen”. They played night clubs in Sea Isle City and Wildwood, New Jersey. I remember asking many questions about their equipment and how to play “Caravan”. There were many night clubs in Ocean City, New Jersey too, and lots of great guitarist to listen to. Next door playing was Pete Carroll, Roy Buchanan, Robbie Robertson with Levon and the Hawks (The Band), Elliot Randall Band, Billy Windsor (singer with Danny Gatton) and my group playing at Tony Mart’s. I’d sneak into the clubs to watch the bands play and during their break would ask them all kinds of pickup and guitar questions. The Fendermen were the first nightclub band my dad took me to see. It sure left an impression!

111. What is the Fender Telecaster with two humbuckers Jeff Beck used in the video “Secret Policeman’s Ball”. Dennis Robbins-Nashville, Tenn.
In 1973 I was working at the Fender Soundhouse in London, England doing guitar modifications and repair with amp whiz Ron Roka. When I came over from the states I brought several guitars to play and work on. I had an old Telecaster that I made into a “Tele-Gib” and put two humbuckers in it to have a fat humbucker sound with the control of the Telecaster. I had been doing experimentation with pickups and heard that Jeff was recording the second BBA album at the CBS Recording Studio a few blocks from where I worked. I contacted Ralph Baker who worked with Jeff and he invited me to meet Jeff at the studio. I wanted to make him an instrument that would be quiet in the studio and have the tone of his old Les Paul he used on the “Truth” album. I knew Jeff’s (Truth) Les Paul had the pickups stolen out of it and replaced with late 60’s Gibson pickups with covers. I wanted to do something special for him and gave him the “Tele-Gib” I nicknamed because it was part Telecaster and part Gibson. The bridge prototype pickup was wound and nicknamed the JB because I made it for Jeff and the neck was wound like my Jazz Model Neck. I experimented with different types of magnets and now use an Alnico 5. I often calibrate the magnets to obtain certain frequencies. You can really hear Jeff using the pickup on the “Blow by Blow” album and song “Cause we’ve ended as lovers”. Jeff manipulates the volume control similar to Roy Buchanan’s crying guitar.

112. I play a Gibson ES-335 and have the toggle switch in the center position. How can I keep the neck pickup from turning completely off when I turn the volume all the way down on the bridge pickup? Bob Bance-Southern California
The easiest thing to do is reverse the hot leads on the #2 and #3 lugs on each volume control. The #1 lug is usually soldered to ground on each volume control. This will reverse the circuit to the lever switch before going to the jack. You will have independent volumes for the bridge and neck pickup. Rewiring a ES-335 or any of the acoustic electric guitars can be quite difficult and should be done by an experienced repairman. It’s easy to get the parts out but can have you pulling your hair out trying to get them back in. Never solder the controls through the “F” holes while the parts are loose inside. This is a sure way to burn the inside edges and top finish of the instrument. Believe it or not I have seen instruments where the player cut a hole in the back to make it easier to work on the controls. Please never do this! Some guitars are made to be worked on from the back but not Gibson acoustic electrics. The controls must be completely removed. If you loosen a volume or tone control and need to get it back in the hole try using a standard lead pencil and remove the eraser. It will fit through the mounting hole and provide a firm fit around the knurled shaft of the controls. You can pull the pots through and slip the washer and nut over the pencil shaft. After trying it a few times the job gets pretty easy.

113. Can I slant the bridge pickup on my right handed Strat as if I were playing a left handed guitar? Tim Parker-Austin, Texas
Your trying to achieve the same pickup angle as Jimi Hendrix. Jimi was left handed and played a right handed guitar. You are right handed and should play a left handed guitar to achieve the same results. If your using a right handed guitar and want the pickup slanted, here are few things you need to do. The body needs to be routed with the pickup slot cut at an opposite angle to the one presently routed. Routing the instrument will decrease the value if you plan sell it in the future. You need to have a custom pickguard made. You will notice a decrease in treble on the high strings and a brighter tone on the lower strings. You will also notice slightly more volume on the treble side.

114. Why do Fender Mustang guitars have solid covers with non-exposed magnets and not covers like Strats with raised exposed poles? Jim Anderson-Lake Tahoe, California
The Fender Mustang has (2) three position switches, the center being off. Sliding the lever switch either way from center reverses the electrical phasing of the coil in the pickup. The pickups are in series with each other and can be in phase in two positions or out of phase in two positions. Reversing the electrical phase of the coil can make the pickup noisier if allowed to come in contact with your fingers or strings. The purpose of the solid cover is to insulate the strings and fingers from touching the poles. If the strings touch the pole, it could cause the pickup to short out. If the fingers touch the poles, extreme buzzing can occur. Both can happen when reversing the electrical polarity of a pickup with exposed poles. If you install vintage style Strat pickups with raised poles, you will have this problem. Vintage style pickups have the coil wound directly around and touching the rod magnets. When the coil polarity is reversed the inner coil becomes positive and makes magnet rods buzz like touching the end of a guitar cord plugged in an amplifier. Try using Fender pickups that are wound on nylon bobbins. The magnets are insulated by the inner walls on the bobbin. For the neck pickup you will need to slide out each magnet (one at a time) flip over 180?‘s and re-insert to reverse the magnetic field. They are usually all South Top and by doing the above will make the neck pickup magnetically all North Top. This will give you a humbucking effect when both are used together. Normally the neck pickup is reverse wound from the bridge pickup but the wires can be reversed with ease on the slide switch. When working on your instrument, draw a schematic diagram showing where all the wires are originally connected. Fender Mustangs are great guitars for beginners and professional alike. Adrian Belew has used them for years and I remember watching a TV show called “Shindig” and seeing a guitarist named Jerry Cole playing one during many of his solo’s. You can still find them at a pretty good price.

115. Recently I heard you talking to a guitarist in Texas and you were telling him about “Inner Coil Pole Corrosion” (ICPC). What is it? Tom Watters-Santa Barbara, Calif.
Inner Coil Pole Corrosion happens when the magnet rod polepiece on your single coil pickups starts to rust causing the insulation to break down inside the coil. If the insulation (Formvar or Plain Enamel) breaks down, the exposed copper wire can oxidize and eventually break inside the coil. This usually happens from excessive moisture inside your guitar case and/or moisture from sweat or environment. Moisture can seep into the inner edges of the flatwork and retain higher amounts of moisture within and around the magnet, eventually causing them to rust. As the oxidation and rust that travel down the diameter of the magnet it can put extreme pressure on the already tightly wound coil. Leo Fender used wax potting to reduce unwanted moisture form penetrating the coils and thus reduced insulation breakdown for a longer period of time. Older insulation’s can be quite brittle and vulnerable to outside elements, especially moisture and even extreme dryness or heat. I’ve seen this happen to many older instruments when the coil is wound directly onto and around the magnet. Coils wound on molded bobbins (humbuckers) usually never have a problem with ICPC. The problem usually exists when the poles are subjected to excessive environments. Moisture is the biggest problem that can cause ICPC. If the coil has no protection from moisture (wax potting) the insulation can shrink leaving fine cracks in the insulation.

116. When I turn the volume down on my guitar the pickup lacks highend. What can I do. Paul Bromwell, Kentucky
You can put a RC Network (resistor & capacitor) between your #2 and #3 lug of your volume potentiometer. The #1 lug is grounded. Fender used a .001 mfd capacitor. I like using a passive control and it’s quite simple to do. I like using a 150k resistor in parallel with the .001 mfd capacitor. It gives the pickup better fidelity as you roll it back to zero. Make sure you are using 250k potentiometer for your volume controls with Fender style single coil pickups. Pots should be from 300k to 500k audio taper on instruments using humbuckers. The best thing about passive controls, it allows you to do lots of experimenting without harming the instrument. You can easily take out what you put in. Several times when I was recording in the studio I would plug my guitar into a capacitor subsitution box. The positive end of the guitar cord would be in series with the capacitor subsitution box and out to the amplifier. You can change the tonality of the pickup you are using. Try hooking a bass up to it too. When using a .0047 mfd capacitor in series you have a similar sound to Chris Squire on the early Yes albums. If you can’t find the capacitor subsitution box, try making your own.
Use low voltage disc capacitors. Here are some to try. (mfd.) 25-50 volts
.01 .022 .033 .047 .068 .001 .0022 .0033 .0047

117. I’ve read that magnets can’t be aged. Is that true? Many readers of VGM
Contrary to what others believe. I do age magnets physically and visibly. I quote from Dean of Technology Lester R. Moskowitz, registered professional engineer and author of “The Permanent Magnet Design and Application Handbook. “Fortunately, modern Alnico and Ferrite materials are metallurgically stabilized by aging at the mills and are generally very stable.” Environmental factors he lists one as: Time and a method of stabilization is “Partial demagnetization (or) magnetic aging.” “Aging can also occur with temperature, mechanical stress and external magnetic fields.” I would suggest to those who would like to learn or need to learn about magnets go to the library and read books on the subject. Many manufactures have different procedures for making products and I have developed many of my own components to cut, calibrate, grind and magnetize our designed magnets. I visibly age my coils and magnets with procedures developed over the years also know as “Environmental Effects”. This is a scientific fact!

118. Where can you get different colored cloth braid hookup wire used on vintage pickups besides the typical white and black?
You would need to contact a supplier who sells the cloth braid wire and see if they can order it but it usually means you need to order many feet as a minimum order. Often I make my own using unwaxed cloth braid wire using different color “Sharpie” markers. At times I need Green or Red for special pickup orders and enjoy making my own wire. You need to go to an art supply store and they have many colors available besides the standard black, red and green. I’ve removed the wax from the braided wire by putting the wire in boiling water to loosen the wax. I then color the wire with the marker using the desired color and this works pretty well. You can also use wax crayons to color the braided wire. I’ve even used “Rit” dye after heating the wire to remove the excess wax and then dying the braided wire. I’ve used this process on newer Fender white Teflon coated hookup wire. The “Sharpies” work well with the Teflon wire that is not waxed and I often make the yellow hookup wire this way. Use permanent markers so the color doesn’t rub or wear off as easily. There are several techniques you can use and it is best to experiment with different methods without paying for large amounts of wire you will never use.

119. Should I modify the pickups on my instrument? Mark Thompson, New Jersey
Guitar and bass pickups should be kept stock when ever possible. I refrain from rewinding old pickups and try to fix them as a first resort. Many pickups have been taken out of their instrument and either lost or broken while in a drawer. I’ve always suggested that when removing pickups from a guitar or bass, wrap them up in paper, label and put in a safe place. If you sell the instrument, the buyer will most likely want the stock pickups. Having the stock pickups will give you a higher selling price even though you may have a better sounding pickup installed on the instrument. Always remember that: “Modifying the pickup should only be done when the coil is completely damaged”. Even though a pickup doesn’t work, it doesn’t mean it can’t be fixed.
Single coil pickups:
1. If there are no physical damage to the coils you could have ICPC (Inner coil pole corrosion) and the pickup will have to be completely rewound. Qualified pickup winders can re-use the existing magnet wire from the broken pickup by de-reeling it to the break and re-winding it back on the bobbin.
2. When the pickup has a damaged outer coil or broken connection to the eyelet the coil can generally be repaired.
3. When the magnet wire breaks from the beginning eyelet to the internal winds of the coil, skillfulness is needed to repair that kind of coil damage. Especially when the magnet wire is broken at the point it enters the coil.
(Insert drawing #2)
Humbucking pickups:
1. Damage to humbucker coils usually occurs when trying to remove pickup cover without the proper soldering iron or tools. Years ago when it the was the “in-thing” to remove the covers, I received many humbuckers because the coils were gouged with screwdrivers or the solder left on the cover gouged through the tape and damaged the coil. Repair can usually be done by removing outer turns on the coil to you get to the break. If several turns were taken off, I would splice the magnet wire back onto the coil and add the desired number of turns.
2. With pickup covers removed, strings could get caught on the under-edge of the humbucking bobbin. Especially when using a tremolo as the string tension was loosened the string could get snagged under the edge of the bobbin, cutting into the coil when the tremolo was released.
3. Cold solder joints could occur between the magnet wire (coil) and hookup wire and occasionally at the connection between the hookup and lead wires to the controls. Carefully removing the insulation tape, the connections between the magnet wire and hookup wire can be re-soldered giving the pickup continuity again.
4. Make sure all switches and controls are working properly. I heard many stories of pickups being removed and still no sound out of the instrument, later finding out it was a faulty control, switch, or terminal connection. Check the pickup at the lead wires and don’t always rely on continuity at the jack.
5. Pickups with two or more magnets like Gibson P-90’s, make sure the magnets are put in with like poles facing each other or it will give little sound.
Before modifying your instrument there are a few things to consider.
A. The model and age of the instrument. Due to the rarity and value of older instruments I would really question whether any modifications should be done at all. I would only change anything that can be put back stock. Avoid routing, drilling, cutting, soldering anything in the valued instrument. If pickups need to be done, find someone to either custom build or wind a pickup that meets your specifications. Don’t rewind your 53’ Tele just to make it louder and leave those Patent Applied For Humbuckers alone!
B. Collectibility and value of the instrument should be a factor to keep from modifying a particular instrument. Supply and demand and especially who is using a particular instrument determines the value.
C. The sound you are looking for. I played and collected Fender Esquires because Jeff Beck used them. I played Telecasters because James Burton, Albert Collins and Roy Buchanan used them. Many players bought Gibson ES-335’s because of Larry Carlton. It seems what player is popular determines what sound a player is looking for. I was always happy with a one (1) pickup Fender Esquire as I could learn to do more with less.
D. The sound of an instrument is determined by many factors: Body and neck wood type, wood density, wood weight, frets, fret scale, string gauge, string tension, bridge material and dimensions, pickups include bobbin shape, coil shape, coil turns, magnet wire specifications, insulation’s, coil pitch, pickup position under strings, pickup height, magnet material, magnet shape, magnet calibration (aging) magnet placement in pickup, controls such as volume and tone specifications, and guitar cable to the amplifier. There are many basic components that determine the total sound of a pickup but the # 1 is the player. I’ve seen Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page all playing the same instrument (Strat) and Fender Princeton Amplifier, each using the same settings, they each sounded like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page. This opened my eyes and I realized that the sound comes from...their left, right hand and music from the heart.
E. At all means, please don’t modify a vintage or collectible instrument for any pickup modifications. In other words don’t cut an old Strat and put a humbucker in the bridge. The older instruments are getting far and few and will be more valuable if left alone. Read through VGM and look at the many great dealers that see stock instruments and the prices. When you see instruments modified you see a drastic price difference.
F. When modifying your sound, try and make replacement pickguards and leave the original one stock. There are many replacements pickups available with a wide variety of sounds. Experiment with the sound you are looking for. Even though an artist may endorse a particular model, it doesn’t always mean you will sound like them. Try other models and read articles about their equipment. You may see the artist perform live with a certain instrument but he is actually recording with another. Don’t be afraid to experiment but only do it when you can put the instrument back to stock and not destroy the value of that great piece of work.
G. When removing pickups don’t cut the leads in the middle just to get them out, un-solder them at the switch or controls. I’ve seen pickups removed by cutting the wires flush with the bottom plate on humbuckers or at the eyelet’s of a Fender style pickup. It’s better to do proper soldering and wiring as it will give your playing perpetuity.

120. Where can I find a Metric and Standard screw thread gauge and chart? Rob Allen, Santa Monica, CA
Most hardware stores carry both Metric and Standard Screw Checker gauges. The gauges I use are one’s made by “Ruelle Industries-6650 Highland Rd.-Waterford, MI 48327-(313)666-4433”. They are heavy duty and measure approximately 3” X 5 3/8”. The gauges are made of .072” thick metal and are tapped for various thread and screw diameters. The various screw sizes make it great for measuring various unknown thread types and especially useful when custom building. They can be ordered or purchased at well stocked hardware stores too.
Note: When working on your instrument be careful using electric components and use procedures and safety recommended by manufacturers. Always wear safety glasses when soldering or cutting wires. Keep in mind the value of your instrument and use a qualified repairman when doing your work. Good luck....

121. I have a set of reissue Fender pickups that are threaded for metric screws, what can I do to make them work on a pickguard I’m putting together? Tom Phelps, Dallas, Texas
There are two things you could do. I would try to find the original metric screws used for the pickup height adjustment or you could tap the metric height adjust holes for “National Course” American Threads. Fender pickups made in the USA are normally threaded 6/32. The (6) is the diameter of the screw and (32) is the threads per inch. You need to drill a hole before you can tap it. Below is a standard chart for screws and taps used in guitar pickup construction. The tap size is the same as the thread in a screw.
National Fine National Coarse

122. If my magnets are 3/16” in diameter, what is the decimal equivalent? Jimmy Burns, Troy, Michigan
You divide 3 into 16 (3/16) and you get .1875”. I use calipers to measure my guitar parts most all the time. The Dial Calipers give precise measurements especially when measuring diameter of magnets. Some calipers measure in ruler increments, some measure metric and the best is digital read out. The chart below will give you a quick reference and better measurements than using a standard ruler.
Decimal Inch Inch Decimal Inch Decimal Inch Decimal
1/64 .0156 17/64 .2656 33/64 .5156 49/64 .7656
1/32 .0312 9/32 .2812 17/32 .5312 25/32 .7812
3/64 .0468 19/64 .2968 35/64 .5468 51/64 .7968
1/16 .0625 5/16 .3125 9/16 .5625 13/16 .8125
5/64 .0781 21/64 .3281 37/64 .5781 53/64 .8281
3/32 .0937 11/32 .3437 19/32 .5937 27/32 .8437
7/64 .1093 23/64 .3593 39/64 .6093 55/64 .8593
1/8 .125 3/8 .375 5/8 .625 7/8 .875
9/64 .1406 25/64 .3906 41/64 .6406 57/64 .8906
5/32 .1562 13/32 .4062 21/32 .6562 29/32 .9062
11/64 .1718 27/64 .4218 43/64 .6718 59/64 .9218
3/16 .1875 7/16 .4375 11/16 .6875 15/16 .9375
13/64 .2031 29/64 .4531 45/64 .7031 61/64 .9531
7/32 .2187 15/32 .4687 23/32 .7187 31/32 .9687
15/65 .2343 31/64 .4843 47/64 .7343 63/64 .9843
1/4 .25 1/2 .5 3/4 .75 1 1

123. I have a 1989 Strat and I’d like to know how the pickups can be wired so the middle selector switch can make the neck and bridge pickups together? Lewis J. Franklin Jr., Nesconset, NY
By reversing the neck and middle pickup lead hookup wires on the lever switch (3 or 5 way) you will be able to get the following pickup combinations.
It is best to use 250k volume and tone controls. In the drawing below the wires from the tone are connected to the treble and middle pickup. The neck pickup has no tone control with this wiring. The drawing below is the bottom view of the control plate. Make sure all the pots and switch are properly grounded. You will get only (3) pickup combinations when using a 3 way lever switch and the drawing below uses a 5 way lever to get (5) pickup combinations. Have fun.
Insert Drawing #1
Note: the neck and middle wires are reversed on the switch.
Below are the positions using a 5 Way lever switch.
Position 1-Bridge pickup only (lever switch towards bridge)
Position 2-Bridge & Neck pickup
Position 3-Neck pickup only (lever switch in middle position) No tone control
Position 4-Neck & Middle pickup
Position 5-Middle pickup only (lever switch towards neck)

124. There are several types of mini humbuckers like the Gibson Deluxe, Firebird and Johnny Smith. How do they differ. Tom Braxton, Memphis, TN
All three have slight variations in the magnetic field and pole construction.
Deluxe Pickup Firebird Johnny Smith
Cover 6 adjustable poles no adjustable poles 6 adjustable (short poles)
Magnet large bar magnet 2 magnets in bobbins 1 magnet in non-adjust bobbin
Bottom plate nickel silver steel shim steel plate
The Deluxe humbucker has a steel blade in the non-adjustable bobbin and (6) 5/40 headless, slotted machine screws rubbing against a bar magnet flush with the bottom of the two bobbins. The Firebird pickup had an Alnico bar magnet in each bobbin. One side is facing up South and the other bobbin the magnetic field faces North. The Johnny Smith has the pole piece cut flush with the bottom of the threaded steel bottom plate.

125. I used steel wool to clean my frets an now it’s all over my humbucking pickup. How do I get it off? Billy Phelps, Newark, Delaware
There are several things that you can do to remove the excess steel wool. First I would remove the strings from the instrument as they become magnetized and attract the steel wool filings. To thoroughly clean the pickup I would remove the magnet. Remember how it was taken out!! You can use a fine brush attached to the vacuum cleaner and carefully remove the debris. Use a slightly damp rag to remove the excess off the bar magnet. The damp rag will help hold the steel wool filings. Make sure the magnet is dry and insert it back into the pickup. You can also use tape and dab the bobbin to remove the steel wool. If you try to brush it off, it will only end up somewhere else and get all over. I’ve used a fine toothbrush with an old ceramic bar magnet glued to the top. When gently brushing the steel wool will be attracted by the stronger magnet. I only do this with the magnet removed from the pickup first because the external magnet (glued to the tooth brush) can alter the magnetic field within your pickup. If you vacuum make sure you don’t suck any screws or part up. I also put an old nylon stocking over the nozzle of the vacuum to collect any parts that may be sucked up when cleaning up. I usually insert it behind the brush attachment. It works pretty good and it’s great for finding those lost screw in carpet.