651. What is the output of a pickup?
The output of a pickup is determined by several things such as the string gauge, the magnetic field, proximity of the pickup to the strings, the number of turns and gauge of magnet wire. The coil dimensions are important too as the shape can determine how warm or bright a pickup is. The path of the magnetic field and the type and size of the materials are also important. Some pickups are active and have internal or external pre-amps to amplify the signal generated by the pickup. A general assumption is that the more turns you have of a particular gauge of wire, the more output is generated per given magnetic field.

652. What kind of Ohm meter should I use? A digital or analog?
I like using a fluke digital meter because it gives me an accurate reading on the various pickups I work on. An analog meter is harder to read and the dial lacks the precise measurement I need. I just don’t use them anymore and the digital meters are getting less expensive.

653. What kinds of tools should I use when working on pickups?
The most important tool is having a well lit working area. I find that using a good soldering iron, digital meter, rosin core solder, towel, wire snips, tweezers, wire strippers, small and medium Phillips screwdriver, small and medium slotted screw driver, nut wrench, contact cleaner and patience.

654. What procedure should I do before taking the working on the pickups in my guitar?
Here are a few of the things that I do when working on an instrument.
A. I prepare a clean working area where the instrument is clear of debris that can cause damage.
B. Make sure I have the proper tools need for the type of work I am doing and proper lighting and eye protection.
C. I would remove all the strings and loose hardware from the instrument and carefully put them in a container till needed. I put all screws and anything that can fall of the instrument and wrap any tailpieces or bridges to avoid scratches
D. Have a towel or protective material to cover the instrument to avoid scratches or solder from hurting the finish. I would remove a pickguard if at all possible and put the instrument safely in it’s case.
D. I have a pen and paper to draw the schematic diagram of the circuit before proceeding.
E. Make sure that you have a “hands off” sign posted to keep others from picking up your work. Everybody wants to pick up a guitar neck when you have it sitting on your bench and parts can drop off it and damage a customers instrument. Make sure you don’t let folks play with your work.

655. What safety precautions can be done to help isolate electrical shock within your guitar circuit?
I would check the electrical polarity or ground of the systems you are using. You can use a volt/ohm meter for check the polarity between various amplifiers you are using and especially between the amplification and the PA system. I’d always touch the strings of my guitar with the microphone to see if any sparks would fly. This should definitely be checked when using American equipment with transformers in Europe as the voltage is much higher there. Often the ground is lifted from the strings and the control cavity of an instrument. This can increase unwanted electrical interference to the amplifier that would normally be reduced by touching the grounded strings. I’ve seen fuse circuits installed between the strings and the grounded controls in an instrument. If you happen to touch a ground with reverse polarity such as a PA system, it will help reduce a dangerous shock.

656. What value volume and tone controls should be used?
I generally use 250 K Audio Taper potentiometers for traditional single coils pickups such as Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jazz Bass, Precision Bass etc. For instruments with humbuckers, I like using 300 K or 500 K Audio Taper potentiometers. There are several other values that are used with active pickups and the majority of vintage instruments will use potentiometers between 250 k and 1 Meg. audio taper. A 500 k pot will allow more highs to pass than a 250 k audio taper potentiometer

657. Why are pickups in or out of phase with each other?
Pickups are usually out of phase with each other because they are electrically (winding direction) or magnetically (magnetic polarity) opposite each other or out of phase when used with each other. Here are four examples of phasing.
A. If two coils are wound in the same direction and the same polarity-In Phase
B. If two coils are wound in the same direction and opposite polarity-Out of Phase
C. If two coils are wound opposite and the same polarity-Out of Phase
D. If two coils are wound opposite and opposite polarity-In Phase

658. Why did some old Fender Telecasters have an out of phase sound when the switch was held in between the #1 and #2 position of the 3-way switch?
All the old Telecaster lead and rhythm pickups I’ve seen have been wound top left, top coming in other words the coil was wound counter-clockwise around the bobbin. When measuring the magnet polarity at the top of the lead and rhythm pickup, I have seen them both South or North. Eventually they both became standard South on top. When the switch was placed in the non-standard 2nd position, one pickup had a South polarity and the other had a North polarity which made them magnetically out of phase since they were both wound in the same direction. This didn’t always happen in the non-standard 2nd position but on some instruments it did.

659. Why do pickups stop working?
There are several things that can cause your pickups to stop working. The biggest problem is ICPC and getting strings snagged in the coils with exposed coils or covers removed. Check your instrument to make sure you don’t have active pickups. If you do, maybe the battery needs to be replaced. When pickups are taken out of the instrument, they can be damaged just by taking them out of the box. I’ve seen pickups that have been gouged with screw drivers, solder drips on the coils, magnet wire broken when tape was removed from coils, magnet wire and coils broken by height adjust springs, covers that are too tight and break the outer coil and just rough handling. Be careful with your pickups and put them in a safe place if you’re not going to use them. Keep them carefully wrapped up in tissue and put in a safe place. Don’t place them next to each other where the magnetism can be affected by close proximity. It can change the magnetic orientation.

660. Why does a guitar hum less when standing by an amp if you are facing different direction?
The hum you hear in your amplifier is usually caused by stray magnetic fields generated from the output and power transformers in your amplifier. It is commonly called 60 cycle hum and is one of the major problems that occur with single coil pickups. There are various single coil sized humbucking pickups on the market that can be used to reduce unwanted hum in your guitar. With standard single coil pickups, as you change direction to your amp, you change the phase angle in relationship to your instrument. If you are near computer monitors, radiation and internal electronics can transmit unwanted signals into your instrument.

661. Why does my guitar buzz electrically when I'm not touching the strings?
Think about all the stray electronic fields such as radio waves, television, cellular phones, skip waves from all over the world and many stray magnetic fields that are all around you. Guitar strings act like an antenna and pick up the various stray magnetic fields and are reduced when you touch the strings. Your body acts like a ground source as long as the strings are grounded to the controls there will be considerable reduction in the electrical interference. Having the strings grounded to the controls can increase the risk of electrical shock if you accidentally touch an electrical system with lots of AC and reverse polarity.

662. Why is the copper metal plate used on the bottom of a Telecaster?
The plate used on the bottom of a Telecaster is commonly called an elevator plate to support the Telecaster bobbin and is punched out of a cold rolled steel and is copper plated to help keep the plate from rusting and the plating makes it easier to solder the ground wire. The plating reduces the oxidation and the early Broadcaster, Esquire and Telecasters can be found with non-plated elevator plates. They are adjusted by 3 - 6/32 machine screws. The early screws were round head slotted and later used round head Phillips. Only until recently the ferrous elevator plate was not wax potted to the pickup and playing at higher volumes caused the pickup to become microphonic.

663. Should pickups be rewound if they don't work?
The majority of pickups that don’t work can usually be repaired and restored. Take the time and find a qualified repairman and make sure you have him evaluate it before doing any work. Many times there are cold solder joints that can be carefully heated, broken magnet wire can be spliced if the outer coil is broken. You don’t always need your pickups rewound and carefully examine it your self. I use all kinds of hand tools such as soft bristle tooth brushes, finger nail brushes, dentist tools, compressed air, heat guns, tooth picks and many more homemade items. My most prized piece of equipment is a photographic loop for magnifying and getting close to the pickup. Just take your time and make notes of everything you do or undo.

664. What is pickup restoration?
This is a process that I do when making a pickup look and sound when it was first manufactured. I try to repair pickups without rewinding, as many pickups don’t need to be rewound if they are not working. There can be many other problems that cause a pickup not to work. If the DC resistance doesn’t read on your meter, there is a possible chance your meter or leads are broken or it needs a new battery. Always double check that the magnets and wiring are properly aligned within a pickup. At times when we restore a pickup, we may have to fabricate a part on a milling machine or make a screw on a lathe. Most of the work is done by hand and careful detail is given. At times vintage parts are fabricated to make the pickup work as new without looking like the work was done.

665. What is pickup rewinding?
Pickup rewinding is the removal of existing or original magnet wire from the bobbin or coil form. If I need to rewind an old pickup, I first try to remove the original coil turn by turn to another spool till it is completely removed or to the internal break is found. Many single coils that just stop working can be due from a term that I’ve talked about many times called “ICPC” or inner coil pole corrosion. Inside the coil, oxidation can occur from moisture or other contaminants. The high moisture can cause the magnet rod to rust and eventually break down the magnet wire insulation causing the fine copper wire to break. This often occurs on Fender style pickups using covers that allow the poles to be exposed and moisture to penetrate the bobbin. The bobbin is made of vulcanized fibre (chemically treated and compressed paper) and can easily absorb moisture over long periods of time. By removing the coil turn by turn, you can rewind the pickup with the same magnet wire with a loss of only a few turns. This takes time and I’ve built automatic de-reelers to remove each turn of a coil from the bobbin. Vintage pickups are valuable, unique in tone and should be given a great amount of attention. If the coil is beyond repair or damaged by unskilled hands, then the pickup can be rewound with new or compatible magnet wire.

666. When should I have my pickups rewound?
Pickups will work for many years if used under normal playing conditions. Pickups start breaking when handled improperly, excessive moisture or humidity, removing covers and dozens of other problems. Please remember if a pickup is non-functional, it doesn’t always mean that it needs to be rewound. There may be other problems that exist so check for poor solder connections, oxidized jacks, shorted potentiometers and faulty switches. Often magnets are demagnetized, put in backwards, out of phase to name a few other solvable problems.

667. Who can do pickup rewinding?
Like myself, there are several qualified winders who both manufacturer and rewind many models of pickups. Word of mouth is very important and talk to other satisfied customers who have had pickups restored or rewound. I would look through Vintage Guitar Magazine for ad’s and give them a call. Ask them for help and have them evaluate your pickup. Don’t assume that because your pickup doesn’t work that it needs to be completely rewound. Also remember, if the pickup doesn’t read using a ohm meter it doesn’t always mean the pickup is broken but may have a hidden circuit within the pickup. Maybe take an old pickup you don’t care that much about and have them restore it for you. Check out their work and the price. Remember you get what you pay for!

668. Why does rewinding help?
I don’t like rewinding old pickups when they are in fine working condition. I’d rather fabricate another bobbin and do a custom wind on it for the customer even though they don’t care about taking an old pickup and rewinding it, I try to discourage it so they don’t regret it later. Rewinding helps after the pickup has been butchered by a repairman that didn’t know what he was doing and you want to restore it to original conditions. You can custom wind a broken pickup for a different tone and output using different gauges of magnet wire. A pickup can be reverse wound for phasing and humbucking effects. Always take care of an unused pickup and never leave it unprotected in a case that can bounce around and eventually become damaged or broken. I’ve seen gouged coils from screwdrivers that slipped, solder globs on coils and coils damaged from improper shielding with paint and foils. Often removing a few layers of the outer coil is enough to save a broken pickup. Remember if you break one turn of a coil the pickup will not function.

669. What is shielding a pickup?
Shielding is usually done to reduce unwanted electrical interference from RF signals.
Shielding needs to fully cover the unit affected and properly grounded. Often I see shielding around the perimeter of a single coil pickup and often not grounded. Even though the shielding is around the coil, unwanted electrical interference can penetrate the top and bottom of the bobbin that is often unprotected from shielding. Many think that the shielding will help reduce 60 cycle hum that is associated with single coil pickups. Copper foils and paints will not significantly reduce the unwanted magnetic fields that can penetrate the coils of single coil pickups.

670. What is shielding used for in a guitar?
Shielding is usually to reduce the unwanted electrical interference that is present is today’s environment. Shielding will help reduce the pop and buzz when lifting your hand from the grounded instrument. Often the electrical components, wires, switches and pickups are exposed and unwanted electrical signals can penetrate the instrument causing noise that can be heard in the amplifier. Properly grounded shielding helps reduce RF interference and there are many tricks of the trade in reducing the electrical interference. At times reducing the interference can alter the tone of an instrument by adding other materials in the circuit. Seth E. Lover who designed the humbucking pickup for Gibson and Ray Butts design of the Filtertron pickup for Gretsch both used deep drawn metal covers to reduce unwanted electrical interference from entering the pickups. Older Fender Jazzmaster and Jaguars used cavity shaped metal trays to help reduce the electrical interference from entering the instrument.

671. Does string alloy effect the output of the string?
The string alloy can greatly effect the output of a pickup. The inner core of most acoustic and electric guitar strings is made from various gauges of spring steel or piano wire. The spring steel can be wrapped with various material shapes that add diameter and tension to the string. Strings can be flat wound, round wound, semi-flat wound, ground round, tape wound etc. The pitch of a string is how closely each turn is next t each other. The tension of a string can vary from string manufacturer depending on their manufacturing procedures and especially materials from suppliers. There are many string designs and combinations of materials that can determine the output and tension of a string. Some wrapped strings use a thin core spring steel and heavy outer wrapping and others use a heavier core spring steel and thinner outer wrapping. I would contact the various string companies and ask about their models and specifications. Some will gladly give you the information and looking through the internet can give you all kinds of advice and information. I hope someday soon you will find information available about strings as you are beginning to find about pickups.

672. How do acoustic pickups work with bronze acoustic strings?
Sound hole acoustic pickups work much the same as electric guitar pickups. Most acoustic instruments use bronze strings or some variation. The magnet field within the pickup has to be balanced to meet the needs of a particular strings used on the instrument. The inner core of bronze strings is normally the same spring steel or piano wire as used on electric guitar strings. Acoustic strings are usually heavier on acoustic instruments and the bronze outer wrapping gives the instrument a better tone as compared to electric guitar strings. So basically the acoustic pickup is sensing the diameter of the spring steel used on a particular string. Often the “B” string is most pronounced on an acoustic and even jazz guitars and often needs the pole piece for that string to be lowered so it doesn’t overpower the audible output of the other strings.

673. What string area does a magnetic pickup, pick up?
Generally the pickup has a permanent magnet and pole pieces that become magnetized and continue to magnetize the string depending on several factors. As the string moves, the movement of the magnetic field through the coil generates and alternating current which can be sent through various circuits and finally the amplifier. The string area that senses the magnetic field can be narrow in a single coil pickup or wider in a humbucking pickup. There are so many variables to the subject such as pole material, diameter, distance from the strings, distance from the bridge or neck, coil shape, width, length and height of a pickup, number of turns, gauge of wire, magnet material shape and strength, string support, string length and string diameter are some of the variances that determine what are a string will sense or pick up.

674. Why do my Gretsch pickups sound weak when using acoustic strings?
The outer wrapping on most acoustic guitar strings are made from a non-ferrous alloy and will not sense the magnetic field when within proximity of a magnetic pickup. The pickup is only sensing the diameter of the inner core of a particular string. I wouldn’t use acoustic strings on an electric guitar for many factors one being the strings don’t have the tone and output need for standard playing.

675. Why do the g-b-e non-wound strings have higher output than the wound e-a-d strings?
Most likely the player is using some type of non-ferrous wrapped string on the e-a-d and the plain g-b-e may be of a larger diameter spring steel. The non-ferrous strings have a much lower attraction to the magnetic field within the pickup and generate less output. Other factors that cause less output can be the balance of the pickup, pole adjustment within the pickup, balance and configuration of the coils and magnetic calibration of each pole piece.