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I talked to John who works for the company Zophar Mills Inc, and they make different types of wax for potting coils and make specialty products for the electronics industry. The company has been around since 1846 and have made various wax potting compounds listed below. It is important to find what type wax you…

Plastic covers are used to protect the coil from damage and to keep the string from snagging the bobbins. They are used cosmetically to enhance the appearance of an instrument and normally do not alter the tone of the instrument. Metal covers used on Humbuckers and Telecaster rhythm pickups are used to reduce unwanted outside…

A bass pickup has similar components as guitar pickups but traditionally had 4 pole pieces as compared to 6 or more on traditional guitars. Now days I’ve seen 3 to 9 strings basses which create a need for modern design pickups. Early Fender single coil Precision Bass pickups had between 8 & 9,000 turns and…

There are many different types of coils wound directly on magnets, paper bobbins, thin fibre bobbins, and rewinding bobbins that have been distorted from hot wax or shrink with age. Most bobbins can be easily wound if using the proper winding fixtures and proper tooling. Winding coils onto magnets such as Dan Electro pickups are…

Covers are usually put on pickups to protect the coils from damage as on Fender style pickups and metal covers are used to help reduce unwanted electrical interference as on Gibson style humbuckers. Plastic covers don’t reduce hum or other electrical interference but add a desired cosmetic look and help reduce the wear and tear…

Fender humbuckers designed by Seth Lover are normally Nickel Silver unless someone decided to change the specifications. Gibson also used a grade of Nickel Silver and I’ve seen Gretsch covers made from brass and chrome or gold plated. The Fender covers are made from a special grade of Nylon. It is quite durable and will…

Metal covers can be made from Nickel Silver, Brass, Aluminum. Brass is probably used the most as it is economically priced and can be deep drawn easily. Nickel Silver is also called German Silver and is also used in a lot of jewelry. Steel should not be used as it will absorb the magnetic field…

Thermoformed covers can use a male mold or cavity to make the plastic form to a desired shape. Many older covers used on Guilds and Gibson’s had thermoformed covers as injection molding was quite expensive. Thermoforming can be done with different colored plastics to desired thickness. You can see thermoformed covers on the early Gibson…

Plastic covers are normally injection molded. Molten plastic is forced under pressure into a cavity of desired shape. Various materials can be used for injection molding and certain types are used to obtain consistent specifications.

Metal covers, typically used on Gibson style humbuckers, are normally deep drawn through a series of stages to the desired depth. After deep drawing the cavity is trimmed to the desired height and holes are pierced for the adjustable polepieces if desired. The covers are then polished and plated with the desired finish. Examples of…