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Normally the beginning of the coil or black wire is grounded to the guitar circuit. On Jaguar pickups the beginning wire is soldered to the metal claw that surrounds the pickup. The beginning wire on a Telecaster bridge pickup also has the beginning black wire connected to the ferrous elevator plate which in turn grounds…

Most stainless steel rods cannot be used for pole pieces in guitar or bass pickups because they don’t conduct the needed magnetic field to the strings. When you buy screws for pole pieces or a source of directing the magnetic field to the strings, make sure you test to see that they are carbon steel….

Brass pole pieces are non-ferrous and do not conduct the magnetic field to the strings. I have used a row of brass screws to eliminate the magnetic field from one coil in a humbucker to make it act more like a single coil pickup. I’ve used dummy poles (brass screws) in a stereo pickup to…

Companies like Fender, Gibson and Rickenbacker have always made their own pickups for many of their instruments. During the 70s Fender used a company called Turbo-Jet to wind coils for Rhodes piano and humbucking bobbins. Most major guitar companies make their own pickups may use other pickups made from private manufacturers for custom pickups for…

The slugs or studs as they are commonly called are made from a soft iron and are used to conduct the magnetic field from the bar magnet to the strings. The studs are 3/16″ in diameter and are pressed into the non-adjustable bobbin often concealed by a pickup cover. The corners of the studs have…

Here is a brief list of the parts that make up a few models of pickups. Gibson Humbucker: Traditional Bottom plate is used to support all the components of the pickup. Adjustable bobbin is the screw side. Non-adjustable bobbin is the stud side. Bar magnet of a desired material for specific pickup model. 6 adjustable…

Over the years there have been design changes due to various reasons. In time, the injection mold can wear out and leave the bobbin out of specifications or excess plastic or flashing on the edges that can cause problems when winding. New designs are created to ease in winding and manufacturing. After the “Patent Applied…

Fender was trying to obtain a better string balance between poles. Having the pole pieces at different lengths would increase or lower the amount of magnetic field to the string. The core of the wound strings had less attraction and the pole pieces were slightly longer. The E & B strings had a larger outside…

Fender style bobbins that are fabricated and combined with rod magnets are commonly made from Vulcanized Fibre and later other Fender bobbins are made from a plastic molded bobbin. Vulcanized Fibre is made Spaulding Fibre, NVF and Toyo Fibre. Vulcanized Fibre is great to work with and can be punched out into many shapes. Music…

Most plating used on hardware and components on electric guitars are used to keep the parts from rusting, oxidizing or changing colors. Chrome, Nickel, Gold and Anodizing are the most common and many other types of dull or bright plating may be used. There is Black Chrome, Black Nickel, Black Oxide. Some plating such as…