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There are several differences as compared to a stock Telecaster. The bottom plate on the lap steel are rectangular and are .062″ thick and the pole pieces have slightly different spacing. When I make the modifications the standard Telecaster bottom plate is .093″ thick which I can’t use. I punch out a blank Telecaster bottom…

I contacted the RIT Dye company and they gave me information on many colors available and we worked out the following dyeing procedures. Although RIT Dye is manufactured and guaranteed primarily for the tinting and dyeing of textile fabrics, it is also effective for coloring many other things, including many types of vinyl plastics. Light…

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…

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…

During the summer of 1967 I was hanging out at night club in New York City called the Steve Paul Scene. There I was watching a guitarist by the name of Glen Schwartz who was playing with his group “The James Gang” before Joe Walsh Joined the band. Glen later joined the group “Pacific Gas…

When buying new screws at hardware stores you have to check what you are buying. It seems the screws you bought might be plated like your old ones but the actual screw could be made of brass (non-magnetic) or stainless steel (most grades are non-magnetic). I often build pickups with dummy poles made of brass…

Using deep drawn covers made of brass or aluminum and then plated with chrome, nickel or gold plating can reduce the brightness in the pickup and nickel silver is one of the best materials to be used. It is easy to draw (form in deep draw molds) and has less capacitance than brass or aluminum….

There are many combinations of wire and turns for winding pickups but for Gretsch Filtertrons I like using 3,000 turns of 42 Heavy Formvar and you’ll get a nice clear vintage tone. Wind the top of the coil Top Left and Top Coming (the top of the bobbin comes towards you). I never like winding…

I’ve seen this happen many times and it can be difficult trying to glue because of the wax potting solution on older pickups. Some reissue single coil P-Bass pickups are potted in solutions other than wax and I have carefully used a drop of Cyanoacrylate (superglue) carefully at the top of the pole piece using…

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…