Post Type Archives: SWD

Make sure you don’t have a pickguard or mounting screw cutting into the cable or wires that go from the pickup cavity to the control cavity (volume, tone & switches). Make sure the pickup is soldered properly to the switch and make sure the switch and jack work properly. If the guitar is shielded by…

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…

I would remove the other screw to remove the bobbin making it easier to work with. If the screw shaft is still extended from the bobbin, you might be able to grip the shaft and turn it counter-clockwise. Carefully try to remove it without doing further damage to the bobbin. At times when the screw…

I would never let anyone borrow my guitar. If both pickups don’t work, I would first check to see if the jack is properly working. Sometimes the guitar cord plug can bend the jack internally or the jack can twist and short out. Look inside to see if they decided to rewire it or change…

This can be a problem with pickups molded out of a inexpensive high pressure styrene plastic. Bobbins should last many years and I’ve seen only one Gibson pickup worn out because the player used a metal pick. You could use a epoxy based coating over the end of the bobbin but it might make it…

Loose pole pieces can vibrate and cause unwanted feedback when playing. As the string and body vibrate it can cause the pickup also vibrate and the loose pole will oscillate and make unwanted noises in your amp. I would try to make the screw or pole tighter by filling the gaps with heated wax, silicone…

There are little trick in pickup building that we’ve done to several Jerry Donahue instruments. We actually install a small capacitor in series with the hot output of a pickup and this can reduce bottom end in a particular pickup. With this method you can change the character of the pickup and making it sound…

I would probably say from all the broken pickups that I have rewound and restored is because of human error. When you start removing pickups from assemblies and mounting rings there is a greater risk of damaging the pickup. On single coil pickups the majority of pickups have exposed beginning and finish magnet wires and…

I’ve noticed that when the screw holes are drilled and the mounting screws are in place, in time moisture can penetrate into the screw holes and expanding the wood around the screws. The screws can oxidize from the moisture in the wood and become rough and pitted. When you try to remove the oxidized screw…

Make sure you have the proper tools and skill to work on your pickup without damaging it any further. I would send it to a qualified repairman experienced in working on pickups or the original pickup builder. About 70% of the broken pickups I get in can be repaired without rewinding. Just about any pickup…