Here are some of terms I frequently use when talking pickups. I will give general answers as some can be quite elaborate. Also some of the terms will have different applications to different manufacturers.

Calibrated: I do this when winding two or more pickups to be used in one instrument. Calibration can be done with the winding or the magnetic field. Generally to calibrate the coils for various positions I use a different number of turns and/or desired winding direction for each pickup position. Winding for an instrument with two or more pickups, the bridge pickup usually has more windings than a middle or neck pickup. The bridge pickup could be wound with 8,000 turns, the middle with 7,800 turns and neck pickup with 7,600 turns in a three pickup instrument.

Top Coming: Putting the top of the bobbin facing left (TL-top left) on my coil machine, I wind with the side top of the bobbin coming towards me. The coil is wound counter-clockwise. Looking from the top of the bobbin the wire begins on the right eyelet and ends on the left eyelet.

Top Going: Putting the top of the bobbin facing left (TL-top left) on the coil machine and wind with the side top of the bobbin going away from me. The coil is wound clockwise around the bobbin. Looking from the top of the bobbin, the wires begin on the left eyelet and end on the right eyelet.

RW / RP: I use this term Reverse Wind-Reverse Polarity when winding two or more pickups. When a bridge pickup is wound TC / S (top coming-south magnet polarity) I would wind a neck pickup that’s RW / RP or be wound TG / N (top going-north magnet polarity). This combination would make the pickups humbucking when both used together.

Polarity of a pickup: A single coil pickup can be wound four (4) different ways. I generally put the top of the bobbin facing left (TL) on the coil machine.

1. Counter Clockwise Coil (TC) with a South Top Magnetic Polarity

2. Counter Clockwise Coil (TC) with a North Top Magnetic Polarity

3. Clockwise Coil (TG) with a South Top Magnetic Polarity

4. Clockwise Coil (TG) with a North Top Magnetic Polarity

Polarity: The relationship of positive and negative electric currents or north or south magnetic fields to each other.

Series: The electrical linking of two or more coils in series connection. If two coils were each 4K Ohms then in series they both would equal 8K Ohms. Coils in series produce a higher output and fuller more powerful sound. This is the standard hookup for a Gibson style humbucking pickup.

Parallel: The electrical linking of two coils in a parallel or side by side fashion. If two coils were each 4K Ohms then in parallel they would be 2K Ohms or the added average of both coils divided by 2. When a pickup is in parallel with it’s self like a humbucker, the high end is cleaner, less output and still humbucking if wired properly.

Out of Phase sound in a Stratocaster: I always hear this in reference to Stratocasters in the # 2 or #4 position of the 5-way lever switch. The pickups are actually in phase but parallel with each other. Both beginning or ground wires on the pickup are connected to ground on the volume control, and both hot or lead wires are connected together by the blade on the lever switch. Both are connected at the same time to the hot terminal on the lever switch that’s connected to the # 3 lug on the volume control.

Out of Phase: Opposite linking either magnetically or electrically in one or more coils used together. Two coils or two pickups in either series or parallel but with the signal polarities summed in such a way as to provide partial cancellation of the signal. Usually the low frequencies are canceled so the resulting sound is thin lacking in warmth, quite brittle and making a guitar sound like a banjo.

Split Pickup: Usually done with Humbuckers and when grounding the series connection between the two coils, shorting out one of the coils leaves only one coil operative. This is done in Humbuckers to achieve a single coil sound. By reversing the ground and hot connection on the pickup can reverse the coil that’s operative. When the series connection is grounded in a standard Gibson humbucker the adjustable coil is operative. If the hot and ground wire are reversed the stud coil becomes operative. The stud side of the coil usually has more output because it has a more direct and stronger magnetic field to the string. The adjustable poles extend the magnetic field out the bottom of the pickup.

Tapped: A coil that is wound with various output or connections for different frequencies and output. A coil can have two or more wires that can be used for different switching and tonal combinations. I first made tapped pickups when working at the Fender Soundhouse in London, England during the early part of 1974. I can wind a pickup to a stock wind of 8,000 turns and add 3,000 turns more. You can wind a coil to 7,000 and stop at the stock wind of 8,000 turns. You can add turns to the stock wind, tap using smaller gauge of wire, or tap as many times as you like. You can reverse the beginning and finish wires and have different a degree of a tapped coil. I have tapped coils running one lead to one amp and the other tap to another. You can have stereo with different frequencies. You can do some fun experimenting with this.

Passive Pickup: An instruments pickups which uses no internal active (pre-amp) electronic circuitry. A passive pickup that goes from a switch, volume control to a jack is typically a passive circuit.

Active Pickup: A pickup with a circuit board built within, to create a desired output and frequency such as an EMG pickup that work well and are quiet. Other types of Active pickups have external circuit boards and pre-amps to give a desired tone and output. A preamp is used to achieve gain enhancement, tonal shaping and to gain or lower output impedance. Active pickups are used to retain loss of high end usually associated with driving long cables. They are useful for producing the strong noise free signal needed to drive multi-effects.

Stack Pickup: Our patented technique of stacking two coils, one above the other in order to cancel hum and noise but retain a single coil attitude to the string. This technique can be done using bar magnets, ferrous blades, or rod magnets for pole pieces. Each coil has a north and south polarity to achieve a humbucking effect when the coils are in series or parallel.

Pole piece: Creates a magnetic path to the strings. Many shapes and materials have been used for getting the magnetic field to the strings. As the string is magnetized and moves, the moving magnetic field flows through the coil and generates an electrical current which is sent to the amplifier and amplified many times. Pole pieces have been rod magnets such as on Fenders, Bar magnets such as the Gibson Melody Maker, Steel rods and adjustable screw as on a Gibson P.A.F. humbucker, laminated or solid ferrous blades used on Gretsch pickups. Many with permanent magnets inside to magnetize the ferrous material or desired path that directs the magnetic field to the strings. Others with ferrous cores that have fingers within the bobbin such as the Lace Sensors. Magnet rods and bars can be made of various alloys and degrees of strength that alter the tone, string pull and output of a pickup. Pole pieces come in many types of screw such as Slotted head, Pan head, Fillister head, Hex and Socket head, Round head (slotted and Phillips). With the many designs that are developed and ones to be developed you will be assured of the many new and upcoming

pickup designs. The physical configuration of the pole piece will vary the magnetic field intensity of the pickup.

Humbucking: A pickup that is usually comprised of two coils wired in series or parallel that eliminate unwanted electrical and magnetic interference. The two coils are summed electrically out of phase and with opposite magnetic polarities. The effect of the configuration is to cancel hum and other extraneous noise and leave the string signal intact. Note: When removing humbucking pickup covers you let in unwanted signals that the coils cannot fully eliminate.

Ground: The common reference point in an electrical circuit. Usually the controls, switches, pots, and beginning wires from pickups are grounded. Usually single coil pickups have the beginning wires connected to ground. If the coil is wound and directly touching the pole piece, and the beginning wire made hot, you would hear much buzz and noise from the pickup.

Inductance: The property of a coil to oppose changes of current through itself.

Potting: Means by which you saturate the coils, hardware in a pickup to eliminate unwanted vibrations that cause squeal, feedback or other howling noises generated from the pickup. There are several types of potting solutions, wax being the most common and allowing the pickup to be repaired or rewound easily if necessary. Epoxies and varnishes give permanent and often damaging solutions to potting. If the epoxy dries with considerable shrinkage, the coil can be broken internally and non-repairable (in most cases). This may not show up for many years as I have seen pickups just stop working. Many manufactures have changed their potting techniques and solutions. Epoxy is often thicker than heated waxes and cannot always permeate the finest air gaps. Thicker potting solutions can leave open cavities unless used with a sophisticated and often costly vacuum systems. Winding can also be done with alcohol or heat sensitive bondable magnet wire. I don’t like using bondable wires as they don’t always insure feedback elimination in a pickup. Try and repair a pickup wound with bondable wire…It’s like a solid piece of copper. Both my friend Lindy Fralin (who is a great winder) and I feel the same way, when you want to restore a pickup, you want to restore it, make it look like it hasn’t been repaired. So pickup manufactures, if you want your pickups around for a long time, one’s that can be fixed and restored please do not use the Epoxies or Bondable wire. Their good for transformers but not for repairman. For further information see my earlier article “Pickup Question # 2”, I talked about potting standard Fender and Gibson pickups.

D.C. Resistance: Usually measured in Ohms with an analog or digital meter, resistance is used for check to see if the coil is operative and what the coil reads in Ohms. Usually when a pickup has a higher reading you usually associate it with being hotter. The higher D.C. resistance tends to be louder and less bright.