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Post by GuitarAttack Forum on Jul 22, 2019 9:58:21 GMT -6
I got a Fender WR Humbucker in the shop for repair. Somebody tried to take the cover off -- for some reason -- and broke one of the coils. These pickups have some strange design characteristics, particularly the way the magnet wire attaches to the main output lead. Will post a photo later. Here is some info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Wide_RangeTwo In-Progress Safety Tips: 1. DO NOT remove the cover of this pickup unless absolutely necessary. It doesn't look cool without the cover and it is very delicate inside. 2. Cut the solder joints with a small X-acto saw blade to remove the cover. DO NOT heat it up in an effort to remove it for repair because you will likely melt a bobbin...or both. I'm going to try to do a sound demo when I test it...more to follow. John |
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Post by GuitarAttack Forum on Jul 23, 2019 22:18:23 GMT -6
Here are some photos....check out the shot with the cover on - the pole pieces are the magnets. This is not a PAF! The photo with the cover off shows the bobbins. They are big and there is a lot of wire in this pickup. Had to graft some plastic (the white piece) in because of the damage done by the dude trying to repair it before. Got it repaired...this one reads about 10.5k ohms. John   |
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Post by dnic on Jul 24, 2019 17:40:45 GMT -6
It's very cool that you able to save these John. Did you use your laser printer somehow to graft the plastic on? That's not super hot I bet they'll sound good.
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Post by antares on Jul 25, 2019 0:28:25 GMT -6
Nice work John. You're more of an engineer than I imagine myself to be. I wish you'd posted this a good few years ago. I trashed the dual single coil "humbucker" on my Pacifica 904 by trying to swap the covers for aged colour ones to match every other bit of plastic on the instrument. I don't think I severed any of the wires, but the plastic covers are fractured shards still partly adhered to the coils, and I knew it was time to stop. Dang! I replaced it with a Bare Knuckles "Crawler" which is far from being a cheap tatty pickup! Because they were dual parallel single coils, I had to get a new mounting ring too. I'm always impressed with your work John.
e&oe...
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Post by GuitarAttack Forum on Jul 25, 2019 11:07:05 GMT -6
Steve - Thanks for the kind words. My "pickup repair road" was paved with many pickups which wound up in the bin!
Dane -- I printed the patch in ABS plastic with my 3D printer and epoxied it to the bobbin. I had to patch it because the wire on top of the bobbin was exposed. The old, broken magnet wire was held in place with wax, but it would have been impossible trying to wind that bobbin because the new wire would have slipped off. ABS is durable and will take waxing under 150 degrees F.
The pickup sounds pretty unique, but its inductance, or the measurement of the current flow, is pretty low because of the relative weakness of the magnets. Some people love these pickups, and I suppose in the right guitar they would be really great. It has a lower inductance that those P-90s I made for you, but they have two pretty beefy magnets in there energizing that single coil.
To me this pickup sounds like a bassier Strat pickup with much less hum. Your mileage may vary!
John
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