DIY Pallet Wood & Rusty Nail Humbuckers - PAFS (Pallet AF)

[@cbarrow12ax7]

I bought these pickups for a Michael Kelly Hybrid to replace the stock pickups. I love them. Sound exactly as advertised; the inconsistency is consistent. :) But more than that, they are great art. Everytime I look at the guitar with these pickups in it, I smile. My one of a kind.

[@timsway]

lol. "The inconsistency is consistent." A perfect review! Glad you dig 'em. I'd love to see a pic

[@ronmann7395]

What nonsense I think what you do is fantastic and must inspire a lot of people

[@deandee8082]

that bass has a nice bite to it

[@midnightshroud527]

Please don't strive too hard for perfection Tim. Those pickups already exist out there in abundance. Think boutique, and create the 'Tim Sway' sound. When they don't quite sound like the PAF you were aiming for, you're probably onto a winner! Just remember, there's many-a-guitarist that love the unique sound of Lipsticks and Gold foils.

[@timsway]

Oh believe me, "Perfection" is never in my sites. HAHAHA!

[@sgsax]

To be clear, I am here 100% for the nonsense. 😁 Thinking outside the box and creating interesting art. If that's nonsense, I'd like some more please. These pickups look pretty sweet and first attempts are sounding decent. I'm sure further experimentation will only achieve better and more interesting results. Thanks for sharing!

[@Wastelandman7000]

Nonsense is the fun part!

[@vontinkles]

How much more nonsense would make sense?

[@Saltysteele]

i've never been as disappointed at someone not having an english accent as i was when i just watched this dude for the first time.

[@timsway]

lol

[@PickleBoySwag]

Good choice man, pallets and closet doors are like premium tone wood

[@RockwoodStreetBand]

I feel like people underestimate how much tone would matters. No it's not going to change your signal, but it'll change what you hear while you're playing it and it's in your hands. The way it reverberates into your body when you play

[@andrewgarcia3136]

Anyone who doubts this needs to shoot out a maple capped Les Paul against one that is all mahogany. Throw in an SG for good measure to show the effect body thickness has

[@timsway]

I did a test once, but this one is better: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pGGVpXyjmMpmd6c

[@toneloke7489]

Just came across this today, I agree with your thoughts about making some that's sounds different than the usual pickups that you hear. Thinking outside the box, and creating something new is how we create new great tones, Hendrix did things outside of the norm for his time, and people are still trying to copy it to this day.

[@danielanthony1054]

If you're saving the nails that means you're patient enough to take the nails out of a pallet. Respect

[@timsway]

UPDATE: In the bass demo, I had a brain cramp and miswired the pickups so they are out of phase. I have rewired them and they sound AMAZING! Be sure to tune in to future videos to hear them properly and/or follow me on instagram @TimSway1 to hear the bass now.

[@thatfatguy4508]

i need to know what you used to remove those nails

[@timsway]

@@thatfatguy4508 it's called an "air denailer"

[@thatfatguy4508]

@@timsway thanks a bunch i have never seen someone get nails out of a pallet so easily before

[@eyeball226]

I just came to the comment section to say I think you got them out of phase. Glad you could hear it yourself!

[@valdicaster]

it sounds amazing anyway !!! from where did you get the magnets ? incredible work i want to share with you my EP, it was made in linux (100% open source !!) kzbin.info/aero/PLYm8kX40uBjn8bdQ1LwciZAqHL29hCAeo thank for showing your workflow

[@luckyg8971]

Great video. Good clean work and I hope it takes off from here

[@montycline9840]

Having nonsense makes it funnier to watch. That's just my opinion though. Keep up your work you're doing fine.

[@charleyedwards2121]

wow tim this was amaaaaaaazing, you rule so much

[@edkramer65]

Pallette As Fudge. Rock on Tim. Now you got my mind a thinking. Thanks for the inspiration. ;)

[@truthinesssss]

Keep doing what you enjoy as you ignore the haters. Inspiration isn’t aware of what others think, just the joy of creating. 😉

[@TedCurran]

Great sense, great nonsense! I love it. So great to see music made from things people would throw away.

[@TexanUSMC8089]

Nonsense is good. You can imagine how something will sound, but you don't know for sure until you try it out. Well done.

[@silvacore]

In pickups there is a world! Hunbuckers specially...connecting series/parallel....phase out of phase...extreme variaty of sound!

[@mightymikethebear]

I like this kind of recycling.

[@williamkline6450]

“Old country guy that never goes into the city” vibes. I love it

[@allenmitchell09]

Tim those bass pickups sounded awesome.

[@bukwok]

i made my own pickup when i was 11 years old, even dont know whats that thing for or how it work, because thats homework,something you knew how to make but dont know how the theory work, and made an EI transformer too,i think still got that pickup somewhere in my apartment, and that transformer still in my little hifi amp, shiit!! almost 28 years ago, feels not that long ago......

[@miketayse]

Interesting! Fun to watch.

[@skaterocker666]

That single coil on the neck sounds absolutely monstrous!

[@georgel5308]

I miss hearing you on the podcast. Hope all is well. Great work per usual and fantastic content.

[@timsway]

Cheers, George. It was a good run.

[@SneedyKetler]

Jesus Christ, dude I check in from time to time but you’re really coming into your own lately. Proud of you.

[@RisingSunGuitarMods]

Awesome man, got me all inspired... I love the creativity.

[@christopherlewis1847]

I really like how you show what does and does not work, and your journey in understanding why.

[@timsway]

It's important to show failures and the process to teach that there is a process, y'know? Edison didn't just make a light bulb and have it work on his first go, yet we're taught history like he did, which leads to young inventors get discouraged and filling with self-doubt when their first attempt at a "light bulb idea" doesn't work. I figure it's best to be honest.

[@briansimpson8116]

This one was one of the best you've ever done.

[@timsway]

thanks

[@Dreyno]

Should’ve used a Euro-pallet. They’re more vintage sounding. Lower output and more clarity.

[@NightwishArena]

Ok, now I need a rusty nail humbucker. I have a perfect project(s) for these.

[@blackmoofou6385]

Fascinating video love the learning as you go along. First time I've seen paraffin wax used like that very clever. As a bass player the bass pickups sounded gnarly. 😊

[@Kevin.odonnell]

You don’t need alnico poles. Just steel slugs. Use a nickel base plate and be sure the bar magnet makes good contact with the slugs and nails. That will help immensely

[@WDeeGee1]

Yup.

[@paradiselost9946]

any old "soft" steel... or yeah, nickel... forget thats a ferromagnet... florists wire is good. mu-metal or silicon steel from transformer cores... ;) ferrite slugs... LOTS of options...

[@KeithDecent]

I learned a LOT watching this video, and that means something coming from the only other person to film themselves making a guitar pickup out of actual garbage!

[@timsway]

you're an inspiration

[@GuitarQuackery]

Most people don't realize how much work goes into these projects. I've saved up a bunch of rusty nails, years ago, for this purpose and never had time to do the project.

[@jaynedoe1959]

Yabba Dabba Doo, PURE GENIUS...Said Fred Flintstone!

[@faroironandcustoms6577]

Nice one. Keep us posted. I may, one day, be interested in some bass humbuckers for a future build.

[@timsway]

I wired them differently and now they sound amazing. be sure to check out thefull bass build video in a couple weeks to hear them

[@faroironandcustoms6577]

@@timsway Will do!

[@JazzRockswithAdam]

PAFs don’t have magnetized pole pieces, just the bar magnet below. So you’re kind of mixing a Fender single coil style and a humbucker together.

[@WilliamLutesMaker]

This is just the natural evolution of yet something else Tim Sway makes……bad ass yo !

[@timsway]

I'm going all the way! slowly :)

[@douglasgreen5234]

They are actually very cool looking pickups. I can see people wanting professionally made pickups with that look.

[@alanblott4559]

It's great that you never fail...... You just learn to do things differently. An inspiration to us all. Be well

[@timsway]

lol! I learn things the hard way :)

[@johnm3946]

Making your own pickups has to be a brave task

[@DeadKoby]

Although I'm not big into "green" stuff, I like the concept of using free/junk materials to build from. This presents a great opportunity for one to experiment and create without breaking the bank. Les's first guitars were made with an old guitar and junk....... and Bigsby's guitars were made with extra cycle parts. Best wishes at getting your ideal sound.

[@timsway]

I was a cheapskate long before I was an environmentalist :)

[@DeadKoby]

@@timsway nothing wrong with that. Theres always something special about something you made yourself.

[@Wastelandman7000]

Some thoughts. You might look into cigar boxes for your plywood. I build cigar box guitars and the box lids on some are surprisingly strong. Old IDE and SCSI hard drives have insanely powerful magnets. Even laptop hard drives have strong magnets. (don't forget old speaker magnets for your magnetizing needs) Also you might hunt around for an electric demagnatizer. (which is actually an electromagnet on a handle) They were used in the recording and data industries to over write the magnatism on old reel to reel or data backup cassette tapes. Might be faster and more even than your vise magnatizer setup. Hope some of that is helpful. Peace.

[@ChadLawson3]

I am a maker/tinkerer, so the tech side of this appealed to me as well as the goal of using recycled material. And I don't think there's a maker out there who doesn't have a soft spot for re-using pallets. Additionally, I have a long-time friend who is a musician and sometime last year we had a LONG conversation where he basically taught me about how pickups work and, amazingly, a lot of it stuck with me and I was able to follow what you were doing. I've sent the video to him for his interest as well. Thank you!

[@timsway]

awesome. I'm still learning (there's a lot to learn!)

[@toneloke7489]

Man I wish I had your tools and workshop!!!!

[@jeffbridges6110]

This was cool AF. I'm a drummer who knows nothing about guitars , but I thought your video was bad ass.

[@infoscholar5221]

Keep it up, brother. Science and Art = Music!

[@garagemonkeysan]

Great video. Super interesting. Had no idea what's inside a pick up. Mahalo for sharing! 🙂🐒

[@jeremymiller4341]

My first journey to thus channel and damn. I'm loving it. I want some of those for my faux Paul.

[@doubledarefan]

PAF = Pine's All Fine.

[@michaelhicks5150]

Pro tip: tune your test guitar to open D so it rings out an open chord when you strum it. 😉 pickup sounds good! 👌

[@terrygore115]

Awesome! The guitar world just got a little sweeter. Great job.

[@danteedee8204]

Cool project, the pickups look great.

[@lukastorstensson8219]

Haha! So utterly cool and such a pup would be an excellent choice on my own built "Wood shack" cigar box guitar!

[@brianjones1385]

This is CAF!! Cool as F@$!!! Good in ya man!! Interesting design and creative use of reclaimed materials, really cool!! Great video, one of the better videos on youtube showing how to make pickups and how they work, thanks!!

[@Coastal_Cruzer]

Gibson EB-3 neck pickups are wicked. We need more like them

[@timsway]

that is the kind of sound I always want - and am aiming for :)

[@Coastal_Cruzer]

@@timsway I've been considering getting into making my own pickups, I wonder what a side-wound super ferrite pickup would sound like (hybrid of a Gibson EB-3 and Peavey T-20 pickup)

[@leewot]

As always- really impressed.. the bass pickups in single coil sound great .. but you’ll get there with the humbuckers

[@michaelmadron8654]

This was fun to watch gotta see this progression

[@nickp440]

as a cnc machinist that is a huge guitar nerd, this was great dude

[@timsway]

twins! :)

[@PaperbagmanOfficial]

These look so cool man! Great video too! Thank you for sharing with us! 🔥😃😍🔥

[@brianbeavers9660]

Love the look of these things, now l gotta find something to put them in....

[@voornaam3191]

Thanks! Another great video. It's time for me to build and mess with pickups, too. What I can recommend to you, is building a bass body with three rectangular holes in it. Bridge, middle and neck hole. That way you can easily change a pickup, or move it to another position, from the back side of the body, that is. No need to losen any strings. For a large enough body, those holes are no threat to strength or sustain. My bass sounds okay this way. If you like the idea, I got no patent. Makes me wonder who could have one.

[@timsway]

I've seen some similar ideas out there. I'm sure some one tried to patent it. I love the concept

[@voornaam3191]

@@timsway I have a cheap Japanese 70's-ish bass. Thin plywood body sounding like cardboard. So I built a larger (still cheap) scorched pine body. And I remember those guitars with a smart exchange-your-pickup system. My version is simple, just bent up the lips sticking out, and now two short bolts hold the pickup in place, instead of those long bolts. Adjusting option is gone, fix it higher or lower. Bit of a prototype, already good enough. It was great hearing that pickup in bridge and middle position. It had been a neck pickup only. Okay, but they could have done the Strat concept, all it took was 2 extra pickups and a 5-switch. Why did they wait 30 years?!

[@alaricpaley6865]

The nail side will always be lower with how you have done it because the magnetic field from the actual... magnets in the other side carry a stronger field through them, which magnetizes the strings better. What you've got is closer to what PRS did to make their coil splits sound better (Or so I've heard - I don't often get to mess with those guitars) - The side that split out for the single coil used alnico slugs, where the screw (in your case, nail) side just had a bar magnetizing it. PAFs just use plain metal slugs with that bottom magnet for both coils. If you're going to stick with the style you have now, my suggestion is to get a second, thin bar magnet to go on the far side of the nail poles - a construction closer to a P-90. Also, a word of advice on Humbuckers - Mismatch the coils by a few turns, they tend to sound better, something to do with the phase cancelling. Try putting a few extra on the Nail side and a few less on the magnet side to help with the balance.

[@timsway]

great info and you helped me feel better about some of my next thoughts/steps. This is 100% why I take the time to make these videos, to get this open flow of knowledge and creativity happening!

[@adammono1839]

This answered alot of my questions too. I didn't know that the alnico slugs side was meant to be both magnetised and then connected to the bar magnet. Good info

[@fphantom]

@@timsway Have you tried adding passive magnetization to the nails via rubbing them with a permanent magnet? I'm wondering if that would be worth it, especially since the nails are so old and beat up, they might not let the field pass through them very well compared to new nails. (just a guess, as I'm no magnet expert) This video by the Action Lab on magnetization might prove useful though: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pX_Nfn-qfaurobc

[@denmar355]

Good advice!!

[@voornaam3191]

@@fphantom Those poor old nails... I always say "Excuse me for hitting you!" and then I hammer them on their heads. That really helps, they don't scream like they used to do. Any idea when iron was formed, after the big bang? Those nails are older than you'd think.

[@matthewf1979]

Pickups are a simple concept but are no joke when it comes to making them. I would either use bar magnets or rod magnets, not both. There’s new pickups out there with a mix of wire gauge on separate coils. I can’t remember what brand/model though. The first Broadcaster pickups used 43 on the bridge and 42 on the neck. Good luck with the design!

[@timsway]

indeed! very small variables make very big changes. Looking forward to learning more. It's a lot of fun

[@TMAziz]

DiMarzio does a combo of 42 and 43 or other gauge wires on opposite bobbins the same humbucker for a bunch of their designs. The idea is each bobbin ends up with a different frequency range, but ideally the same noise and hum for cancellation purposes. An extreme combo (really thin on one side, thick on the other) would even give it a scooped midrange tone (see dimarzio Steve's special)

[@djjodav]

Another commenter mentioned you mixing alnico pole pieces with steel, I'm going to add to that in as much as screws were used for pole piece height adjustability. Perhaps try using the nails and screws instead? That way you get 100% of your gauss from the (alnico?) bar magnet! Great vid!

[@michaelb.42112]

Hi Tim ! It's February 2022 and I just ordered the pickup winder per your recommendation. This guy is SO on it ! He has the best customer service and I look forward to my FIRST attempt at making pickups because I have a bad knee and can't walk well, so why not. PS - He said you're a great guy !

[@timsway]

awesome. I'm glad to help him out - and you! :)

[@brianbeavers9660]

OUTSTANDING!!! Congratulations 👏 & good 👍 luck in your endeavors. You are TRULY akinn to the brave, great inventors l read about in elementary school ( last century). I wish you well, CARRY ON!

[@jefjahn247]

11:00 did anybody else “pick up” on the Betty White button 😉 Tim’s videos have really helped me appreciate the inner workings of electric guitars. Maybe I’ll sport a Tim Sway button as tribute to his contribution to the world of music 🤘

[@timsway]

good eye! My friend Dave (ElmCityVintageDave on Instagram and YT) makes topical buttons as fast as news happens - sometimes faster :)

[@Levibetz]

An idea for the nails, maybe get a small steel flat bar, drill holes to receive the nails, and then tack weld the nails to the bar. That way you don't have to worry about the uneven surface of the nails making poor contact with the magnet, and the magnetic flux can flow better through the nails.

[@peachhodsun9532]

Such an incredible video!!!!! New perspectives has come a loooooong way these past few years!!! Im so proud to get my knowledge from you Tim. Thank you for making a difference in the music upcycle community!!!!!!!!!

[@timsway]

thank you

[@JaFoste_Studio]

This is pretty awesome and I think that deserves a subscribe!

[@niteshades_promise]

"shut up and take my money!" no seriously. how much? fascinating. cant wait to see the finished guitars.🍻

[@timsway]

I'm close! They should be about the same price as most quality and hand wound pickups out there.

[@DanelonNicolas]

how can people get mad!? keep on doing man, good job!

[@nostreamavailable9090]

The neck single coil had a bit of a geezer butler kind of feel . I like it. 👍 Great work Tim

[@timsway]

that is 100% what I look for in bass tone. I fixed the wiring on these. wait until you hear them now. Full bass build video in a couple weeks. come back.

[@nostreamavailable9090]

@@timsway looking forward to hearing that Tim , l always enjoy your content a great deal. Best wishes from the north west of England 🙏

[@TheVirakahScale]

You're an incredible dude. Every conversation I've had has with you has been as swell as the things you create. Keep up the good work, Tim!

[@VanjaSpirin]

I like this approach.

[@doug_1489]

I like the way your mind works 👌🏻

[@zoltontheguitar]

Great video man! super fun to watch the process! Excited to see where this R and D takes you!

[@shamardaniel4819]

This is like the next level for you! Wow! That is soo cool!

[@HardwareLust]

This is an awesome idea Tim! I love that you're using reclaimed materials, there's no way your pickups are going to sound (or look!) like anyone else's, and that's a good thing.

[@Emily_M81]

good times and fun stuff! I just put a reclaimed wood pickguard on my strat. After I showed pics and talked about it on Discord, this shows up on my KZbin >_> well, it worked out, I guess, because I liked it lol...

[@gothridercreations]

Loving your work Tim, the whole idea of pickup making seems a lot less scary now 🙂 Thanks

[@9jmorrison]

For a dude that opposed a CNC you've come along way, congrats.

[@timsway]

Indeed! I learned a lot about closing my mind to things just because they seem hard or out of reach.

[@danw1955]

Very cool project, and I love the sound of the bass pickups, especially in single coil mode (and yes I saw the explanation in your 'pin').👍

[@peckjor]

Neat work! I knew you were a crafty fella meeting you back in the Tim Sway Trio days at Monaco's In Winsted. Favorite parts of this vid start at 12:42

[@timsway]

cheers. I think I played one of my earliest homemade instruments up there. an electric upright bass that was basically a stick mounted to a drum stand

[@bassimprovjams3772]

Super cool Tim!! I love the real and rawness of your content!!! It’s awesome!!! You got some great suggestions on here! I know nothing about any of this, I can plug a bass in and play it pretty good that’s about it lol

[@JobyP]

From my understanding… Rust inside a pickup winding leads to pickup failure. The nails are a super neat idea but probably not a great one. P.S. I am no expert. Just something I think I heard in a stewmac tele pickup rewind video… cool stuff Tim

[@CocoKoi321]

Yes tonewood makes a difference 👍 4:40

[@RogerKlaveness]

Very cool pickups. One thing i noticed, you said for a humbucker the negative of the first coil goes into the positive of the second. That is not correct, if the coils are wound in the same direction, the finish wires should be connected together and then the start of the first coil is ground and the start of the second coil is the output. The coils has to be electrically out of phase since the magnetic polarity are opposite, then the resulting signal will be in phase when combined, but the hum will be out of phase and cancelled.

[@timsway]

thanks for the info. I looked at a bunch of different schematics and have seen lots of confusing and conflicting information. The bass does sound a bit "out of phase:" to me and I plan on experimenting with the wiring some more with the ones I've made as well as do and learn more. Single coils are easy! lol.

[@SteveSmithStuff]

This is correct.

[@pastorkev777]

You can melt down plastic to make a resin you can use for the bobins to prevent warping over time. Endless plastic to use for this. Magnet wise if you want to recycle, you can find cheap pickup lots in ebay, all sorts of old audio equipment, many tools, toys, jewelery, etc too. Older stuff use ceramic and newer uses neodymium usually.

[@TimTrOn3000]

I'm my experiments, there have been few, I was using heat shrink tubes to cover the pole pieces under the bobbin. Might help stabilize your nail side

[@timsway]

that's a great idea!

[@andrewvitale7128]

I can see the pickups having a specific use! I really like the other room sound thay have ,it comes off unique! Nice job.

[@greglade]

I like where your madness is going ;-)

[@frederickwood9116]

Nice. Thanks for sharing the adventures. I know nothing really about making electromagnets. So this might be rubbish. I see the nails are quite thin compared to the other pickup parts. How about grinding two nails on the side so they can fit snugly together?. Even add a bit of solder to bind them if you think it would help. ! Might be more work than fun though! It might make the sound bigger and more character full too. Keep having fun and sharing.

[@jvin248]

The nails are a fun choice. Using a $20 automotive handheld vacuum tester, some automotive vacuum tubing, a couple of connector fittings, and a pickle jar, you can make a vacuum wax potting system that can handle high gain distortion/fuzz without feedback.

[@derrick_builds]

Hope you are finding HT pallets. Good luck with the tree-hugging thing. Don't mind me I'm going to be over here saving the earth while I fire up my laser cutter. Humbucker is going to work best when you have a good balance between coils.

[@sapelesteve]

Kudos to you Tim on your first attempt at making humbuckers. I don't know much about them except that they amplify the sound of a vibrating guitar string. I will be along for the ride to see what you ultimately come up with. Good luck and keep learning! 👍👍👏👏😉😉

[@captaintony1227]

They don't amplify sound. They convert movement into DC voltage using a magnetic feild replicating the sound. I hope that helps you to understand more.

[@dfbess]

Use a rust converter on the nails Tim..Love the video .. It's all about the growth of knowledge..