Fixing a pickup on a 1963 Fender Stratocaster

[@fender]

Awesome work Erick! Came out sounding fantastic.

[@gaberobinson112]

Fender why has no one noticed this comment

[@b.rodclark7349]

The middle pickup of my MIM '95 Fender Strat Special doesn't work anymore due to a pickguard swap; i noticed a slight pierce in the wire that happened some time when the cover came off while removing from the pickguard. After loading the pickups into the new pickguard I did the screwdriver tap to the polepiece and it was an extremely low volume drop that's almost dead compared to the bridge and neck pickups; it's going to need a rewind.

[@solarismoon3046]

I doubt that this is actually the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation commenting on this video as they have their own videos I could be wrong, but I highy doubt it.

[@iheartlreoy8134]

Solaris Moon just click the link fool also why wouldn’t it actually be them

[@astrog7361]

hello senpai

[@timetraveller6225]

When someone cares even for the original position of the screws, you know that this is a damn fine job=)))

[@satman1w]

no, it just means that you are dealing with pain in the neck - person...

[@DougHinVA]

@@satman1w ...good point, but the customer only cares about correct results on his vintage Strat pickup... not the workman.

[@Thirdgen83]

Totally UNnecessary...

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

It does look off if you put the pick guard screws back in the wrong places, some rust more than others due to where they get sweated on.

[@TheMitchbassman]

Something so simple to do, a nice detail. Why not do it? Those who dont think so are the guys with duct tape fixes on everything.

[@karst41]

I had a 61 strat with middle pu out. I was told to go see Peter Green yes that Peter Green. Peter told me to go see a guy about 50 miles away. The guy had worked at Alembic and said it was a brake in the winding and that a lot of times the brake could be close to the end and usually in the last 50 winds He started unwinding at after 8 unwinds there was the break, also confirmed by the ohms meter. Instead of ditching the 8 unwinds he said it could alter the tone. So he tinned the breaks under heavy magnification and perfectly soldered them and reassembled. Totally unnoticeable. He wanted $50 for the repair. I gave him $100 the year was 1979 and I had paid $1100 for the 61 Strat. Even in 1979 the value of the guitar instantly doubled. And ol Peter Green, was a very nice, helpful and friendly guy. This is a true account. so do not just start hacking away at the coil wire just give a bunch of careful unwinds And if you have a winder make a note of which unwind revealed the break. Cheers

[@10000rambos]

I get extremely excited when I notice a 12 minute long StewMac video.

[@swoo17]

10,000 Rambos yes me too

[@mikey380sx]

Oh wow I’m so relieved to see someone who puts the screws back exactly where they were originally from. I had a feeling I wasn’t the only one, it’s reassuring to see lol

[@help8help]

I've heard of fixing a fender on a pickup. This is the first time I've heard of fixing a pickup on a Fender. Sorry, but I just love a good pun.

[@101Volts]

No reason to apologize about puns to pun enthusiasts. It's been a year, I'm the first to reply to you, and I see no groans. Even if someone's angry, I'm sure you can "fender" off any insults; "pickup" your pun book, and book them a reservation to a Punitentiary. Don't take it too seriously. 😜

[@tommypetraglia4688]

He who would pun would pick a pocket "Lesser of two weezils" Master and Commander kzbin.info/www/bejne/amWTnWumpLiEn6M

[@josephcotten4015]

I might pick up where you left off and keep on trucking with the puns.

[@RestorationsFOD]

I am addicted to watching this kind of craftsmanship

[@frodehau]

If it was a short, the resistance would have been lower, not higher. It's worth it to try unwinding one turn and re-solder that end of the wire. That has worked for me in the past.

[@Kebekwoodcraft7375]

Good catch !

[@bongnp]

I take 100 winds off the bobbin, so there's a fresh layer "exposed" that's never been out before. You can usually get away with removing 300-500 turns depeding on which pickup it is, and if keeping the pickup original is important.

[@txd]

yes exactly

[@editorjuno]

Yup, definitely misdiagnosed and probably more radically repaired than necessary. A few hundred turns removed would have probably cleared the problem. In general, even very capable guitar mechanics like Erik should leave pickup repair work to a specialist.

[@Zelomeisterdude]

I'm curious, since I'm not an expert on something like this kind of problem, is there a consensus, among you folks who are more informed, that he actually did misdiagnose the problem and do more repair then was probably necessary?

[@paulrichardson3222]

Nice to see a craftsman who cares about the guitars heritage and the owner and has pride in his work. Great job.

[@StratTone]

Love that you put the screws back where they went. True sign of a top notch guy.

[@gynat5968]

Always a pleasure to Erik diagnose and explain the problem and corresponding resolution. Cheers!

[@Zelomeisterdude]

I gotta admit, watching him cut through all that vintage wire and then pull it off sent shivers up and down my spine! LOL

[@TheloniousBosch]

Zelomeister You should know I buy vintage pickups, and remove all the old wire and rewind to my own specs without ever testing the original values. I ball the old wire up, beat it flat with a hammer, and then melt it down and cast it in a mold of Jimi Hendrix playing a Hamer.

[@Zelomeisterdude]

Oqsy.... LOL. Sadist!

[@kenwinston2245]

Criminitly guys ... mechanical failure happens. Do you want a player or a museum piece?

[@mesfigas]

so there is a process for the old wire to become new in shape? i thought he threw away the old wire and rewired the pickup with new so i was a bit shocked sorry for my english

[@ellieboi]

Meh. Wire is wire.Nothing special about old copper.

[@SgtSteel1]

I love watching fine detail work like this.

[@mboyer68]

That repair was AWESOME!!! I'm a manufacturing engineer and worked at Delphi Automotive. We have banks of copper bobbin winders for fuel injectors. When electricity is applied it opens the injector, when no juice, a spring returns it closed. Amazing how two copper bobbins can have such different functions. That was a really great video, thank you for taking the time to create, edit and post.

[@floridasaltlife]

You are a mega class act. Always inspiring to see a craftsman willing to share such a valuable part of his trade. You clearly care about keeping the fleet going for years to come. Thanks...

[@carlosenriqueraigoza7235]

Dude , you saved my life , i got a brand new vintage 64 Telecaster picks and after a few Days the neck stopped working . So I tried te trick of melt again the point and she came back 🥲 thanks aaaaalot . Cheers from Mexico

[@coronadofishingclub3478]

It’s great to see how thoughtful and thorough you are with the customers instrument.

[@petekinne2702]

A guy who rewound 2 damaged fender p/ups for me, 1 tele and 1 Jazz bass, told me he weighs the wire he has removed, or weighs the pickup, so he knows he's installing the same length. They both sounded great afterward. Nice job, you made it look so easy, and it looks perfect.

[@rttrtt8965]

This video taught me more about pickups than all the videos i have ever seen put together.

[@thebobhollyband]

Very professional! I love how you keep all of the details such as screw configuration, etc. in mind.

[@chrishall2594]

Such dilligent work. I really respect that level of care.

[@rosewoodsteel6656]

Very good video! Thank you for your time and effort, Erick.

[@erickleefeld4883]

"Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology."

[@lancethrustworthy]

I like seeing people do the work the right way...carefully. Bravo.

[@rickwood3251]

What a fantastic video, clear and concise, to the point. Professional, cares about his work and very considerate of both the customer and guitars value.

[@jimmalcolms1513]

I just slightly heated the joints where the wires enter the pickup and it worked! You saved my bacon. Big thanks

[@dcabinet]

Had no idea that the pic guard would shrink.. I learn something new every time I watch the Stew Mac videos.

[@Breakbeats92.5]

Great repair job. You and Stew Mac treat the instruments with the care, attention and dignity they deserve.

[@buffed1534]

Hey I would like to thank you I have a 57 reissue strat from the 80s the neck pickup was showing no resistance after inspecting I assumed the winding had broke as there was waxy deposits but after watching your video I re-flowed the terminals an low and behold it’s working again I’m over the moon as I did not want to replace the original Thanks again Eddie Liverpool U.K.

[@joelmiddaugh8229]

This has got to be 1 of the most useful videos from Stewmac I've ever seen. Really cool, thanks. To all those saying he was wrong about the pickup short: who cares he just showed any noobs how to wind a strat pickup in a very detailed manner.

[@frodehau]

Joel Middaugh Not really a noob kindof job. That wire is fiddly to handle, learn to solder on something a bit bigger first.

[@StMoritzGuitars]

I agree Joel

[@joelmiddaugh8229]

Frode Haugsgjerd oh yeah I would expect it not to go right a few times but some of us dont have any guidance and this definitely helps. Just to be clear I have plenty of experience wiring guitars. I just meant a noob to wiring pickups.

[@LarrysNetTube]

I love the care to maintain the vintage condition as best possible. How could 56 people actually thumbs down this?

[@acvieluf]

Sounds like celluloid pick guards and I have some things in common. 4:01

[@mgrantom]

Good job! Great attention to detail. I bet the customer was thrilled.

[@DavidSmith-ne1zp]

Fascinating demo video. Wow, sure can tell Erick knows his stuff!

[@raybede]

Wow. Skilled, Meticulous and knowledgeable, the only words I can find to describes this mans care for the instrument.How I wish he was here, in the UK, to look after my guitars.

[@troyleonard8995]

I like your little jig for the screws. I've been known to use pill boxes that you can get at your local pharmacy. Sometimes they're complimentary. thanks for the pick up info

[@brianmason9803]

I love the way you work here. Years ago, when I worked in a coil winding workshop, I picked up a tip for dealing with very fine wires. The leadouts are very fragile and can break at the solder terminal. However, if you fold the wire ends back on themselves twice for about six inches, they become quad wire and stronger. The quad wire gets wound into the coil so the whole leadout is much stronger. I wonder if this might be useful when winding your own pickups.

[@timfireblade]

It has gone open circuit like the bridge pickup in Roy Buchanan's Tele "Nancy" and is capacitively coupling between the windings, hence the thin sound.

[@eformance]

Your reading was about 285 Kiloohms, which indicates an open, not a short. A short would reduce the resistance of the coil below the nominal 6k. I agree that the insulation has most likely broken down, but what's more likely is that there was a break in the wire and the insulation breakdown provided a high impedance path between the broken connections, so it still registered a value and produced some sound.

[@jimmyfleebot]

Testing magnets for charge after testing open circuit was a bit weird too. For all he knew I could have just been the switch that was poked.

[@EJP286CRSKW]

There was still a 250K volume pot across the pickup. Explains everything in conjunction with either an open coil or more probably a bad connection at the switch.

[@randallissimo]

It was .285 K ohms, which is 285 ohms.

[@sandb1867]

1:06 .260 megaohms

[@xbmpr]

This video was super duper helpful in helping me wind my first pickup.

[@stewmac]

So glad to hear it!

[@harbour7595]

This is SO nerdy and I love it! These videos are almost therapeutic

[@arsbadmojo]

Love watching a pro work! I always pick up some new bit of information. Thanks for the great quality video.

[@rickhardt2237]

So relaxing to watch. A fine edited video

[@psikologOzanUnlu]

I hypnotized while watching your work. saying good work won't be enough, it was amazing.

[@Techman4567]

Cool Video! I knew about the basics in coil winding but your video brought it to a new level of how its done.

[@KozmykJ]

I enjoyed this video. Most informative. Yes there was the little slip up calling the "open" a "short" but hey ! the rest of it was sound enough. I've got a 66 Tele in my workshop with an open bridge pickup waiting for a final fix. There's a 70s temporary substitute in there at the moment. I've started unwinding it and , so far I have four ends but there's still at least one other break. If the last break isn't too deep I'll either join and rewind, by hand or sacrifice the outer turns IF there are only a couple of hundred. If it's WAY deep then it'll be rewind time or defeat time. The flats are curved a bit too and the poles are shifting. Recipe for disaster shifting poles in these old style pickups with the windings wrapped in physical contact with the pole pieces. An interesting exploration though... Scuse me rabbiting on. I'm kinda working out my plan of action as I write this. 🧠

[@supermansded]

What an awesome video. I never knew you could repair a pick up. I thought that once it was damaged you bought a replacement.

[@GerardHammond]

This is fantastic. So that's how pickups work. Go StewMac! I would send my guitars to you guys!

[@Alejandro_87]

Your knowledge and expertise is invaluable

[@ego73]

A satisfied customer...and now, a new subscriber.

[@fatfro1]

Great work! Wow! I would like to see you guys do a pickup wind by hand!!

[@Aaronius_Maximus]

Just found your channel and am very impressed with your craftsmanship and attention to detail. This is amazing, thanks for sharing your talent!

[@mattdickey2717]

That was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. Nice work!

[@mikemakuch2824]

All around great video, it shows your concern for a great repair.

[@worldmenders]

It's not a short, the DC resistance would have gone lower, not higher. What probably happened is you had a break deep enough into the coil that there were still a number of windings to the output, and enough capacitance to the ground side so that there was still sound produced. It was weak and missing the low end because of the capacitive coupling between the two sections of the coil. You could actually replicate this by winding half the windings, cutting the wire, and finishing the rest of the windings without a DC connection though the coil.

[@assnut1000]

yeah. kind of like that weird coil split that ibanez used to do on single coils. it cuts pickup in half for a thinner sound but in this case it wasn't switchable.

[@mux22]

exactly this, thank you.

[@seanmchugh3476]

Agreed.

[@xavior_india_0891]

Wow! What a pleasure watching it till the end! Could have included a side by side comparison of before and after at the end.

[@barrybarnett648]

Stew Max videos are always the master video

[@peteseitz6332]

.260 megaohm means about 250 kiloohms which indicates it's the volume pot you're measuring, hence there is no pickup parallel to the pot which would lower this resistance to 5-6k. that means the pickup is open (broken wire), not shorted.

[@Waterbeach2000]

pete seitz But theres no resistance on the pot when turned right up (which it is when measuring)? Also if pickup was COMPLETELY open, there would be no sound at all.

[@Waterbeach2000]

pete seitz (Apologies, on reflection I guess an open circuit would give you the 250k pot value reading)

[@frodehau]

Good catch, thanks.

[@kenwinston2245]

Good explanation . . . Electronics is a mysterious dark art to those not familiar and we tend to forget that after we've been at it a while.

[@stevesoldwedel]

I did notice that he didn't show us the multimeter reading when he measured the pickup itself. He just said, "Yup, something's wonky here" and forged ahead. I like StewMac a lot, because they have some great products, and Dan and Erick have affable personae, but I try to remind myself that these videos are, first and foremost, to sell products.

[@Achase4u]

Nothing beats those old magnets. Good to use them whenever possible.

[@hhattingh]

The man clearly love what he is doing and taking great care in doing it.

[@HarryVsingersongwriter]

this is so exciting! I was actually holding my breath during the winding, wonderful work.

[@arthurc1971]

This is why you always find a good luthier. Great video.

[@montygore]

Hi all. Love your videos. Just to clear a fact on a high resistance you have an open wire not a short. Just a little help from an old electronics tech. Keep up the great videos.

[@ChisoraBoxingFan]

I have a 1962 Strat with a pickup issue. The workshop that fixed the pickup took away only a couple of feet wire and the problem was solved. Why cut away all the wire once and for all? Why not unwind the wire?

[@gregberne631]

This is an extremely hi-value video, super well presented!

[@stewmac]

Happy you like it!

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

I hope the customer got a call before that rewind. He or she might have built their whole career around that weak middle pickup sound...Hahahahaha

[@lewisbulled6764]

Paul McCaffrey good point!

[@HopsBarleyandH2O]

I hope so too, because when he cut that wire I felt a bit queasy.

[@keegansterley3296]

Yeah, I have to be honest, I kind of liked that thin sound

[@stewmac]

They sure did. The weak pickup was one of the reasons it came into the shop.

[@RedGibsonsRock]

I had a '56 strat with bakelite covers. The neck and middle covers were damaged and both pickups were weak/thin. The middle was too weak but the neck was magic. It was worth adjusting amp settings to accommodate.

[@TheDizzack]

Tremendous and Articulate workmanship. You set the bar!

[@ericfaley9019]

Great job Eric. You made that Strat sound like a Strat

[@ericfloyd9917]

Wow! Great repair job. great camera. Great editing. Great video. Thanks

[@Kevin19700]

Excellent information. Especially the part about keeping track of where every screw goes! I use the same rule on my car restorations.

[@bmwcarrmann429]

You do some great work.i really like the mechanical stuff you do.i a mechanic in the automotive industry and engineering field.awesome work.i can tell that you enjoy it.i know I do.take care.peace

[@StMoritzGuitars]

WOW, A very informative and helpful video there Erick. Great Job !

[@Arcturian1111]

Nice fix Eric.

[@Phil_Goodman]

This is one of the best videos on this channel! i learned alot!

[@thespiritof76..]

Question... with the high dollar winder and everything at your disposal why would you not unwind the pup so you could 1 count the wraps #2 possibly find the short and reapply lacquer and or make a splice? To keep with the integrity of the repair?

[@jamesthreadgill7651]

So cool to watch a pro at work.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

Fantastic video. Thanks for sharing.

[@catboyzee]

Valuable guitar, valuable information on identifying problems with it. Thanks for posting.

[@noahjuan2234]

Nice jam at the end Erick!

[@demoncloud6147]

This is why I love learning from youtube, got all the info for a DIY 3D printed pickup

[@PabloVillaronga]

Super job as always Erick, Amazing job, congratulations!

[@hawsshaw]

Very well done... and nice winding machine...

[@ramrocker1004]

I got what I think is a 1970s Fernandez strat. All of a sudden, the G and B strings lost sound (sometimes it does sound but weak). Tried switching from bridge pickup to mid and neck pickup, all yeilded the same issues so I'm wondering if it's really the pickups or something else. Help please

[@7byseven]

So I need to drill a hole through the middle of the bobbin to use this machine?

[@Thoracius]

0:24 that's kind of cool. Could you get that sound with a coil tap?

[@alexlel6815]

Magnificent and informative work !

[@NashTheGreat]

I am quite concern with the pick guard material, why they keep using material that shrink over time?

[@TruthSurge]

Real copper wire and big thick wires. I'll bet they didn't use that crappy tin on there either.

[@duroxkilo]

i understand what you're saying, but let's get real, those thick wires mean nothing... :} plus the pickup went bad..

[@diegomendivil7101]

They mostly used what was available, both good and bad.

[@fairguinevere666]

@@duroxkilo I've had super thin wires break inside the guitar before. Fuck all to do with tone but I'll happily eat the extra 2 or 3 bucks a guitar to give it quality pushback wire that actually has some meat to it.

[@slammerband2009]

What a fun video to watch! Thanks for making and posting!

[@colesnyder7821]

i love the sound of the pickup afterwards

[@AnthonyMonaghan]

You are an artist sir.

[@DigBipper188]

Awesome stuff there! I might have to get/make a winder like that for my WIP strat mods...

[@richardjones2811]

Thoroughly enjoyed watching

[@lostlatinlover]

I always love a video where I actually learn something!!! Thanks!!!

[@barnyardstory]

Sometimes it worth unraveling the outer winding's in search of a break, I've come across a few breaks that were pretty close to the outer winding surface. Loosing 20 odd feet of wire but saving a vintage pickup is a plus. Even the lead edge of a winding can be unwrapped a little bit if its wound near the bobbin, not often though. If you find a break, and you didn't break the wire yourself you could disassemble the bobbin, not easy to do but possible and pull out a winding or 2.

[@davidpfeiffer7053]

Oh Heyal Yeah!!! You are so right. 20 years ago I had a Bentley Series 10 and the 'bucker died. I didn't know sheep from shinola about working on it but that Bentley made 20 some-odd way different sounds with the 5-way and 2 independent vols, before the mother bucker gave up the ghost. I really loved that guitar. So I figured, let's see what the center of a pickup looks like. What was I gonna do, break it? Took the pickup out and turned it over and over in my hand, poking it here and there and trying to look like I actually had some clue about what the hell I was doing (there were onlookers). I kept getting asked what I was gonna do to it, so I mumbled a bit, threw in a couple of "hmmm's", and told my audience that I had decided to get stoned and unwind it. Maybe 30 feet or so in there was a break. So after much consideration, and lots of helpful (ha ha) input from my buddies, I twisted the ends together, cut a little piece off a lead sinker (fishing I knew about a thousand times more than I did guitars), kinda sorta flattened it and wrapped it around the wire ends, and squished, wait, this was in Texas, so I should say "squarshed" it together with my fishing plyers, figuring the tool deserved a shot at it since it's buddy Mr. sinker took one for the team. Put it back together and woo hoo! it worked. Oh yeah, before painstakingly rewinding it by hand, during that time we spent(I say "we" because the onlookers had become my pit crew) considering all the options, Bob said "I'll fly if you'll buy" ('cause our mouths were getting dry), which got yeahs and yups (Texan for "yes") and hands in pockets for beer money. We couldn't do anything 'til Bob got back, so we hunkered down and got serious. We were like the driver and his pit crew at Nascar, working on the Bentley Special, getting it ready to Rock and Roll! Well, Bob got back and it was Pop-pop-pop-pop-pop!...and gulp gulp gulping...followed by some dang that's good's, thank yuh Jaysus'es (local dialect) and hoooweee!'s. More discussion and we decided I should put a coat of the old lady's clear fingernail polish on the repair and let that dry, which was just enough time to fire up another doobie. ....Doobie Brothers record, that's what I meant to say. Yeah. That. Anyway, gotter back together and that Bentley never sounded better! Then my buddy Bubba Joe( I swear!), who could actually play a guitar handed Mr Bentley back to me. Some mumbles, eh's, then a quick save, someone yelled "Barbecue!" which stared a chorus of Oh Heyal Yayuh's, couple of "Hey Bob! Go again?"'s , and IT WAS ON!!! ...Y'all take care, now. - David, a.k.a. the ConnMan.

[@G-Point-EU-AU]

The same can be done on some P90s. Have an experience on two of them.

[@chuckmccollim]

Great tip on how to keep the screws in the correct position / place when taking them out and putting them back in.

[@nycLPplayer]

Couldn't you just unwind by hand in case it was a break and then rewind? If it was wire insulation could the unwound wire be coated to fix the short?

[@nycLPplayer]

Wish I could have heard the 2 and 4 position....what if they sound was cool. Roy Buchanan killed it with a malfunctioning bridge pickup and now Don Mare makes nice replicas with the flaw built in.

[@FiddlerSteve]

'63 had a 3-position switch but I understand you can get those sounds with careful placement of the switch so yeah...

[@ToneMasterpickups]

Yup...

[@ToneMasterpickups]

Yup

[@irishwanderer4206]

this was where i first learned how pickups look and are made thanks.

[@kkteutsch6416]

I can do the some job some years ago without a loss of original winding coil and the wire tip that was opened that time was at wind start side...

[@cpk313]

"Bright shiny solder joints which no one likes to see!" That cracks me up!