How to build a humbucker

[@Hi-Z_Lo-Z]

Awesome video

[@TheSaintedOne]

Looks so easy. Imagine doing it all manually. No power tools. Great video, man. Narration sounds like it was recorded during heroin overdose.

[@Alegree]

I know of at least one pickup builder who claims to do all the winding completely by hand for some models - I can't see how it doesn't drive him mad! I can assure you that no heroin was consumed during the making of this video.

[@JoeKyser]

I am not sure someone who never made a humbucker could make one from this video. Well I guess they could make one but nit sure if it would come out okay. I will have to watch again. I didnt catch which directions each bobbin was spun. I guess it doesnt matter. I caught you say out of phase so I guess they are opposite of each other. I mean that makes sense hence the humbucker quality. How about polarity? The slugs and screws are polarities are all in line with each other? So lets say the poles are niorth up then that means the south bar magnet is facing the slugs?

[@mrsadrobot]

That was some intricate and patient work. Very impressive!

[@petecoates6410]

Nice informative video Alex. I now have a few sets of your pickups and they are great. Your Old Timer PAFs are the closest I have got to a Since I’ve been Lovin you tone of all the ones I’ve tried - even my early PRS McCarty. And superb value too.

[@jamalmustafa1810]

Sir how you connectd the wires? any one can not understand what you do

[@juanilloJMTV]

Nice Video Alex, do you insert the magnet the same way in both, neck and bridge humbuckers pickups?? or do you introduce it in the opposite direction?

[@Alegree]

Usually the same way, and the coils are wired the same way too.

[@Indepthparanormal]

What makes a pickup high gain ?

[@Alegree]

Strong magnet and lots of winds.

[@Indepthparanormal]

@@Alegree thank you

[@ALEXONLIFE]

Can you answer this for me please. Are the bobbins wound in opposite directions. I know the polarities will be different due to the single magnet its its tow orientations but should the winding direction on one bobbin be clockwise and the other anti-clockwise. Thanks you.

[@Alegree]

Good question. They do need to be reverse wound, reverse polarity to each other (RWRP) to work in a normal humbucking fashion. The polarity business is taken care of automatically by the way the bar magnet is magnetised. The winding direction can be manipulated by swapping over the leads. This is the norm, usually both bobbins are wound the same way and the coil starts/ends are hooked up in reverse relative to each other (eg start 1 is hot, end 1 is connected to end 2, start 2 is ground). The same can be applied to single coils, if the magnets of two pickups are opposite polarities you can match any single coils to get noiseless switch 2 and 4 positions by swapping over the coil start/end until you get it correct way around. Or if they're not, you're stuck to vintage style noisey 2 and 4 positions, but you swap them over to be in phase with each other.

[@joeyramonelookalike]

@@Alegree Quick question from a newbie: had you wind them in opposite directions then you would need to connect like so: start 1 hot, end 1 to start 2, end 2 ground. Right?

[@TheMig29gsxr]

Do you sell that red tape? Or where can I get it from

[@fatyetiofficial]

hey dude ! nice videos ! :D one question. Is it necessary to pott wax humbuckers ?`

[@Alegree]

If playing with high gain. If not, it's advisable, but not strictly necessary.

[@DanielDias33333]

How much for one?

[@Alegree]

www.alegree.co.uk/pages/humbucker-sized-pickups

[@hrsey71]

is it possible to repair a stripped pole screw? the screw itself is ok, but where it screws into is stripped.

[@Alegree]

That's a tricky one. I'd say you have one of two options. You can fill up the hole itself (I like to chop little slithers of matchstick for a friction fit for situations like that). Or you could do a neater and more permanent fix at where the screw slots through the baseplate. Possibly mount a little bit of material with a hole that the screw thread will grip into on the underside of the pickup like a nut (or alternatively a nut would be great if you could find a suitable one!)

[@hrsey71]

@@Alegree thanks for the input! So does the screws thread into the bobbin? Or the base plate? Also, what size is the screw?

[@Alegree]

Always the bobbin, sometimes the baseplate too (PAF replicas, usually). The screw size can vary.

[@richardbeckman5073]

I've got no idea what's going on here. Where's the other end of the wire? The point of this video is to show how to make a pickup but you can't see what's going on! Fail.

[@Alegree]

The point of the video is to drive traffic to our website by brand exposure. You commenting increases our place in the algorithm. Thanks!

[@tepsartofficiel156]

Good work mate! How many turns did you give ?

[@Alegree]

If memory serves correctly, it was done to a typical PAF spec of 5000 winds per bobbin.

[@henryhunter5026]

Did I miss the potting stage?

[@Alegree]

No potting on these, they're (loosely) following the PAF formula, which involves no wax potting. Wax potting will be featured in future pickup building tutorials.

[@henryhunter5026]

Very brave, I know that those early PAF pickups were not potted but most people making modern copies pot them. I love your attention to detail, I remember taking an older Gibson humbucker apart and finding that the spacer was made of wood, I guess that it made sense as they probably had lots of wood off cuts laying around.

[@Alegree]

Depends on how vintage accurate you want to go with it - some customers demand 100%. If you're not going for 100% vintage accuracy, I'm firmly in the camp to wax pot everything. Old spacers were made of maple. Presumably off cuts from LP tops. Gibson certainly knew how to repurpose their left over stock. When they had a ton of P90 routed guitars and thought the newly invented humbucker would make them obsolete, they just routed out the center of the soapbar P90 covers and stuck minihumbuckers in there!

[@juanilloJMTV]

Good video, AliExpress kits...though

[@technovan1133]

sounds quality is terrible!!

[@StevieRich]

That was a very harried video lesson. I could not see any of your wire placements due to obstruction of the camera and your taping was messy guy... what's up wit dat? What if the owner want to remove the covers to show the cool pups? C'mon, I think you could have done a better job at this video... Just friendly observation.

[@Alegree]

The taping was messy because I was concentrating on getting to grips with videoing at the time, trying to explain, and keeping it clear for the camera. The prettiness of the taping was of zero importance to show the audience how to build a humbucker. If you want to look at some pretty humbuckers go take yourself over to my website.

[@StevieRich]

@@Alegree OK, I will check out your web. Thanks