How to build a Stratocaster pickup

Building, winding, and magnetizing a late '50s early '60s Strat pickup. For more information on Kennedy Strat pickups visit my website:
schuylerdeanpickups.com/picku...

[@elluisito000]

These videos about pickup making are so informative, I'd wish you could post them more often. At any rate, thanks for sharing your knowledge

[@floopusdoopus]

This seems like a fun project for the future

[@jazzydog]

Awesome video!. Very professional built with a good explanation. Cheers.

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Thank you!

[@teelee5197]

Had a basic understanding of how pickups are made. Your tutorial knocked it out of the park thank you

[@robertcoggin3366]

Best vid I've seen yet on the subject

[@mistos]

Amazing video! This is how real tutorials should be like! Subscribed!

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Thanks!

[@benjohnson4810]

Cool shirt. Cool video too. Ron Ashton would be proud.

[@alastairmacdonald6794]

Huge thank you for this ... in particular the excellent advice about not getting a resistance reading and the solder not having burnt through the wire coating. I'm using 42 AWG Poly and its advertised as solderable I was convinced my first pickup was dead, all threads say no reading is a wire break!! I went back and reworked the solder on the eyelets and bingo ... 5.46k & 2.10 henries

[@artofnoly9754]

Gaussing... it's a whole other world in there!

[@dougreed9843]

My second video of yours I a strat guy and greatly appreciate learning about the differences guess I need to watch a humbucker to learn the real differences between them I had a 1976 USA made strat was my baby and sold in 2000 regret that every day I breath got a my now that why I'm watching your video contemplating my options by learning a little

[@Red-em3vt]

Wow sounds great thanks for sharing dude

[@kevinking2468]

Thanks, great content!

[@carpo719]

great video... thanks! I just started building guitars recently, and I am already wanting to do my own pickups. Any advice for P-Bass? Winding times? Etc?

[@AlfaGTV22]

Fantastic tutorial, so informative, thank you. I'm inspired. Can you tell me were you got your Pickup Winding Machine...?

[@tuuljargal2629]

Гайхалтай заавар, маш мэдээлэл сайтай, цэгцтэй. Баярлалаа...

[@GilgaFrank]

I find it easier to bevel the pole pieces by mounting them in the chuck of a drill, spin them against some sandpaper or a belt sander

[@paulscushschofield1288]

very informative

[@fat-hand]

Thanks you for the helpful video. Do you think copper foil tape on bottom would work as well as the base plate?

[@Guitar387]

I can't believe how fast it took to charge the pole pieces. That's unbelievable

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

It’s almost instant

[@sc0or]

The same thing happens in an opposite direction. Like your kids play with a magnet near your guitar, and you lose $300 in total.

[@FuriousTortoise]

@@sc0or at least you know how to fix it now 😉

[@jimmygrant3151]

great video. You know how you loop the beginning and the end through the eyeholes. What happens when one of those breaks. it should still work right? because it's still soldered. what is the reason for the loop?

[@paulcarver973]

I didn't even know you could do a split in a single coil pickup other than split p's for a bass...thanks so much for the video

[@0000song0000]

But he ain't splitting the coils... In Humbuckers is when either you select one bobin or the other .... He plugged the ground (negative) and the positive, that's it .

[@SixStringSupplies]

great video - question: the dipping lacquer you use to insulate the magnets/bind the bobbin. Is it clear gloss or satin finish?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Clear gloss. You could use satin too.

[@SixStringSupplies]

@@SchuylerDeanPickups cheers matey

[@iraevans2013]

I've heard of using nitrocellulose

[@PG-ex3kl]

Super informative, any pointers on the gauss meter, i am struggling to find something like yours, found one but it only goes to 10gauss and it’s 300$! Are digital any good?

[@fabiotattoosendlesspursuit]

Fantastico !!!

[@Hary_music]

Amazing

[@das250250]

Put those magnets in a drill and turn while pushing edge against the grind head, you will get a nice even bevel

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Great idea, thanks!

[@joemacmods]

Thank you

[@thorvelizelos]

Hello sir, i have a question. What if the left thread on my pickup has been cut to short so it does not quite reach to the left eyelid. Since it goes straight into the inside of all the wrappings i cant unwrap in any further in order to make it longer. Is there any way to fix that pickup without having to unwind and rewind the entire pickup?

[@dhaefele81]

Mind if I ask where you got that Gauss Meter from? I am looking to get one but can‘t find them anywhere. Thanks for the content, very informative and educational 👍🏼

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

RB Annis

[@elluisito000]

Hi! Do you have any opinions about using neodymium poles? Thanks!

[@aldocg4105]

Could you share the exact measurement of the spacers? Thank you

[@neon_one]

This made me realize I've probably totally ruined my pickups by using a magnetic screwdriver that I sometimes touch them with. Can I kind of refresh the magnetic field by doing what did here with the 2 magnets?

[@thewallacesessions9426]

Can we get more videos like this?

[@GodblessOsei]

Great video, please how do I get one of those pickups?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Thank you! You can buy my pickups at www.schuylerdeanpickups.com

[@acikast]

Grea video. What kind of Gauss meter are you using? I would like to buy one

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

RB Annis

[@anagonz4887]

Do you have a tuitorial making filtertron pickup humbucker

[@enlaondalive2720]

What winder are you using? I’m looking for one.

[@marcindyba4774]

Hi , do you use bee -wax to secure wiring?

[@deanallen927]

Pre-magnetized pole would not only make a mess but would be hard to hold onto.

[@johnstitt2615]

Is using pickup tape to wrap around the bobbins a viable alternative to lacquer potting the pole pieces ?

[@duroxkilo]

plumbing teflon tape, kapton tape, anything thin enough so it doesn't take too much room.. super glue would work the same. in theory the coil can't short out because there's no movement in the wires, it's just an extra protection and some ppl say it helps a bit w/ 'pickup microphonics'.

[@WolfGuitarsandGear]

Just curious if you pot the pickups in wax or laquer post winding or if that even matters with Strat pickups

[@farzaanpavri]

You said that only the bridge pickup required a base plate and that the others didn't. So in the other pickups where do you ground the negative end of the pickup?

[@biroesustainer573]

Nice

[@davyhay1]

For beveling the magnets, could you chuck them up in a drill and turn against a file? Seems that would give you perfectly even results around the whole circumference.

[@cwyattlewis]

Nice! Lately I've been wondering about the shape of the coil and how that effects tone. My texas specials have a very flat coil shape, while my pure vintage 65s have a rounded or humped shape. Does anyone know how that might change the sound of the pickups?

[@jeffygmusic]

Nice, very informative video.. What's the brand of your winding machine..? Where to purchase? Thanks

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

StewMac

[@blop1738]

14:58 if you twist the leads together, then might that affect - or increase/descrease - the k-ohm DC resistance, capacitance, inductance, or something else?

[@blop1738]

17:38 the more strong the magnet reading is, the less harsh tone the pickup will get?

[@mrfrontranger7911]

we're magnets north up or south up on fenders🤔🤔

[@Kareggan]

Great and informative video, sir! A question doh: How can you extend the wire if you don't have enough? Do you simply start over with a longer wire? Have a great day!

[@zed42]

when i was a kid, i made an electric motor and would the coil by hand... it never worked when i tested it. when i took it apart years later to re-use the wire, i found out why: the wire had 8 ends :) moral of the story: you need one continuous wind of wire or your coil won't work... if the wire is too short, either get a new wire and start over, or live with a smaller coil :)

[@duroxkilo]

@@zed42 i'm pretty sure soldering would work for adding extra turns in the coil... i'd position the joint segment in the middle of the long side of the bobbin, twist the wires together a few times and use extra flux so that the solder would flow super easily for an extra thin coating. for insulating the joint, i'd probably use superglue.

[@zed42]

@@duroxkilo for the coil motor, which used maybe 22ga wire, i would consider trying that (i'd use paint or varnish for insulation) but with 43ga wire where i care about the shape of the magnetic field, i'm not sure i'd trust a patch.... could be an interesting experiment, though!

[@timhallig8872]

How long are the magnets supposed to be for the different strings?

[@arcticraven2462]

Do you put both magnets on the vice facing north? Or is one side north and the other side south...

[@Bmoseley85]

Could you use shellac instead of lacquer to pot the bobbin prior to winding?

[@terencekaye9948]

Hi just wondering what you ha e in the bowl the you put on your fingers?

[@joseeAnaPaula8277]

Grande profissional. Parabéns pelo magnífico trabalho. 🙏👏🤝

[@shapeflicker1999]

great video. would recreate if i had the tools

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Thanks. The tools are relatively cheap, and you can improvise for even less money.

[@levi4979]

question, can't you magnetize the pins before you put them in the pickup in order to get a more even magnetic strength?

[@ratinsurance2053]

Yes, you can magnetize the poles first, there is nothing wrong with that.

[@levi4979]

@@ratinsurance2053 thank you! :)

[@lousekoya1803]

Thanks for the video ! One thing I know is that Leo beveled the magnets because he did not like the shapies left by the cut. It was as simple as this. May I ask what kind of winder you have ,............... Thanks

[@marcinpolaczkiewicz9346]

Hi, why you magnetize the alnico ?

[@obscurer1898]

did you buy the baseplate from somewhere or make it yourself?

[@rhettbh]

do you sand off the insulation of formvar or plain enamel?

[@waynegram8907]

Schuyler Dean Pickups, I thought strats in the 50's and early 60's used Alnico II magnets? Why do you calibrate the Alnico Magnets to 15 Gauss? Why does the Scatter winding lowers the capacitance having more high end frequencies in pickups?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Because it sounds better ;)

[@levijessegonzalez3629]

Does bobbin material effect tone at all? And have you ever tried wood bobbins?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

I can't imagine it would have any effect on tone.

[@ricardoa2894]

do you have any idea what happens you make it over wounded ? I wanted to make 1 over wounded because the #1 of SRV supposed to be over wounded "by defect by factory" and it sounds better than regular '59s....but I have not done it so I wonder what if ....

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

That's when the magic happens

[@0Imtheslime0]

Overwound = Hotter & louder pickups. SRV basically used low output pups contrary to anyones belief.

[@ferdamravenec7998]

genial...

[@dumbass626]

I came across a little problem on my strat lol The lead wire was cut too short, and I'm debating whether I should extend them, or replace them completely, but I don't know what kind of wire to use, and I couldn't find anything about it on the internet

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

StewMac has everything you need.

[@davetighe]

Hi, great video btw. When you attached the pu to the machine with double sided tape, how did you centre it, it looked like you just have enough experience to just know where to put it. Cheers, Dave

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Yeah I just eyeballed it. Maybe not the best way to do it but it works just fine for me.

[@rayizun]

Hi Dean thanks for the tutorial. How many turns on the mid and neck pickups?

[@waynegram8907]

Schuyler, how do you make a normal stock strat pickup into a tex mex or texas special? My stock strats use a ceramic magnetic on the bottom of the bobbin and use steel pole pieces which I think are non-magnetic pole pieces.

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Those are MIM or Squire pickups, not American Standard. You're going to want to replace those with alnico pole pickups. Texas pickups are hot blues pickups.

[@waynegram8907]

Yes if I take out the ceramic bar magnetic on the bottom of the bobbin and take out the pole pieces. When I put in alnico pole pieces what can I use to put on the bottom of the bobbin so the Alnico pole piece won't fall out? because there was a ceramic bar magnetic holding the pole pieces from falling out

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

@@waynegram8907 I have never modified those pickups. It's easier to just replace them.

[@waynegram8907]

oh ok I thought maybe you have modified them before

[@iraevans2013]

Saw a mod they used hot glue

[@levijessegonzalez3629]

Can you explain the difference between non beveled and beveled in terms of tone?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

beveling is done mostly for aesthetics

[@levijessegonzalez3629]

I'm getting a set built. Tend to like non potted pickups...Whats the best way to about this without them squeling like a pig? Glue the magnets? Wind it tight? Wax pot the Bobbins and Magnets (not the winding)?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Wind em tight and don't turn up the volume too high.

[@levijessegonzalez3629]

@@SchuylerDeanPickups what if i want to play loud? are unpotted pickups out of the question? Or should i dip the magnets and bobbins (not the coil)?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

@@levijessegonzalez3629 I would recommend potting the whole thing, see my video on wax potting.

[@6xcchamber971]

Do you think the manufacturer of the Wire is important, should I search for vintage made wire and if so what would you recommend? Thanks! B

[@littlebritain64]

Hi, thanks for Your experience. What should I do if I wish to obtain a blues/hard rock style single coil set of pickups for an assembled good cheap Strat like mine? And more simply, wich set or coupling would You kindly suggest me to buy for it ( not expensive ones.... I am really in a low budget living...😁)? Thanks.

[@MustafaBaabad]

What is the size of the wire?

[@Selzman10]

How do you measure the capacitance and inductance? How does wind patterns effect them? Does hand winding them give you the same results usually or is there an “art” to winding? Great video.

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

You can measure those with a meter. There is an "art" to winding; getting the most space and air between each winding as possible while still getting the correct number of turns on the bobbin, thus lowering capacitance. That is scatterwinding.

[@schubiduba1]

Which wire do you use here?

[@user-qm7nw7vd5s]

How do you determine the different hight of each pole for each string?

[@FuriousTortoise]

From my understanding this ‘staggered’ formation was used compliment an obsolete string material/design. We’ve stuck with it on a lot of strats and the sound is now engrained in guitar culture. There are many tried and true formations you can mess around with too. It’s all up to your ear in the end.

[@elnyoutube123]

Is charging the magnets important?

[@TerryD15]

Could shellac be used as hte sealing laquer?

[@iraevans2013]

Yes

[@jamiemoore813]

Where did you get your gauss meter?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

it's a RB Annis 50-0-50, not sure if they are still in business.

[@mrfrontranger7911]

do you use 3m sticky tape or carpet tape or what🤔🤔🤔

[@RobertNolan]

Hey what kind of amp is that in the video? Is that a Bassman kit?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Yup! Mojotone Bassman kit.

[@RobertNolan]

@@SchuylerDeanPickups that's amazing! I'll have to check it out. I wasn't aware they had one.

[@kossakhok3997]

Y la prueba con el multimetro?

[@QUTBULGOS]

Thanks mister..oh yeah..What size the email wire?🤔

[@TerryD15]

Do you mean 'enamelled' wire?

[@QUTBULGOS]

@@TerryD15 yes..😊☺

[@alexbinioris9691]

What if the wire snaps before the turns are completed. Can you just add some more wire?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

You can twist the wire back together and solder it very carefully.

[@alexbinioris9691]

@@SchuylerDeanPickups great thank you. I'll try that

[@davimikifferdacosta9019]

Wich winder are you using?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

Schatten

[@rolandosoto4545]

I couldn’t see where the island was getting what he was soldering up to

[@sc0or]

Hm.. What makes a difference in a sound between $9 pickups and $90 ones? The same magnets, the same wire, the same resistance, the same FR and EQ, etc but they sound differently like day and night...

[@rolandosoto4545]

Hands on the way of cameras

[@alereynoso.cinecam]

Hi!! How much weight of copper are needed for a single coil like this? I was offered 100 grams of 42 agw but I don´t know if that would be enough, too much or if I will be short of wire Thanks!

[@lairlair2]

(stupid?) Question : does the spool of copper wire just sit on the floor? How does it unravel with that kind on angle?

[@reginaldorobson]

Eu amo captadores HandMade porem no Brasil fica muito caro fabricar 🥹

[@sinhho2901]

Chào bạn chọn cỏ dây bao nhiêu để. Quán vậy

[@pierrelalumiere6109]

about bass pick up

[@scottmartinezguitarandbass]

I hear with today's insulated wire, you don't need to worry about the wire shorting on the poles.

[@stanrouxjr5208]

Do you make pickups to sell also? 🤔 and Do you make the " Phat Strat " thicker Pole Pickups for Metal or Chug type Pickups for the Lower end with the Higher "G " B" & E " Strings ? .. Let me Know .... How about ? OR What if I Played in ( One Step Down ) in DGCFAD .. DO YOU Make a pickup ( or is there a Pickup for that type of Playing ? Or do you or Can you make one for the Bridge pickup only ? What is your Opinion 🤔? let me know ... good Advertisement for Businessif you make Pick ups for Strats ... trying to Customize my Older Strat Squire .i Also Took off my Plastic Cover for the Bridge pickup to get a High Hotter Response ... Your Opinion ? & .. thank you 😊

[@noreaction1]

Can you show us how fender builds their latest ultra low noise pickups?

[@SchuylerDeanPickups]

I'm not familiar with those, are they good?

[@hosoiarchives4858]

3:11

[@jaenalabidin2992]

Berapa biaya nya

[@davidhigginbotham5451]

You've coiled it exactly reverse of what Fender did in the 50's and 60's. Fender always attached wire first to the right eyelet with the black lead (looking at the top of the bobbin with eyelets in front) and finished at the left side eyelet with the white lead - coil wound onto the bobbin counter-clockwise. Nice video otherwise.

[@aydendarian1785]

instaBlaster...

[@therockandrollcreeps9398]

so if you did it that way , then the wires cross at the point of eyelit ,, id say do it like this, as you said but start on the left eyelit , that way it dont cross leads at the end it just looks better for sure

[@rolandosoto4545]

Better camera angle would be nice