How to build a Telecaster pickup set

Materials used in this video can be found here
www.alegree.co...
www.alegree.co...
A video tutorial from the Alegree pickups workshop on how to build a set of Telecaster pickups from scratch.

[@rebecca4522]

Thanks for putting this up. I bought a tele bridge kit from you a couple of weeks ago and had a go of making my own mixed magnet (5/3) version using this tutorial. Hardest part was making a makeshift winder using a vape coil winder (not enough torque!), a digital counter, some rods drilled in to a wood block to hold the spool and glass jars for guides, very primitive. It took about 1k winds per half hour average, so took a few good hours to make 9.5k winds (done in bits). Potted it last night and installed it this morning. The result is surprisingly good for a first go. The overdrive tone was the specific target. Round off the searing highs, keep lows meaty and defined. Waiting for neck kit to come back on stock...

[@ChrisTaylor-wh6ei]

Thanks for making a great video lesson. I also purchased my parts from you and now I have a set of pickups. Will definitely buy from you again :)

[@fongy200]

I got offered a big box full of Wilkoinson M series Bridge Pup's for T types. The problem with the Pick up's were the coil had come away from the terminal. Usually only the one side but sometimes underneath on the same side needed the contact bridging. After that i was getting readings. I got sent 4 by JHS with the offer of as many as i could repair for pennies. I repaired all 4 of them, put one in a Tele i made, kept one spare and sold the other 2 for 30 quid a piece, happy days. I got exellent feedback for the Pick up's aswell so i obviously did an acceptable repair. I'm seriously considering buying a Pick up Winder.

[@martingillette7613]

Very nice job. I dye my string according to the type of pickup. Black for vintage. Red for hot. Orange for B52s. Simply mix some dye in a small jar and dunk the string into it.

[@santijover6994]

Thanks for the video man, there's not this kind of videos in spanish. You got a new argentinian suscriptor

[@carlrudd1858]

"...I am pickup up the screwdriver. I am positioning the screwdriver over the pickup mounting screw. I am engaging the tip of the screwdriver in the pickup mounting screw. I am turning the screwdriver...." haha, I am teasing. Nice video.

[@pd2447]

Thanks for including some of your trouble shooting techniques. I'm about to try and wind some of my own and your pickup building vids really help - some of the best on you tube. Easy to follow and you show all steps involved.

[@joewg3]

This is a great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it.

[@Alegree]

Thank you!

[@PESONANUSANTARA5]

thank you for the video, it's very helpful for work

[@redcatstw]

What type of tape are you using?

[@hillbillygeorg]

Thank you for a great video! I really learned a lot thanks to you!

[@GiantRock62]

Hitting alnico magnets with iron hammer is not good thing to do, they get easily damaged by even small knocks.

[@lavh93]

you are messing the resistance reading by touching the leads with your fingers. You are adding your body resistance

[@fongy200]

Is it possible to just unwind the copper a couple of turns and then solder it? After all you would only be loosing cm's in coil wire, negligable really don't you think? I understand that if that Copper wire breaks midway through the winding process and you were not aware then this could be a total rewind but if it's just a small mistake as your finishing the Pick up it should be ok shouldn't it? Thanks for sharing. A comprehensive explanation of how Telecaster Pick up's are wound.

[@Alegree]

Yes, that's exactly how many repairs are performed.

[@joshwilliams0391]

This is an amazing video. I have one question: does it matter if the loops going through the eyelets break? On my bridge pickup one of these has snapped (on the hot side so not the black side that is also soldered to the baseplate). It was only a single loop and not looped five times as you’ve done it.

[@grimiss8592]

Hi, great video and thanks for all the useful information. I was just wondering what lacquer you use? Cheers.

[@autistichead8137]

What kind of tape is that ?masking?

[@76IPV]

It is a pity that he does not know English, the pickups are beautiful. I just have a question, can the poles of the bridge position be in contact with the copper plate? Is the south face in contact with the copper plate? Congratulations on the job.

[@djsfunhouse.]

Good stuff it's hard to get views but keep it up your videos are helpfull

[@craigs6786]

I wonder when u put on tele neck cover..does it come into contact with the magnets or should there be a space between magnets and the cover..

[@Alegree]

I don't think it makes any difference either way.

[@Healthygreenwater]

Yes! I’m the 420 Sub!

[@autistichead8137]

What if you don’t have a drill press? I want to do this but just at home

[@Alegree]

You're going to find it more difficult. Hammering the rods in with a piece of wood to absorb the shock may be your next best method.

[@tonystovell9688]

Could you pre dye the string with Dylan fabric dye? Bye the way I’m just going to start making my own

[@Alegree]

I can't see why not.

[@hamishmcfenda4197]

Do you have any comments on scatter winding? What kind of winding was your machine doing there? Thank you.

[@Alegree]

All Alegree pickups are scatter wound by hand. I think that's a large and controversial topic to cover. I intend to make a video dedicated to that topic at some point in the future, maybe with some hand wound and machine wound back to back comparisons.

[@maumex]

Hi! Great video. I just bought a 2011 American Standard Telecaster and the bridge pickup came without a base plate. I found the sound of it a little too thin and trebly so I was thinking installing a base plate to it. Do you think it'll make a difference and give that touch of body that's missing? Also, in your video I noticed you put the plate directly over the magnets, isn't it necessary to have a masking tape over the magnets before putting the base plate over it? Thanks!

[@Alegree]

That ought to help with the problem. Tape isn't necessary over the bottom of the poles, I think that's mainly done to isolate them from ground should the lacquer break down and the coil shorts to the poles. I put tape over the inside of the coil to prevent that issue.

[@maumex]

@@Alegree Great! I don't think I can use lacquer as I don't have so maybe i'll just put that masking tape and snap it...Thanks for the fast response!

[@IKNMusic.Official]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXWah6mpnKetpJo Hope we can help you ..

[@maumex]

@@IKNMusic.Official that's exactly what I was looking for a couple of months ago! I finally put the metal base plate and now it sounds very cool! Your video is very helpful and quite on point! Thanks

[@sowiloi]

Do I have to dip them in lacquer or can I just wrap the magnets with tape?

[@Alegree]

Yes, it secures the flatwork to the magnets.

[@Glen694u]

No you don't need to just loctite the pole pieces with a tiny bit of glue where they go into the flatwork . Then tap around the pole pieces. Kapton tape works well.

[@raymondhuffman7768]

could you use poly in lieu of lacquer?

[@Alegree]

Yes, that will work just fine.

[@raymondhuffman7768]

@@Alegree thanks for the reply. I have some tele Texas specials and want to lower the output by unwinding some. I also have another tele bridge pickup that is a cheapo and researching what I can do to improve the tone.

[@Alegree]

@@raymondhuffman7768 The idea of taking cheap pickups and modifying them to sound better sounds like a good video idea!

[@henkhendriks5983]

Why not use spray paint????

[@Alegree]

I'm assuming you're referring to the lacquering process. You may be able to, but I'd personally be concerned about the adhesion. I'd think using spray on lacquer wouldn't build up as thickly, or penetrate as deeply between the rods and flatwork, and may lead to flatwork flare, or worse. That being said, I've never tried it and I'm just guessing. Go ahead, try and tell us how it goes!

[@fate2022]

Jesus! I don't even know where to begin, you beat the ever lovin piss outta the flatwork assembling it, not to mention the slugs, Then if you're going to wrap tape around the slugs, then why even bother with the mess and waste of drying time of lacquer? You realize they now make a fast drying spray on lacquer and no need for tape, ready to wind in less than an hour, but if you are going to use lacquer and hang them to dry, for the love of god don't use string the way you di, you're only making a potential spot for the windings to short if the string dries to one of the slugs. Use wire through one of the screw mounting holes and let them hang it will also benefit if any excess lacquer still needs to drip off it will find the lowest corner . I'm sorry, but I've been winding pickups for quite a few years, this was just painful to watch, I literally couldn't make it past 17 min. and had to stop. One last thing, you forgot to sand off the wire insulation before looping in the eyelets.

[@Alegree]

The lacquer is used for structural integrity. The bonds it creates between the alnico poles and the flatwork prevents flatwork flare under the outwards pressure of the winds. Tape should always be used (and is by all the major manufacturers), because lacquer can break down over time regardless of how well it's applied. There's no issue with the way they're dried - we've not had one pole grounding issue on any of the 500+ Telecaster pickups we've manufactured. The wire is a solderable poly wire, there's no need to remove the insulation for this wire.

[@grrreh1532]

Winding pickups for years and not knowing the existence of polysol... Something's wrong^^

[@fate2022]

@@grrreh1532 Obviously, but he never said he was using a polysol magnet wire, therefore the assumption. Which is why almost all videos you watch on winding a pickup, including fender factory, or seymour duncan, you'll see the person winding sand off the tips because they are using a more traditional plain enamel or a heavy formvar wire. Never the less even if he is by chance using polysol wire, he didn't say that leaving out a crucial step that a beginner would miss and end up wasting time and wire trying to figure out why their pickups are not working. Nice attempt at trolling though.

[@grrreh1532]

@@fate2022 If someone spends money on winding pickups with only one video as total knowledge, he is obviously wasting money and time. What's your point? Total nonsense as your first post. The guy shares his work, no need to act like the angry winding master. Who's trolling?