Making Single Coil Bobbins

Today I made a set of single coil bobbins for one of my Envirocaster guitars, which is currently under construction. Check out the progress:

Routing The Latest Batch Of Envirocasters

Today, I finished routing all four of my current batch of Envirocaster bodies. At this stage, each Northern Ash body weighs 5.8 pounds. That's about 2.5 pounds heavier than if the were made from Swamp Ash. I know some people are picky about weight, but IMO, tone and sustain are far more important. In my experience, the best tone and the most sustain comes with a slight weight penalty.That being said, my goal is to hit about 9 pounds for each of the finished guitars. That's about what a Les Paul weighs.

My control cavities are made by drilling out the area with a 1.5" diameter forester bit. Then I rout the cover shelf with a template.

The double cutaways will get three single coil pickups.

The single cutaway will get a pair of P90s.

Copper Coils, Magnetics And A Hot Wax Bath

Today I wound a set of single coils for my latest Highline Envirocaster Single Cutaway. Here are some photos and details regarding the process:

I used my ghetto winder to fill the bobbins with 9,400 turns of 42 AWG poly nylon insulated wire. Each coil showed a DC resistance of 7.0 Ohms on my meter. That's a bit hotter than the norm for single coils, but the thick wire should produce wide ranging tone.

To magnetize the Alnico V slugs, I use a vice with four neodymium magnets (two on each jaw, with north polarity on one jaw and south on the other). I slide the pickup into the field and quickly pull it out. The result is a fully charged row of slugs. However, for the best tone, the magnetic field needs to be weakened (degaussed) slightly. To do this, I place a 1-1/2" thick block of Maple against one set of neos and slide the pickup between the block and the other set. To check my efforts, I use a homemade gauss meter to test the strength of each slug before and after degaussing. Of course I won't know for sure how they'll sound until installation is complete.

The last step before installation is to pot them for ten minutes in a 150° bath of paraffin and bees wax. This will reduce microphonic feedback, especially with regards to squeal.

Nothing Like A Batch Of Fresh, Homemade Single Coils

Today I made a set of single coil bobbins. Black fiber flatwork with staggered poles and brass eyelets. Tomorrow, I'll try to wind 'em fat with 42 AWG wire.