CNC Wound vs Scatter Wound Pickups

[bobbykokinos]

Can anyone tell me what the tonal differences are between CNC wound and Scatter Wound pickups would be?? What can I expect going with one vs the other??

I'm new to pickups and really don't know much about what goes into making them. I just know what sounds good and what doesnt..

[PilbaraBass]

scatter wound, is apparently a method of immitating a more random "hand wound" wind on the bobbin...which is touted to sound different than a more regular or "machine wound" wind

elegedly, the scatter wound has a flatter frequency response (less of the natural LC resonant peak) due to less capacitance in the wind

...whether this is true or not, I cannot attest...

[bobbykokinos]

Any other opinions floating around?

[Alaska Bass]

Hand wound is no better or worse than CNC in and of itself.

The real issue lies with the process of winding. Adjusting the program to create a more random winding will often times create a more smooth and pleasing tone, I say often times because a bad programmer is just like a bad hand winder.

Speaking of which, a hand wound coil does not guarantee quality. The person picking the wire, guiding the tension, and lapping the windings really has the final say in the tone characteristics.