Adjustable heat pickup

[micguy]

Idle thought: How would it sound to make a tappable pickup that had 40ga wire for 33% of its windings and 43ga wire for 66% of its windings?

You have to be careful about the number of turns - the 40 gauge stuff takes up twice the amount of space per winding, so you'd end up with 132% of the space that you would use if the whole thing was 43 gauge and the same total number of turns - it'd likely overfill the bobbin, forcing you to use less turns.

 

[Kendescending]

I have a Curtis Novak BS-DS (single coil) pickup that is tapped somewhere in the coil, and it's very useable. Great sounding pickup and very versatile. A lot of Serek basses have these Novak pickups.
BS-DS

 

[two fingers]

Doesn't the Peavey T40 "blend in" a coil of the humbucker as you turn the tone knob? Or something like that?

 

[Jackcrow]

The Novak BS-DS uses this function. Having owned a Serek with the Novak and coil tapping option, I did not find it that useful, but that’s just me.

 

[dwizum]

Idle thought: How would it sound to make a tappable pickup that had 40ga wire for 33% of its windings and 43ga wire for 66% of its windings? Roughly the same amount of metal in each set of windings, but one would have considerably higher resistance (and capacitance would also be different, I think?) than the other.

I tried something similar to that although not with the same exact proportions - I did a couple P coils with 41 gauge wire for most of the coil and then the balance with 43 gauge. My goal was a way to switch between a typical underwound tone vs an overwound tone without as much of a jump in output for the given jump in tone. Adding in thinner wire emphasizes the tonal difference per unit of increase in output, if that makes sense. You start with a slightly low output very bright and flat pickup and switch to something with a little more output and a very "high wind" tone. It was my favorite of the tapped designs I tried but still not really worth pursuing compared to other common control schemes.

 

[ardgedee]

Doesn't the Peavey T40 "blend in" a coil of the humbucker as you turn the tone knob? Or something like that?

The T40/T45 split their humbuckers (each pickup in the humbucker is handled separately), which isn't quite the same as coil tapping (manipulating multiple winds on a single pickup).

 

[sikamikanico]

I’m not too familiar with the Q filter, but I believe Bill Lawrence designed it to sound like “unwinding” a pickup. Controlled with a pot, this scheme gives you adjustability…

I do like best what micguy suggested, that is to use caps and resistors to load a (bright) pickup. It’s simpler with a switch. A 12 position switch is almost continuous sounding…

 

[Honkey tonk]

I like the idea of being orgaic, able to create different tones between the coil and magnet , be it materials or mechanically

 

[HelpImaRock]

I’m not too familiar with the Q filter, but I believe Bill Lawrence designed it to sound like “unwinding” a pickup. Controlled with a pot, this scheme gives you adjustability…

Yep this is what the Q filter was supposed to be used for. It's too bad there's no real information available today on the Wilde USA website. This is the best explanation I've seen: Bill Lawrence Q-filter what is it and why do I need one?

 

[deepestend]

Isn't this essentially how the Jack Casady bass pickup works? They use a transformer to "add" winds. This is my understanding anyway.

From another post.

It is apparently a low output, low impedance, pickup. The transformer lets you increase the output impedance. Raising the impedance will also raise the output level and according to Casady it will change the tonal characteristics. The transformer is hardly working in any of the three positions so while it might in some sense work hardest in one of those positions, it is not going to work up a sweat or burn out or anything like that! Here is a quote from Casady on the Epiphone website, I can't tell you if it is snake oil, gospel, or a little of each:

“I went to work on the pickup and it took almost two years to develop,” says Casady. “I did a lot of homework and bench testing and finally when it clicked in right, it was great.” The Jack Casady Signature bass features a JCB-1 low impedance, low output pickup and employs a three-position transformer to shape the frequency response. “They blow the old Gibsons to smithereens, even in the construction,” says Casady. “The workmanship that’s coming in on these instruments is just super.”

 

[SouthernGorilla]

i bet you actually do have the tools to wind pickups. If you have a drill and some scrap wood, all you’d need is pickup wire, magnets, and flatwork. And the counter referenced in the thread if you wanna get fancy

simplest DIY pickup winder that's accurate

Thanks! The counter is the one thing that's been holding me up honestly. Figured I'd have to buy one of those $200 machines to do it.

This thread has turned out far more educational than I expected. I am grateful for all the information and ideas.

 

[dwizum]

Counters can be cheap - they're all over Amazon and eBay for under $20.