Build your own pickups for $5

[wdinc01]

Just checked out your profile...what I thought! 15. Wait 'till you have kids! You think TV shuts 'em up????? HA! Man oh man are you gonna be in for a treat!

Haha. Thanks for scaring me. I dunno if I want kids now...

...but if I do, I might name my son Jeff after you.

But seriously, can't you tie them to a tree outside, or give them a shiney ball or something?

 

[a00nick]

I dont understand the part where he said to glue the seoncd 4 magnets to the first four. It looks like they are seperated by the popsicle stick. Are they?

 

[jeff_bass28]

Haha. Thanks for scaring me. I dunno if I want kids now...

...but if I do, I might name my son Jeff after you.

But seriously, can't you tie them to a tree outside, or give them a shiney ball or something?

aww shucks....

Usually the shiny things they go for are things you need--car keys, watches, change, etc. But hey...they're not all that bad; if you don't mind 2 or 3 years of getting peed on, pooped on, and puked on.

Hey wait a mintue...what's this got to do with making your own pickup??????
Oh yeah--I brought it up. Oops.

 

[anonymous278347457]

if you don't mind 2 or 3 years of getting peed on, pooped on, and puked on.

isnt that what nappies are for?

 

[jeff_bass28]

Eventually they learn to take them off! Or hold everything in untill you get the diaper off .

 

[darthplagis]

also this site is interesting and comes up with a nifty lego winding solution

Invalid Link Removed

 

[jeff_bass28]

Lego winding?

 

[J Posega]

This sounds extremely interesting. I'd like to try it on my Washburn fretless, cuz the pickup and electronics on it are pretty shot. Hmm... I've got Lego's too... dang, I need some popsicles!

 

[fenderx55]

"Start off by eating your two Popsicles. This is probably the most difficult part of the process. You may want to enlist the help of a friend. If they’re the kind of Popsicles that have hidden messages on the stick or fortunes, go ahead and read them. Pat yourself on the back, you’re done with step one."


Sage advice.

 

[lilvampboyx]

Is anyone going to try this? please someone?

 

[anonymous278347457]

I will, this weekend i will probably dig out my old lego box with the 9volt motor and everything.

Its not worth it to hand wind, im going to try and build a lego machine like that guy someone mentioned

 

[wilser]

hey! I make my pickups using popscicle sticks!!! I do shape them to the correct bobbin size, though! The bobbin material will not affect the sound of the pickup. I stabilize mine with epoxy, CA glue or minwax wood hardener. Fact is, bobbin material does not affect the sound as long as is non-magetic material.

I posted a message some time ago with the machine I built for winding the pickups. I used a $25 sewing machine motor and about $30 worth of mcmaster-carr parts to build that machine. It's butt-ugly, but it works GREAT! It's got a digital counter and speed control. I also use alnico5 rods as magnets (about .75" long) which works a lot better than those tiny length neo magnets.

The resulting sound is as good or better than commercial pickups. I'm working on a 4 string bass that's gonna use single coils made with the setup above. I'll post an MP3 once the bass is complete. It's got a pair of 8kohm singles in J Bass positions.

 

[Eilif]

I'll sell you a pickup for 5$(plus 3 for shipping)

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=242320

DIY is all well and good, but today you can buy alot of good stuff cheap enough that it's not worth it unless you are really tallented with the finer points of hands on construction.

Slightly off topic: It's a great time to be building and modding instruments when a quality bridge, a pickup, or a set of tuners can be had for less than the price of a set of strings.