Taking pickups, unwinding the copper, redoing it with other metals

[DarrenD]

Forgive me if that sounds amazing stupid, but it is possible to handwire your own pickup and create a different sound by unwinding the copper already on one made and replace it with something like aluminum or different windings of copper? Just curious, as I have a bunch of pups laying around I never use and would like to dink around with.

[livewire]

wow, sounds like an amazingly stupid thing to do

just kidding

I don't know. I broke a coil wire on an old dimarzio a while back and would like to fix it..

[gorch]

Physically, anything is possible that retains the electro-magnetic effect so that a rocking string initiates electrons moving in the cable. Whatever comes out audiophilistically is your turn though.

[DarrenD]

Aluminum is pretty close to conductivity when compared to copper....not quite the same but probably the next highest. Let's say a person gets the windings close to make an equal DC between the two, would aluminum capture a different "sound" because of the metal, or is it mainly just a conducter?

I asked because Seymour Duncan is releasing those silver wound pickups. Yes, silver is a better conducter, but how does it make it sound different if both pickups had the same magnet, winding style, and DC?

Like I said, this is purely speculation. I'm no expert - just wondering.

[gorch]

Difference of silver to copper could be that silver would add a bit more clarity if it's having better or more distinct electro-magnetic properties.

Generally speaking it is all about physics. I had to learn about thinks like that in school. But that's far behind. The point here is that the induced signal is going to be interpreted acoustically rather than just as voltage or power to drive engines i.e.

Apart from musically interested physicians and engineers as well as one or the other pickup manufacturer a little number of people would actually know anything about acoustic properties of other materials than copper.

It may be your turn to simply give it a try and listen. Consider that acoustic effects of other materials could vary much considering different wounds and general pickup construction (P90, SC, HB etc.) Testing fields are wide and open. And then there come amps...

[Jimbilly]

Livewire: It's possible to re-attach that broken coil wire. If you can reach where the break is, you can take a single strand from a speaker wire, and if you scrape the insulation off the broken pup wire very near the break, you can solder that speaker wire on as a patch, then re-insulate. I've done that successfully a couple of times now.

[cynic]

Physically, anything is possible that retains the electro-magnetic effect so that a rocking string initiates electrons moving in the cable. Whatever comes out audiophilistically is your turn though.

I guess I'm not alone in not recognizing that "word"...according to Google your use of audiophilistically was only the third recorded on the entire interweb!

Now I'm the fourth.

Whether it was cost prohibative to use other metals or just determined that copper was the best candidate I dunno, but why not just try your hand at doing it the old fashioned way and use copper? You could end up being the next Lindy, or Larry, or even Abigail.

[BubbaVO]

Have current will travel...

http://www.lacemusic.com/electric_pickups/...itone_specs.php

[murkat]

yes

[livewire]

Livewire: It's possible to re-attach that broken coil wire. If you can reach where the break is, you can take a single strand from a speaker wire, and if you scrape the insulation off the broken pup wire very near the break, you can solder that speaker wire on as a patch, then re-insulate. I've done that successfully a couple of times now.

Hey thanks for the TIP

it WAS a great humbucker

Oh and just mess'n with you Darren On a serious note, i do think alloy may sound like a**

Seems like diff copper gauge or simply different winding technigue or silver as mentioned may be better. Just my thoughts..

[Brewmaster]

Have current will travel...

http://www.lacemusic.com/electric_pickups/...itone_specs.php

These pickups still use copper wire.

I'm sure there have been experiments through the years using alternative metals but there has to be a reason everybody continues to use copper. Heat tolerance may have something to do with it. Despite claims that aluminum and copper conductivity and insulation requirements are about the same, experience has taught me otherwise.

Case in point: There were houses built back in the 60's that used aluminum wiring. After years of electrical fires caused by overheated aluminum wiring most states and counties changed their codes back to copper wiring.

I never got into this aspect to deep but, and I repeat myself, past experience has taught me to avoid aluminum wiring period. Once burnt, twice shy.

[Armitage]

The problem with aluminum wiring in homes was mostly that it requires special receptacles and switches that won't crush the aluminum. Copper pushes back when to tighten up against it, aluminum doesn't. And once it heats up and expands then cools down and contracts... you've got a bad connection. That can cause a fire.

[Bloozguy]

JBL used aluminum ribbon edgewound on the voice coils of their D110, D120 and D130 speakers. Not because there was a difference in how the signal passed through, but because the aluminum gave them a lower mass, more responsive voice coil and dissipated heat better than copper. That, combined with the AlNiCo magnets were what gave those speakers their characteristic tone.

Since a pickup neither moves nor needs to dissipate heat, I'm not sure aluminum wire would make much of a difference.

Just my $0.02

[gorch]

The problem with aluminum wiring in homes was mostly that it requires special receptacles and switches that won't crush the aluminum. Copper pushes back when to tighten up against it, aluminum doesn't. And once it heats up and expands then cools down and contracts... you've got a bad connection. That can cause a fire.

That's truly dangerous.