Greetings Master Builder and welcome to our new weekly article called Features Luthier Tools!
This weeks F.L.T. is the guitar pickup winder. This all cast iron winding machine is used to do all the pickup coil wraps you see on all our guitar pickups. The tool has been modified on the end of the crank to hold pickups, and a large wooden base for support.
Each pickup can have anywhere from 4 thousand to over 10 thousand winds on the bobbin. Depending on how many winds, and the thickness or gauge or the wire, you can dramatically change the sound of the pickup from “muddy” to “hot” or anything in between. The possibilities are robust for shapes, and sounds you can achieve from hand wound pickups.
This winder can still be found on eBay or Amazon for anyone willing to take the hand turned pickup challenge. Just make sure your arms are ready for hours of hand cranking for each pickup.
Shannon Guitars 