realjimjim's Pickup Build - A Pictoral "Thank You" Thread

[cooljuk]

In another thread, forum member realjimjim casually mentioned that he had an old cream Super Distortion that some knucklehead had painted the bobbin tops black. Seeing that, and that his location was set to VA, I couldn't help but wonder if it just might have been the very same old Super Distortion that I had painted black many years ago when I was a young knucklehead living one state over in MD.

Now, I should go on a tangent here for a moment to give a little background that's important to this story: This Super Distortion may have been just like every other one made at that time by Dimarzio, but this particular one started its life with me when I was about 13 years old and found it in a bin of used Kramer parts at a local M&P shop called, "Victor Litz" in Gaithersburg. I was after "a humbucker" to play around with because I had, up to that point, only played with single coils. I didn't know or care anything about it other than I wanted to know what a humbucker sounded like. I bought it, for probably about $10, and cut the PG on my Strat with an exact-o knife that I held over a lighter to heat it up. That Strat's body was factory routed for a HB in the bridge. Well, it sounded so powerful and awesome to me when I fired up that Strat! So much more balsy and just pure "Rock n' Roll" compared to those Strat single coils. I was in tone-love! Through highschool that humbucker, that turned out to be a Super Distortion, went into pretty much every guitar that I bought or traded my way into, at least TEN among mine and some friend's guitars. It escaped me more than once by trading or selling a guitar that had it installed to a friend, but it was never far. I played my first on-stage show with that humbucker. Recorded my first band's demo tape with it, too. At one point though, I lost track of it entirely. A couple years back, on two different occasions, this pickup came up in conversation between two different friends from high school that owned it at points. They both asked if I still had it or knew where it was in the course of another conversation about pickups. Unfortunately, I hadn't a clue but I had not forgotten about it! I figured it was just gone. No big deal, just an old Super Distortion, right? Well, yes, but this one had sentimental value attached.

So the chances were slim, but I asked Jim a few follow up questions about the hookup lead and where he acquired the pickup, got some nice photos from Jim, and in the end it turned out that it really was my old pickup! It's very unique looking with the wear markings and painted bobbin tops. Once I saw the photos, I was stunned. I sent it to both of my two old friends who confirmed my suspicions.

Jim was kind enough to send it home to me. I'm flattered and honored by that. I offered to make him any standard or custom ReWind pickup in return. We talked a little and I think I have an idea of just the sort of kickass pickup he'll appreciate.

This is the build thread for Jim's custom ReWind Electric - well, let's call it the "Jimbucker." I'll post some photos and descriptions here and share progress. It was very selfless of Jim to send the Super Distortion back to me and I will do everything I can to make his pickup special and give him something truly heartfelt in return.

First, here's the old ugly Super Distortion. My first humbucker:


Here's the first photos of the Jimbucker. It's gonna be hot!
The design drafted, here's the bobbins prepped for winding:


CBDB-CUST-103

[LtKojak]

James, what a great story!

I'm pretty sure Jim will get a heck of a lot kick-*ss p'up in return and then some!

Keep up the good work.

[realjimjim]

I gotta say just this: I'm so pleased to be able to do something like this for another guitar player . .. serious, I really am thrilled to do this.

James, I'm so glad you are getting your baby back!

Oh, wait a minute! You promised me a hook up with Joany Jett!!!

[jiveturkey1]

This is kinda like the Peter Frampton story.


Congrat's

[captcoolaid]

Cool deal James. So what are you gonna do with it for a wind now.

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by captcoolaid

Cool deal James. So what are you gonna do with it for a wind now.

Ah! I got a bit inspired with this one and did something new for me. This is cool, check it out...

I decided to tap the slug coil and give this pickup two voices. A typical PAF voice and a HOT voice. I tapped it at 3700 turns, then put on an additional 4000 turns!

Here's the thing that makes this a unique of a design. At least for me. The first (inner) 3700 turns is wound on the bobbin with a TPL ratio that favors a lower voice. The final 4000 turns is wound with a different TPL that favors a brighter voice. I did this with the idea in mind that when the outer/final portion of the coil is added to the circuit, the brightness of the that coil will offset or compliment the lower resonant peak caused by the added amount of wire.

This will be awesome.

Here's the inner portion of the coil and the tap tapped off before getting the final 4000 turns.


The outer 4000 turns wound on top of the inner portion.


Its just bulging on that bobbin! I didn't use a thinner gauge wire for this. This is full size 42AWG PE wire. That's allot of turns to put on a single bobbin.




Here's the finished coil with the tap. Three hookup wires.




Soooooooo, with...

5700 turns on the slug coil reading 4.8k Ohms
3700 turns on the inner portion of the screw coil reading 3.1k Ohms
7700 turns total on the screw coil reading 6.8k Ohms

...the Jimbucker in "PAF Mode" will run as a 9,400 turn 7.9k humbucker with an offset favoring the North/slug side and a screw coil with a warmer TPL coil. In "Kill Mode" it will run as a 13,400 turn 11.6k Ohm angry bastard with an offset favoring the South/screw coil and a screw coil with a brighter overall TPL, but also two different TPLs giving it a complex and unique voice.

Shit. I'm stoked to plug this mofo in and see what sort of monster I've created.

[cooljuk]

btw - those DCR readings above are likely to tame down a bit after a good night's rest. I read them right after winding. They always drop a little. DCR doesn't mean much anyway. It's included, along with the more important turn counts, for reference.

[cooljuk]

I need to get my recording equipment set back up so I can get some demos of this one. That's one thing I've still not put together since the move. My shop is up and running, but there's still much work to do before I get it how I want.

[geetarfreek82]

I definitely wanna hear that beast!

[captcoolaid]

Hey James. Here is what you may find with the PAF xtra wind on the slug coil you may find because of the massive turn count diff that it will act more like a fat single coil. Which is not a bad thing, just not what you may expect from a 11k pup. I rather liked the few I have done. If you do not like it do not abandone it. Use 43 for the upbuild for the slug and drop about 6 hundred turns and it will be more or less p-90ish.

[cooljuk]

Thanks, Rayne. I think the greatest coil offset I've done so far is about 1200 turns on a setup that was:

Screw 6200
Slug 5000

I did like the somewhat single-coil-like qualities that that one had and it was still hum-canceling.

This is a little more extreme though. We'll see what happens. I'm actually hoping for a brighter and more detailed (as well as hotter) voice than one might expect when I have the full screw coil in use. Damn - if it actually did sound a little P-90ish I'd love it! I don't expect that though. I'm finding that P-90s are very sensitive to coil shape/size and that two magnets are a must.

I have to admit, I love building PAFs and I think there's a great deal of creative freedom in that one narrow element due to how non-standard Gibson's results were over the years, if that makes any sense, but I do jump at the opportunities like this to break some rules and just do whatever the F comes to mind. I've ended up with some cool results by just playing around with scrap parts and doing things the "wrong" way. The "Fullertons" I'm working on are another example of a bad idea that turned into a great result. lol

[cooljuk]

Pressing the slugs in place:




The bulging screw coil tapped up and secured over the steel keeper bar to the baseplate.


I used some 4 conductor wire for a hookup lead for the most versatility. It's actually 5 conductor, since the shield is a conductor also.

I hardwired the screw/South coil start to the baseplate like a PAF and have the hookup lead shield connected to the baseplate as well. I used the remaining four conductors to connect to the screw/South finish, screw/South tap, and slug/North start and finish. This will allow a number of wiring options.

[geetarfreek82]

Better send him a diagram! LOL That is pretty neat, I love outside the box thinking. The only downside to that internal wiring set up is that he won't be able to reverse the phase of the pickup if needed, but if he's using it with any standard humbucker it will be fine anyway.

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by geetarfreek82

Better send him a diagram! LOL That is pretty neat, I love outside the box thinking. The only downside to that internal wiring set up is that he won't be able to reverse the phase of the pickup if needed, but if he's using it with any standard humbucker it will be fine anyway.

Ya, I'll definitely put together a diagram, and also send it out with the wires twisted together that put it in normal full-bore badass 'bucker mode by default.

No, you couldn't flip the phase on THIS humbucker, without using 6 conductors or giving up other wiring options. BUT - since it's the only one like it, you can always flip the phase of the other pickup(s) in a guitar to get the same result.

Hoping to get some testing in tonight and try this baby out! I might not be back at the shop until very late today though so it could end up later in the week. I'm really stoked to hear the difference between the inner/outer coils on the slug side.

[geetarfreek82]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

Hoping to get some testing in tonight and try this baby out! I might not be back at the shop until very late today though so it could end up later in the week. I'm really stoked to hear the difference between the inner/outer coils on the slug side.

Me too... We need vids, we need vids!

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by geetarfreek82

Me too... We need vids, we need vids!

I don't have my recording gear setup yet.

I have some really nice pres/mics/converters, though. I can try to slap something together this weekend. My rooms sound like shit still (open, empty, hardwood floors, totally untreated acoustically) but I can do a close-mic setup or use software emulation for now.

[cooljuk]

Well, I did a little testing with this guy last night! HOTDAMN! I'm onto something with this. I can guarantee you fellas I'll be building more like this.

It sounds really great as both 9,400 turn humbucker and a 13,400 turn humbucker. I was pretty sure it would.

What I hadn't counted on was how cool some of the other wiring options were. Shorting one of the screw coils to ground was thin and single-coil-ish as expected. Shorting part of the screw coil to one of the slug coil terminals was AWESOME! Very single coil like without having the thin "half bucker" syndrome. Throwing a cap in the circuit at different points had some pretty wild results too. I didn't even get a chance to mess around with phase flipping a coil, or all the series/parallel options possible.

I've got some multi-position rotary switches around the shop somewhere. I'm going to try to dig up one and map out several wiring options on it.

Still aiming for an audio, if not video, demo this weekend. After all, I have to stop playing around with Jim's pickup and get it out to him!

[realjimjim]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

Well, I did a little testing with this guy last night! HOTDAMN! I'm onto something with this. I can guarantee you fellas I'll be building more like this.

It sounds really great as both 9,400 turn humbucker and a 13,400 turn humbucker. I was pretty sure it would.

What I hadn't counted on was how cool some of the other wiring options were. Shorting one of the screw coils to ground was thin and single-coil-ish as expected. Shorting part of the screw coil to one of the slug coil terminals was AWESOME! Very single coil like without having the thin "half bucker" syndrome. Throwing a cap in the circuit at different points had some pretty wild results too. I didn't even get a chance to mess around with phase flipping a coil, or all the series/parallel options possible.

I've got some multi-position rotary switches around the shop somewhere. I'm going to try to dig up one and map out several wiring options on it.

Still aiming for an audio, if not video, demo this weekend. After all, I have to stop playing around with Jim's pickup and get it out to him!

James,

Take your time, I'm in New York until 8/20

thought about you as I went through MD, and Tim Fezz going through Philly too

[cooljuk]

Cool, man. I'll get some nice demos together and figure out the best ways to wire this up for a few different sounds, then. I'll make a wiring guide, of course.

[Sinster]

I purchased my first Jackson at Victor Litz.. I waited a in line that day, they were having a huge sale and only let a few people in at a time. Some people even camped out. But anyways great kick ass story!

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by Sinster

I purchased my first Jackson at Victor Litz.. I waited a in line that day, they were having a huge sale and only let a few people in at a time. Some people even camped out. But anyways great kick ass story!

Nice. Are you from around here? I camped twice for that sale with friends from high school.

They had a matching Kelly and King V at one time a few years later. Man, it all brings back some great memories. There were some amazing Jacksons back in the day.

[Sinster]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

Nice. Are you from around here? I camped twice for that sale with friends from high school.

They had a matching Kelly and King V at one time a few years later. Man, it all brings back some great memories. There were some amazing Jacksons back in the day.

I was station at Pax River and that is when I first pickup a guitar. A friend of mine was a Bassist/Guitarist and he set the wheels in motion. In fact that Jackson was my second guitar. My first guitar was purchased in Waldorf from Hot Licks and that was a Charvette. Which the Jackson was sold to a Pawn Shop that the above friend worked at for a bit after the Military. He gave me more than what I paid for it so I could buy scuba gear. That was in San Antonio, TX. Then a few years later after moving back home to Maine (Bought my first Fender in Brunswick) and then back to Texas I sold my Charvette to a friend in Uvalde, TX.

[realjimjim]

Originally Posted by cooljuk

In another thread, forum member realjimjim casually mentioned that he had an old cream Super Distortion that some knucklehead had painted the bobbin tops black. Seeing that, and that his location was set to VA, I couldn't help but wonder if it just might have been the very same old Super Distortion that I had painted black many years ago when I was a young knucklehead living one state over in MD.

Now, I should go on a tangent here for a moment to give a little background that's important to this story: This Super Distortion may have been just like every other one made at that time by Dimarzio, but this particular one started its life with me when I was about 13 years old and found it in a bin of used Kramer parts at a local M&P shop called, "Victor Litz" in Gaithersburg. I was after "a humbucker" to play around with because I had, up to that point, only played with single coils. I didn't know or care anything about it other than I wanted to know what a humbucker sounded like. I bought it, for probably about $10, and cut the PG on my Strat with an exact-o knife that I held over a lighter to heat it up. That Strat's body was factory routed for a HB in the bridge. Well, it sounded so powerful and awesome to me when I fired up that Strat! So much more balsy and just pure "Rock n' Roll" compared to those Strat single coils. I was in tone-love! Through highschool that humbucker, that turned out to be a Super Distortion, went into pretty much every guitar that I bought or traded my way into, at least TEN among mine and some friend's guitars. It escaped me more than once by trading or selling a guitar that had it installed to a friend, but it was never far. I played my first on-stage show with that humbucker. Recorded my first band's demo tape with it, too. At one point though, I lost track of it entirely. A couple years back, on two different occasions, this pickup came up in conversation between two different friends from high school that owned it at points. They both asked if I still had it or knew where it was in the course of another conversation about pickups. Unfortunately, I hadn't a clue but I had not forgotten about it! I figured it was just gone. No big deal, just an old Super Distortion, right? Well, yes, but this one had sentimental value attached.

So the chances were slim, but I asked Jim a few follow up questions about the hookup lead and where he acquired the pickup, got some nice photos from Jim, and in the end it turned out that it really was my old pickup! It's very unique looking with the wear markings and painted bobbin tops. Once I saw the photos, I was stunned. I sent it to both of my two old friends who confirmed my suspicions.

Jim was kind enough to send it home to me. I'm flattered and honored by that. I offered to make him any standard or custom ReWind pickup in return. We talked a little and I think I have an idea of just the sort of kickass pickup he'll appreciate.

This is the build thread for Jim's custom ReWind Electric - well, let's call it the "Jimbucker." I'll post some photos and descriptions here and share progress. It was very selfless of Jim to send the Super Distortion back to me and I will do everything I can to make his pickup special and give him something truly heartfelt in return.

First, here's the old ugly Super Distortion. My first humbucker:


Here's the first photos of the Jimbucker. It's gonna be hot!
The design drafted, here's the bobbins prepped for winding:


CBDB-CUST-103

James, are you going to call the old SD "The Knuckleheadbucker?"

[cooljuk]

Originally Posted by realjimjim

James, are you going to call the old SD "The Knuckleheadbucker?"

Ha! Yes, I think I definitely will.

I've not had a chance to record sound clips of this yet, I know. I've got it installed in my SG bridge with a custom "high output/low wind" single coil of mine in the neck. It's a beautiful combination! I'm going to fire up Logic tonight and do my best with an amp simulator. Hopefully, I'll have something worthwhile to post tomorrow. If not, the pickup goes out in the mail to Jim. I don't want to hold onto it too long AND I wand to get my old Knuckelhead in the SG for a little rocking anyway!

[cooljuk]

Here's what I came up with as the best "normal" sounding options. ...though there are many more fun options I found by shorting wires here or there!
I included a nicely formatted color version with the shipment.


ReWind Electric
“Jimbucker” Wiring Guide

Wiring Color Codes:
Shield - screw/South coil start & baseplate
Black - screw/South coil tap
Green - screw/South coil finish
Red - slug/North coil start
White - slug/North coil finish

Metered DCR:
Shield to Black (inner coil screw/South) - 3.07k Ohms
Black to Green (outer coil screw/South) - 3.64k Ohms
Shield to Green (full screw/South coil) - 6.72k Ohms
Red to White (slug/North coil) - 4.82k Ohms



Standard (High Output) Humbucker Wiring:
Tie Green to White together wires and tape off.
Tape off Black wire (unused).
Shield to volume pot back (ground).
Red to volume pot lug (hot).

Low Output (partial screw/South coil) Humbucker Wiring:
Tie Black to White wires together and tape off.
Tape off Green wire (unused).
Shield to volume pot back (ground).
Red to volume pot lug (hot).
(Switch between High Output and Low Output humbucker wiring by using the above connections and connecting a SPDT switch that connects either the Black or Green wire to the White wire.)

Single Coil Wiring (using hotter screw/South tapped coil):
Shield to volume pot back (ground).
Green to volume pot lug (hot).
(shorting the Black wire to ground with a switch in this setup will produce a low-output single coil option)

Alternate Single Coil Wiring (using slug/North coil)
Shield, Black, Green, Red to volume pot back (ground)
White to volume pot lug (hot)

[realjimjim]

James,

I've meaning to get in touch with you to thank you for all your effort.

It's been wild here recently, all kinds of goings on around the house so I haven't had much time to think uninterrupted.

I spent the entire night awake, listening for Sandy to break off giant oak tree limbs to hit our roof. Thank God nothing such happened. While I was waiting I read almost every old thread in the Pickup section. Thought I'd better write you right now while I had the time and it was on my mind.

I've got to figure what to do with my new JimBucker pup . . . I might need to find a new (old) guitar to put it in.

I have here a 2005 Special, which is the model that weighs 50 tons. And I've got a "The Paul II" which I got on a trade but it is very lightweight.

Which would you use? or find something else. I want to build me a real "Bone Shaker" with this pup.

And aren't I going to need a push pull switch or something to use the new pup?

Thanks again!

[cooljuk]

Either of those guitars should be fine with this pickup. Honestly, this pickup would be well suited in most any humbucker equipped guitar and under many styles due to it's (excessive) versatility. It seems to excel at being a mean motherf#cker though.

If you don't want to mess with push/pulls and just want to have an all out balls to the wall beast, wire it up like this:

Standard (High Output) Humbucker Wiring:
Tie Green to White together wires and tape off.
Tape off Black wire (unused).
Shield to volume pot back (ground).
Red to volume pot lug (hot).


Hope you made out alright with Sandy. I'm good here, but my office in southern MoCo took a beating (fine by me, no work).