~Sigil Pickups~ Holy Grail LTD 1958/1959 Vintage Wire P.A.F.

[CheopisIV]

Now available on the site at this link.

It's been a long ride but they're finally done. Boxes are still being made and they're not overly quick so there may be delays. I'll let people know if that's the case though.

• 1959 sets ~7.2-8.0k neck and bridge (specific neck and bridge models)
• 1958 sets ~7.6-8.4k neck and bridge (vintage style ie: not specific to neck or bridge)
• Alnico 2 magnets
• butyrate bobbins to 1950s specs
• 1959 clone cover
• 1957 clone baseplates
• vintage 1958/1959 Plain Enamel wire
• maple spacer
• custom screws/slugs and keepers

More pics and backstory/progress shots here.
1959 PE Grail Set LTD ~ A story in pictures

 

[MasterEvan07]

I will be happy to demo a set for you...

I'll PM you my address presently

 

[CheopisIV]

I will be happy to demo a set for you...

I'll PM you my address presently

Thanks!
I have a few sets in the wild already and a set of each enroute to Doug & Pat for some evaluation. Should be interesting to hear their take on the old wire; I already know my impression.

 

[MasterEvan07]

I see your "professional demo sets" and raise you a "casual industry nobody set"...impossible to refuse!

 

[morbidalex666]

ooo droooolll!!!

 

[lespauldawg]

audio clips???

 

[5F6-A]

Thy look nice....

 

[JCarno]

audio clips???

and a set of each enroute to Doug & Pat for some evaluation. Should be interesting to hear their take on the old wire; I already know my impression.

Can't wait to hear what these guys have to say!!

 

[CheopisIV]

Can't wait to hear what these guys have to say!!

Yeah man, me too!

 

[CheopisIV]

Here's a look at some of the crusty spools. The metal spool is 1958...looks like 56 but it's just faded some. This one was actually really easy to work with after I bent the lip off the wire. It seemed to be spooled up a lot better and more uniform. It came as a separate order and single spool from a source in the USA.

The wooden spools are 59 and were not easy or fun to deal with. The wood had shrunk and created gaps between the core and the ends. The wire was loose on the shrunken cores so would move around and slip into those gaps when it came to the end. It was also pretty sloppy on the spool to begin with and was wound up with a lot of air causing it to not be as tightly packed as the 58. These came in a bundle from a source in the UK who found a stash of this purple PE and some coppery colored wire on plastic spools.

I ordered all the purple and 2 spools of the lighter colored stuff, but those were unusable in any way. The wire on one plastic spool was one big clump that seemed as if it were glued together, the other is so far out of spec that it just won't do for pickups. The plastic spool is on the bottom right here under a modern spool of 42 Formvar.

This stuff was an experience to say the least... by the time I got it from the spools onto coils I was pretty well done with the whole thing several times over. 'Not fun', 'time intensive', 'frustrating as all hell'...just a few of the less colorful ways to describe the wire.

But in the end, it makes some killer P.A.F. pickups and gets to live life making music rather than rotting in some warehouse. I call them time well spent.

 

[CheopisIV]

Doug & Pat have finished the vid, they have the 58s and 59s showcased along with some Bareknuckle Pickups. Couldn't be in better company; Mules are some kinda tasty!

 

[Alligatorbling]

they sound fantastic!

 

[CheopisIV]

they sound fantastic!

Agree, Doug does a mean recording. I'd also like to suggest people go to the Youtube channel and check the comments...there might be a...I don't know, Coupon Code or something in there.

 

[BlueCajun]

"Crusty spools." Love it. Makes it sound like pirates are winding your pickups.

 

[CheopisIV]

"Crusty spools." Love it. Makes it sound like pirates are winding your pickups.

Hah, maybe I should have worn an eyepatch while I wound them. Probably would have made it easier

These are moving out... for those interested I can do payment plans and even partial trades if it's something I could resell. My wants list is short but I'm open to interesting ideas!

 

[MasterEvan07]

Hah, maybe I should have worn an eyepatch while I wound them. Probably would have made it easier

These are moving out... for those interested I can do payment plans and even partial trades if it's something I could resell. My wants list is short but I'm open to interesting ideas!

Oh, do tell...?

 

[CheopisIV]

Well I had a list somewhere...let me try to remember off the top of my head.

For pickups, I've tried pretty much everything I wanted to except:
- Stephen's Designs (standard set)
- Tom Holmes
- Rolph 58 Pretenders
- Latest set of Duncan Bonamassa pickups?
- Duncan Zephyrs...but those things are bloody expensive so I'd probably have to send money

I thought I had a few more on the list but they escape me right now which means must not be that important...

 

[bp-plickner]

Are this pickups wound by turn count or ohms? What are the inductance readings?

Thanks

 

[CheopisIV]

Turn count, and they do vary some. Readings will be a bit different from one pickup to the next as these are built like Gibson supposedly did them in the 50's.

All coils are wound and sitting in a pile, I grab and build with no Neck or Bridge in mind for the 58s and a slightly overwound Bridge in the 59s. Inductance is right where you'd expect for a P.A.F. wind and DC is within the general range as in the first post.

 

[bp-plickner]

Good info
Thanks