Women are the best vintage pickup winders

[AJK1]

And maybe the guitars as well !
Chalk one up for the ladies !

 

[ReWind James]

According to Ted McCarty, as he stated in the interview with him published in my book, yes. That's correct.

He suggests they are better at repetitive tasks. In that interview, he recalls giving that same advice to Seymour Duncan, recommending he also follow the same course of hiring more women.

Both of the female employees I've had were uninterested in learning to wind coils, so I have no experience on the matter.

 

[ReWind James]

I think there's a YT video where Mike Mathews of EH comments about women being his best pedal builders.

 

[Freddy G]

I think there's a YT video where Mike Mathews of EH comments about women being his best pedal builders.

I have a friend who manufactures casino gaming machines. He hires all asian women to stuff PC boards and assemble tiny parts etc. Says they are the most nimble fingered, fast and efficient workers.

 

[Wes T]

There's a video out there of the old Kalamazoo factory and there are a ton of women building those beautiful old classic Gibbies.

 

[Duane_the_tub]

I think it's pretty cool that the Mexican women who wind for Fender end up having their first names become status symbols. Abby and Jozefina pickups demand a premium on the market.

 

[Airplane]

I think it's pretty cool that the Mexican women who wind for Fender end up having their first names become status symbols. Abby and Jozefina pickups demand a premium on the market.

I have a custom shop Strat at home on loan from a friend. I had a look under the hood and saw the „Abby“ signature on the PUs. I did some research and it was quite interesting. This is hands down the best sounding Fender guitar i have ever heard in my life. Incredible open tone. The guitar is only worth about 1500-2000$ and half of that price is the PU set.

 

[ReWind James]

I think it's pretty cool that the Mexican women who wind for Fender end up having their first names become status symbols. Abby and Jozefina pickups demand a premium on the market.

Not to mention the names inside all the tweed amps! ...Lily, Lupe, Eileen, Gloria, Julia, etc.

Absolute legends, in today's world!

A "where are they now" book/show/movie, anyone?

 

[bluesoul]

He suggests they are better at repetitive tasks.

Perhaps better dexterity with fine work with the hands. We only hire women for an inspection and packaging process. It requires, quickness, a delicate touch and accuratacy....so yeah I can see where this applies in winding or pedal building.
Lets just put it this way...I CAN use a soldering iron but I really do better with a hammer (big f-ing hammer that is).

 

[ReWind James]

There's a video out there of the old Kalamazoo factory and there are a ton of women building those beautiful old classic Gibbies.

Late-1960s Kalamazoo era, right? Where they are making SGs? Awesome video. I've watched it in slow motion more times than I want to comfortably admit, trying to learn everything.

Gibson was full of women, long before that. I believe this photo was the Banner era. As I understand it, during wartime, the wives came in to work while the husbands were away.

I have this photo printed on the wall in my shop.

Though not women, but still related as another inspiring photo on my shop wall, I also have this photo of a young Ken Underwood and Dudley Craven. It was about this age, they started building the first Marshall amps!

 

[ReWind James]

Oh, crap. Did we loose the ability to include YouTube videos again in the forum software update?

That video above is this one linked below. Might have to copy the link, minus the Gs in the beginning, and paste it to get this to work. Great documentary and footage of the Parson St factory in Kalamazoo in 1967.

GGGhttps://youtu.be/3-zOaOYB120

 

[GBLEV]

Late-1960s Kalamazoo era, right? Where they are making SGs? Awesome video. I've watched it in slow motion more times than I want to comfortably admit, trying to learn everything.

Gibson was full of women, long before that. I believe this photo was the Banner era. As I understand it, during wartime, the wives came in to work while the husbands were away.

I have this photo printed on the wall in my shop.

Though not women, but still related as another inspiring photo on my shop wall, I also have this photo of a young Ken Underwood and Dudley Craven. It was about this age, they started building the first Marshall amps!
View attachment 680425

And that little bug, maybe a grasshopper (?), there to help them! Or was it a trained spy from Fender?

Also, I'll add to the list of infamous women winders of pickups, and I'm surprised no one has mentioned her yet, and that's "MJ" Maricela Juarez of Seymour Duncan. Just having her initials on the back of an older Seymour Duncan pickup adds and extra $50 to the price these days. Silly, I know. But I have a couple of her pickups from the 80's and they do sound a little better than the ones I have of the same pickups with different winder's initials on them.

 

[Wes T]

Just wondered if the Seth Lover and Seymour Duncan signatures on this pickup was a normal thing.

 

[GBLEV]

Since Seth died in '97, I'd say yes, those signatures are not only normal for that pickup set, but also reprints of the original signatures they did for this model line.