has-sound

hi Stan,

that sure sounds more likely than what i thought!

Yep, it's a problem that I had when I first started winding. It drove me crazy until I figured out what was causing it. I used a small square to adjust my bobbin plate to my winder shaft and it hasn't happened since.

~Stan

Your bobbin is not spinning "true" which means that it is not 90 degrees to the shaft that it is spinning on.

~Stan

Sounds like you may have a "dead" spot on your neck or maybe your nut may need refiling which could be causing a slight mute on the string. Same thing could be happening at the bridge saddle. May not even be electrical at all...

-Stan

2 Meg pots are very harsh sounding unless you are using uber high output pups. 1 Meg really only sounds good with pups over 10 or 11k. They add more presence than anything else along with a slight increase in output. The extra presence gives the illusion of higher output...

-Stan

Connect the two lugs on the push-pull pot switch closest to the pot to ground. When the pot is pulled up, it should split the coils.

-Stan

I use an old sewing machine motor with the foot controlled speed control. Wound about a hundred so far with no problems.

-Stan

Here's a photo of my sewing machine motor winder. She may be a little homely, but she gets the job done.

The old Gibson SG Custom had 3 pickups and a 3-way toggle switch. There was also a 3 pickup Les Paul with the same wiring. The positions were:

1-Neck

2-Middle & Bridge

3-Bridge

The old 3-way Strat switches WERE wired for each pickup individually. It is actually the same switch that Tele's still use, only wired differently. People used to put it in between positions to get two pickups on at the same time. That is why they came out with the 5-way switch.

-Stan

The iron that you use can make all the difference in the world. I would shoot for about a 25 watt. It's not too hot but hot enough that you won't linger at the joint long enough to cause damage.

-Stan

I agree with crafty. You can never shield too much if you have the resources to do so. Nothing is 100% effective so anything that you can do will help!

-Stan

That is not something that you would want to try unless you have wound pickups before. The wire on a pickup coil is not as thick as a human hair and it would be very easy to do irreparible damage.

-Stan

Shielded cable is not a bad idea even if the cavity is shielded. Nothing works 100% so if you have the resources, you should shield as much as you can. Copper shielding tape works best for cavities and pickguard backs. Paint is messy and tends to not be as effective.

-Stan