I'm making a single coil pickup for a CBG I'm building. I have flatwork and some alnico magnets but I don't have any eyelets to terminate the thin gauge copper wire into the thicker insulated wire leads. Do any of you have any ideas on a way to accomplish this short of ordering eyelets and setting tool?
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That sounds like the best option for me to try! Thanks.
Glaze said:
Many of the high end single coil pickup makers copying vintage Fender single coil pickups just have holes drilled through the bottom of the pickup base plate close to the edge of the material. No eyelets are used. They wrap the thin pickup wire through and around the drilled hole three or four times and solder it together. The leads coming off the pickup are routed through different holes and soldered to each pickup lead. I tried to find a good picture of this type of pickup construction on the Lindy Fralin pickup website, but the pictures were too small to really see it.
Leo Fender always eliminated buying extra material which cost more money.
All of the above is good info, but if you really want the little eyelets they are available in packs of 50 from stewmac.com, p/n 5975 $4.98 They offer the setting tool as well.
I have gotten smaller quantities and better deals elsewhere, but I just ran across this and remembered this question. You could try an electronics suppliers as well. I think I got a bag from a place called Mark Electronics a few years back.
Many of the high end single coil pickup makers copying vintage Fender single coil pickups just have holes drilled through the bottom of the pickup base plate close to the edge of the material. No eyelets are used. They wrap the thin pickup wire through and around the drilled hole three or four times and solder it together. The leads coming off the pickup are routed through different holes and soldered to each pickup lead. I tried to find a good picture of this type of pickup construction on the Lindy Fralin pickup website, but the pictures were too small to really see it.
Leo Fender always eliminated buying extra material which cost more money.
You can skip the eyelets and attach the magnet wire directly to the leads. This works better if you have thin hookup wire like 24 gauge. Then you can attach the 24 gauge to the 22 gauge or whatever you have for regular hookup wire. You can get thin wire from telephone/ethernet cables and the like. Most people seem to have some of those laying around.
After you solder the magnet wire to the 24 gauge wire, you would wrap the wire around the pickup a bit, then use some tape to strengthen the connection.
As you can see this is a somewhat delicate operation, and that's why most people use some sort of termination like eyelets. But, it's not impossible. Some production pickups are done this way. Dearmond Rowe pickups would be one example.
If space allows, I've used a couple small brass screws run into the wood base. Strip the coating on the magnet wire, run several turns around the screw, do likewise with the lead wire, then solder.
I use a wood baseplate so I've used a couple small brass screws run into the wood base. Strip the coating on the magnet wire, run several turns around the screw, do likewise with the lead wire, then solder.
Replies
Glaze said:
All of the above is good info, but if you really want the little eyelets they are available in packs of 50 from stewmac.com, p/n 5975 $4.98 They offer the setting tool as well.
I have gotten smaller quantities and better deals elsewhere, but I just ran across this and remembered this question. You could try an electronics suppliers as well. I think I got a bag from a place called Mark Electronics a few years back.
Many of the high end single coil pickup makers copying vintage Fender single coil pickups just have holes drilled through the bottom of the pickup base plate close to the edge of the material. No eyelets are used. They wrap the thin pickup wire through and around the drilled hole three or four times and solder it together. The leads coming off the pickup are routed through different holes and soldered to each pickup lead. I tried to find a good picture of this type of pickup construction on the Lindy Fralin pickup website, but the pictures were too small to really see it.
Leo Fender always eliminated buying extra material which cost more money.
You can skip the eyelets and attach the magnet wire directly to the leads. This works better if you have thin hookup wire like 24 gauge. Then you can attach the 24 gauge to the 22 gauge or whatever you have for regular hookup wire. You can get thin wire from telephone/ethernet cables and the like. Most people seem to have some of those laying around.
After you solder the magnet wire to the 24 gauge wire, you would wrap the wire around the pickup a bit, then use some tape to strengthen the connection.
As you can see this is a somewhat delicate operation, and that's why most people use some sort of termination like eyelets. But, it's not impossible. Some production pickups are done this way. Dearmond Rowe pickups would be one example.
Huntz Meyer said:
I use a wood baseplate so I've used a couple small brass screws run into the wood base. Strip the coating on the magnet wire, run several turns around the screw, do likewise with the lead wire, then solder.
Huntz