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Pick ups on the cheap........tell me your secrets...or just some secrets, I can guess the rest

My big thing is now that I am trying to make a guitar pick up out if just random stuff you can find around the house or at your local hardware store. So for I have been sucsesfull with some magnets and phone wire, but nothing great. I get a noise from the amp, But I have to use my distortation pedal to even hear it and there is no crunch, just clean sound.

So, I am guessing, and correct me if I am wrong, please, but the stronger the magnet the better and the more wrapps, I have not wrapped much wire around these things, but I am moving in the rigtht direction I think.

But here is my quistion, I see on a lot of cbg's that the pickups just look like round fridge magnests, and nothing more. Am I wrong on this or amd I missing something. Anyhow, I have some earth magnets out in the garage glued up and drying right now for tomorrow. Some day soon I will get the sound that I want. Heck, about 6 months ago I was using un coated wire.....I have gone leapes and bounds since then.

Also, what does anyone know about active pickups....they kinda sound like a electro magnetic thing....if I could get hooked up with that info...that would be great. Any advice would be great, and I know that the mention of small gauge wireing will come up, and I know, that should be used, but I am going the MaCgyver road here and just trying to use what I can find....I want to be able to walk into a store and buy the things I need to acomplish a good sound on the cheap....I think it is a acheivable goal....wish me luck and any help would be great....thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Skeesix on November 18, 2009 at 6:08pm

The thinnest wire available without ordering online is the Radio Shack magnet wire set. Use the thinnest one. That would certainly be an improvement over phone wire.

If you are going to go with these low powered pickups, made from junk, then you will need some kind of powered signal boost. I believe that is how active pickups work.

If you are really lucky, there may be a surplus electronics store in your area which carries rolls of thin magnet wire.

On the other hand, you can buy cheap pickups all day long on eBay for under $10 including shipping. They're so cheap, you can have fun taking them apart and experimenting with them.

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Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on November 18, 2009 at 6:13pm

I know I can ge them on ebay.....I just like to make stuff....I'm weird like that. I think it is awesome to make something like a cbg and show your friends, and when you plug it in, they are blown away that it makes noise....then you can smile and say "Yeah, I wrapped this pickup myself with this and this......"...........I get it a kick out of that. Thanks for all of the input...this helps.

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Permalink Reply by HOGS GRUNT on November 18, 2009 at 9:34pm

Way in the past I used auto ignition coils as a source for the wire, before the advent of all this electronic crap. You probably have one lying around in your garage/w-shop.
It's a bit of a struggle to get it out in one length but it works real well.
Just split the top of the coil and extract the windings and carefully unwind the the wire and wind away.
The sound I got was quite good ,if my memory serves me well.

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Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on November 19, 2009 at 3:51am

So far, I have had decent luck with 1 dollar craft wire from the dollar store and some 1.99 magnets from radio shack. Nothing to jump up and down about, but it's working. No crunch, just a tone and I have to use my overdrive pedal as a kind of a signal booster. Oh, well, back to the drawing boar I guess. Thanks for the advice though.....that helps. I am looking for all info I can get on this subject....I love making stuff out of junk.;-)

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Permalink Reply by Tim on November 19, 2009 at 4:42am

well i havent got in to making any i have been playing with guitars for a couple of years now and i am blessed with an aboundace of cheap pickups.

i will tell you in my research you can order 38 or 39 gauge wire off ebay much cheaper than 41 or 42 that is typicaly used in a pickup i think my next build im gonna cut up a humbucker and rewind it as a 4 pole pickup.

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Permalink Reply by Darwin Gentry on November 20, 2009 at 3:12am

Crack open an old rotary telephone,take out the ringer coil, add a magnet and post ,instant pickup

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Permalink Reply by Jerryrig240 on November 20, 2009 at 2:15pm

I bought some magnetic coil wire at radio shack today and coiled all of it around my magnet setup.....I get sound, but nothing great. I have some stronger magnets, I might try them maybe later......Thanks for the tip though, now I will be looking for old phones every time I go to all my old haunts....the local mission center, good will and flea market....this is good stuff....keep this info coming.

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Permalink Reply by soulpatch29 on November 20, 2009 at 5:21pm

Iv'e had good luck finding wire in old relay swithes too. Already coiled just add magnet and wires and your good to go.
Darwin Gentry said:

Crack open an old rotary telephone,take out the ringer coil, add a magnet and post ,instant pickup

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Permalink Reply by Paul Doug on November 21, 2009 at 3:32am

Ok, I'm a dummy but what do you mean just add a magnet? Do you unwrap and re-wrap? Take the top apart and push in a magnet? I don't have one handy to look at so I don't understand. By the way, that old dial might look cool on a guitar.....

Also, are there mics in that hand piece that would work like piezos?

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Permalink Reply by David L. on November 21, 2009 at 4:02am

Hi Paul,

Cigarbox guitars.com has a workshop section and has this all about homemade pickups
http://cigarboxguitars.com/workshops/Pickup_Workshop.php

Regards,
David

Paul Doug said:

Ok, I'm a dummy but what do you mean just add a magnet? Do you unwrap and re-wrap? Take the top apart and push in a magnet? I don't have one handy to look at so I don't understand. By the way, that old dial might look cool on a guitar.....

Also, are there mics in that hand piece that would work like piezos?

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Permalink Reply by StarGeezers on November 21, 2009 at 11:49am

I always cheat and go to the local Mom and Pop music store , and dig in their junk box ... Got lots of pups like that for free, or almost nothing ... Much easier than trying to make your own ...
PS , I get tuners the same way , they never have a complete set in the junk box , perfect for my CBG needs ...

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Permalink Reply by Steve Becker on November 21, 2009 at 5:21pm

I used the Radioshack wire for my first pickup. Like said previously, it does work, but isn't terrific. My second one I used 42 AWG from Stewart McDonald. MUCH better tone and volume. I ordered my magents from KJ magnets online.