How to Make a Bass Pickup

Step 4 Wrapping the wire

Now to start wrapping the wire.

Leave a foot or two sticking out before you start wrapping. This is important, because you need to connect your electronics to two leads.

I found it helpful to stick the whole thing to the refrigerator while you wrap it. Get comfortable because you're going to be there a while. Keep wrapping until it gets barely big enough to fit inside the plastic of your old pickup (it isn't necessary to have an enclosure - it just looks nice). This will be several thousands of wraps, but I didn't really count. The normal number of wraps is between 5000 and 8000. It should look about like the completed picture below.

Note: More windings = hotter output. The more windings you do, however, will begin to roll off the top frequencies.

If the wire breaks while you are wrapping you will need to start over. So don't break the wire - it's very fragile.

Comments

[bman85]

what do you do for the ground?

[efabric]

You have to make something to hold your pickup at the end of your drill. keep the wire roll far away. The wire won't twist or break  that way.  Press the button, it wraps-up nicely... and fast !

[Magnnus]

Do I have to keep the rows perfectly parallel when I wrap the wire

[stukatz]

what will happen if i use 34 guage wire at 5000 or 8000 turns , or do i need less turns ..................... thanks

[The Stumph]

Would if you criss cross the wire Would it effect the pick up?

[Jonny Appleseed]

my local radio shack has it theres also this place called lightning joes that carries all the supplise to make your own guitar- including wire all the way up to 52 guage wire for pickups

[FreudianLemur]

52 is incredibly thin, the thinnest I've heard of anyone using was 44 (the higher the number, the thinner the wire).

[Sparrow40k]

WOW! That would sound mad, my local stores highest is only 32 gauge.

[maxxxem]

Did you use an entire spool when you made the pickup? 5000 to 8000 wraps? Are you sure, because I would and need 15,625 inches (1,302 ft) to wrap 1 pickup 5000 times for my 5 string. Just wondering

[maxxxem]

My bad My bad i mathed it wrong it would be double that 30 thoudsand inches like 10 dollars for a 6000 foot coil

[sgtstadanko]

do you leave the four magnets on top? If so are the four magnets on the top glued down or just held down by other magnets?

[vomajeff]

very cool instructable!! I'll have to give that one a go. My bass player showed up at practice last night with his homemade wash basin upright bass. It sounded great. I'll have to try to get a pic of it to post.

[laminterious]

Yea please do. i am trying to build one myself.