cheap and easy guitar pickups

cheap and easy guitar pickups
here is a little tutorial about improvised guitar pickups
made from easy to find junk
 
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Step 1Pickup basics

simply a guitar pickup is just a coil of insulated copper wire with a magnet in the center.
most things that seem simple dont always turn out this way but here is an exception(sort of).
now im not recomending that you rip the pickups out of your strat and replace them with the herein mentioned contraptions. but if your building a diddly bow or a frankenstein guitar or just looking to make a new noise then thise is for you
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126 comments
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Jul 8, 2011. 4:21 PMjphoton says:
do not mess with coils from tv picture tubes!! tv's can store THOUSANDS of volts even after being unplugged for YEARS!! there's far better safer sources!! ;)
Oct 13, 2011. 5:16 AMKiteman says:
The coils don't store the charge, capacitors do, but it's still good advice to wear gloves and then use an old screwdriver to short things out before you play.
Mar 5, 2008. 10:57 PMDrThousand says:
I like coils from old TV sets, The older the better. If you find an old tube set in the alley, grab it before I do. There are a lot of coils in the old sets, but my favorites are on the neck of the picture tube. The adjustment (convergence) coils are the ones I'm after. They come in 3 sets of 2, 3 sets 'cos they use 3 colors. This gives you one pickup per string, which is exactly what you want for MIDI guitar. If you want hexaphonic fuzz (1 fuzz per string so the strings don't interfere with each other), this is the way. Note that the coils are mounted on ferrite cores, which are very hard, or should I say brittle. Ferrite is a kind of ceramic which will yield to a determined person with a cut off wheel in their Dremel. Just put the whole thing on a piece of magnet. I like the ceramic ones on the back of dead speakers or inside microwaves. More ceramic shaping, but at least you'll learn a new skill.
Dec 31, 2010. 2:42 PMGergory says:
A quick note:

DO NOT OPEN A TV WITHOUT KNOWING EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE DOING.

The cathode ray tube can carry enough voltage to kill you even years after the TV has been unplugged. I strongly advise heavy research before you pop open an old TV or, best of all, avoidance of it altogether. (This doesn't apply to newer, LCD, plasma, etc. sets but I would still take caution.)
May 22, 2011. 1:12 PMcharles.david.sutherland says:
the best way to disharge a CRT is to take a lead with an alligator clip and a 1 ohm resistor arrangement and short it out on a ground strap from the cup attached to the picture tube. You should hear a loud pop and perhaps see some arcing when this occurs. You could repeat the procedure to be absolutely sure no charge remains. the problem of CRT's are that it has capacitors with high values, once these loose their charge, it should be plain sailing. Also of hazard is mercury in the tube that could leak if the tube is old or compromise is some way.
Jan 27, 2011. 4:11 AMchrisreeve says:
Surely if you are taking the tv apart anyway, you could just throw a bucket of water over it. I'd think that should short out and ground any voltage left?
May 22, 2011. 1:13 PMcharles.david.sutherland says:
water, not advisable, you could still shock yourself.
Jul 30, 2009. 12:20 AMLazy Ape says:
do you have any instructables?
May 29, 2009. 8:12 PMcrankflip says:
Well, I found one out in the woods! how cool is that! :P
Apr 11, 2008. 7:45 PMDjProToJeeX says:
i beat you to it last week for that teebee
Feb 8, 2011. 1:30 AMabadfart says:
try i lipstick pick up like in a old telie
Feb 6, 2011. 2:31 PMmzpo says:
D835==>
Dec 4, 2010. 12:58 PMJack HUmmer says:
nice crack man... i cant wait ti try these for myself... keep rocking....long live!!!! =D
Sep 2, 2010. 5:22 AMmateolegba says:
Great!!! Looking for a coil!!! Buenisimo, felicitaciones!!!! Gracias!
May 22, 2010. 12:20 PMacdc126 says:

Feb 22, 2010. 8:40 PMjohnnyx9 says:
Do you know if a newdymium n50 magnet would be too strong?
Nov 26, 2006. 12:52 PMmusicman says:
hi michael here iv got the pickups made but i dont know how to wire then in to the guitar and everything else.can you please healp me.
Jan 11, 2010. 5:11 PMbeatlemack says:
Mack here. Could you also send me the diagram or post it online?
Aug 20, 2009. 4:22 PMckurcon says:
so could i just get any magnet and wrap some copper wire around it and use it as a pickup? im trying to make a diddley bow and just need something really cheap to use as a pickup
May 13, 2009. 5:21 PMdrummer_on_fire says:
What did you put the pick up on? is it a homemade electric stick guitar or stick bass?
Jul 15, 2009. 6:53 PMcatter44 says:
where can u listen to that ' im too poor to afford a real guitar blues" song
Jul 26, 2009. 1:11 PMcatter44 says:
lol
Jul 26, 2009. 5:07 AMmattyuke says:
Could you take a smallish speaker and use it??
Mar 25, 2009. 7:19 PMzourza says:
can you use magnet wire?
Mar 4, 2009. 6:37 AMelvisearnhardt says:
You can pick up a radio shack Piezo transducer Part # 273-073 or 273-073a. I gave a $1.99 a piece and they shipped them to my door in 5 days. Just wire 1 wire to the ground and the other to the hot side. I also imbedded mine in the neck between the neck & body. I also used silicone sealant to reduce interferance. This worked out well for me. The guy that got me started has some cool ideas at Ourwayband.com. He sells alot of his.
Dec 26, 2008. 9:22 AMmdog93 says:
Hi, in the 3 string slide guitar (which i am plannin on making hopefully) you used a speaker magnet to make the pickup weell i took a magnet out of a radio speaker but the speaker wasn't large so i dont know if the magnet will be big enough to work. What kinda diameter did the magnet you used have? thanks mdog
Dec 27, 2008. 4:15 AMmdog93 says:
kk the magnet i had was encased in a chunk of heavy metal but that wasn't magnet at all so i took it out, and the magnet is only about 1 cm wide so not large. And also if i can't find a coil and am goin to make one should i use about 40 gauge copper wire? thanks mdog
Jan 11, 2009. 9:13 AMmdog93 says:
kk its cus thats the highest gauge wire i cu find wen browsing the internet, well on the maplins site anyway, btw just so i no, i think it wud but would a roll of 40swg wire thats 2200m long be enough, :S im sure it would be, right? mdog
Jan 16, 2009. 3:08 PMmdog93 says:
kk thanks man mdog
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Author:lennyb
i am a photolab technician and an incurable packrat. i have made swords ,chainmail, crossbows.cameras,bike trailers,kayaks,guitars{slide and electric},knives,various film winders and vacum easels for...
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