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Post subject: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 3:49 pm
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me being able to "fix" a non-funtioning '79 strat pickup without having to send it off to be re-wound? Could I perhaps very gently unwind it a few turns and see if the wire is broke and resolder it? How likely is it that it could be in the lead wires? I only paid $4 bucks for it and it doesn't look trashed but who knows it's history... I've never wanted to dissect a pickup before but for $4 it's worth a lesson in pickup innards and repair. Plus, if it really is trashed I could just have it rewound. Any thoughts?

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 4:46 pm
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The chances are good you could fix it. It sounds like you have a soldering gun. Do you have a meter? Check the resistance at the eyelets where the coil wire gets soldered to the lead wires. Check the resistance along the wires leaving the coil before they get to the eyelets. You will have to remove a bit of the insulation to get to the copper. I use real fine sand paper and go lightly! If you get a normal value, you have a cold solder joint at the eyelets. Just reflow the solder and you should be good to go.

If you don't get a normal resistance value, then you can start unwinding. Maybe you'll find a break. You will want to check the resistance every now and then while you unwind. If you are lucky, at some point you'll get a normal reading and you can solder the end back to the eyelet. If the break is deep in the coil, you'd have to do a rewind it to get it working again.

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sat Oct 19, 2013 4:51 pm
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Nice, that's pretty encouraging... I do have a soldering iron and a meter so we'll see what happens. I know a lot of people bag on all things "70's Fender" but the pickups I've had the opportunity to hear have sounded pretty darn good IMO. Hopefully it works out and if not I guess I'll get it rewound.

Of course then I'll have to build a guitar around that spare pickup. :lol:


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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:30 am
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Usually the coil wire breaks right were the leads solder to the bobbin.
If that's the case just take it one wrap melt the solder, re-establish the hole.
Tie off the coil wire again carefully insert the lead and re-solder it in.
I haven't seen many break in the middle of the coil.
This usually does not even affect the value of the coil.
If your good you can even lay a thin solder trail into whats left of the coil wire.

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:53 am
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That makes sense... it seems odd that the coil wire would break in the middle of the windings. I'm optimistic that I can get it working again, it's seems like an easy enough project. I'm hoping to find a few other non-funtioning 70's pups to fix so I can do up a p/g assembly with them. There seem to be a lot of 70's Musicmaster pickups kicking around on eBay as well.... they look identical to the Strat pickups but I think I might have read something at some point about them being wound in the opposite direction??? In any event, I have some stuff to sell on eBay myself so I can raise some funds for the project, and it's likely that's what it will become.

Just what I don't need, another strat... somebody stop me!


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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 8:04 am
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JamGuy wrote:
That makes sense... it seems odd that the coil wire would break in the middle of the windings. I'm optimistic that I can get it working again, it's seems like an easy enough project. I'm hoping to find a few other non-funtioning 70's pups to fix so I can do up a p/g assembly with them. There seem to be a lot of 70's Musicmaster pickups kicking around on eBay as well.... they look identical to the Strat pickups but I think I might have read something at some point about them being wound in the opposite direction??? In any event, I have some stuff to sell on eBay myself so I can raise some funds for the project, and it's likely that's what it will become.

Just what I don't need, another strat... somebody stop me!



I do have that American standard neck pickup in the drawer its a 6.0k 1989 standard.
I would need to get some alnico 5 rods for it but if you need it let me know.

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 11:22 am
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Thanks, I'll PM you if I decide I need it, Cheers.


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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 12:03 pm
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Of course you'll only be able to unwind one end of the coil, usually that's the end going to the right eyelet with the white lead wire.

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Sun Oct 20, 2013 1:04 pm
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orvilleowner wrote:
Of course you'll only be able to unwind one end of the coil, usually that's the end going to the right eyelet with the white lead wire.


Good call orville, hopefully thats where the coil wire break is.

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 7:46 pm
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The chances just so happen to be good! The pickup arrived and it did have a break in the coil wires and I was able to get it working. I was worried as I did have to unwind more than a few turns... lots of turns actually. The good news is that it still reads at 5.5 so that's in the ball park of where these 70's pickups usually register. Now I just need to get it wired up to something and see how it sounds in action!


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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:04 pm
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Wow, good work. It is a little on the low side, a few percent, so don't put it in the bridge position. $4 you said? lucky.

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:14 pm
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Yeah killer deal :D

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Post subject: Re: What are the chances of...
Posted: Mon Oct 21, 2013 8:52 pm
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Well, $4.92 to be exact... so I guess it's close to $5. I could always pair it with another lower output pickup and put in in my Duo-sonic... right now I have lipsticks in it (GFS). I like the bridge OK but the neck pup is super low output and I don't really like it. Who knows, time will tell where it ends up...


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