Hi everyone
ive got this old fender single coil middle pickup that a friend sent me, managed to get the neck one in and working but the middle one didn't work at all.
on closer inspection it seems the beginning winding wire has broken off, is this simple enough to fix? would i just have to solder it back onto the join?
thanks!
In theory, yes. The thin winding wire will be insulated, so you'll want to try and scrape the insulation off before soldering (fine sandpaper or a Scotchbrite pad). Some insulation material will burn off with heat, but if you can remove it first, then it's better.
I'd solder a thin piece of solid wire in the white wire eyelet first, then run it parallel to the broken wire and solder those together.
Don't try and stretch it so it reaches the eyelet as it will break again, and then it will need a rewind.
I take it it is a 'proper' Fender pickup with magnetic pole pieces, rather than one with magnets stuck underneath as found on some Mexican or Japanese Fenders? If a proper one, it's worth getting it rewound if you can't fix it yourself. But not worth it if it's one with magnets on the bottom.
Last edited by Simon Barden; 03-02-2022 at 04:27 PM.
Thanks Simon,I think I’ll try this first
It’s a proper American fender one so hopefully I can get get it done otherwise I’ll have to send it off
If the wire does break when soldering, it may be possible to carefully unwind one turn from the coil so that you've got enough to put through the eyelet. Remove the white wire first, remove any solder and old wire from the eyelet, and then you should be able, using tweezers, to wrap the coil wire around the eyelet two or three times. Again, try and remove the insulation from the wire first using find sandpaper or a Scotchbrite pad. You should be able to see this has been done for the other end of the wire. Then put the white wire in the eyelet and solder it all up.
If the pickup has been wax potted, then getting the coil wire off could be difficult and it may break. But it's still worth a go.
Nice, I’ll give that a go today, I was thinking about unwinding one turn but wasn’t sure if that was ok to do.
If it’s sitting on the outside it should be fine, but if it’s jammed between other turns, it may snap if pulled. But there’s nothing to lose, as it just goes off for a rewind.
Yeah I just had a look and it’s only £35 to get a rewind so not the end of the world, and if it works then yay I leant something
I agree with Simon's advice re: repairing it yourself, but I would go the unwind and resolder route rather than joining another length of wire if it were mine.
That pickup has clockwise winding so it shouldn't be hard to unwind (anti-clockwise) one turn of wire from the coil since the broken wire is at the coil finish. Of course you still need to work gently, but it's completely doable IMO.
And the coating on the wire should be remove just as per Simon's post.
Additionally, if you want to minimise the amount faffing around with the coil wire and the eyelet (eg: de-soldering lead; multiple looping coil wire through the eyelet, re-attaching the lead, etc) you could just reflow the existing solder and lay in the coil wire. Done.
Making the world a better place; one guitar at a time...
Thanks!!! i tried to unwind but unfortunately it snapped off 3/4 the way round ugh!
ill have to send this in, anyone know a good place in the UK ?
I think all the UK pickup makers will do rewinds. You may have one local you could drop it in with rather than rely on the mail.
Bare Knuckle have done rewinds for a couple of friends.
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