I've been on a tone quest for a bit after hearing certain vintage Strats have a really neat hollow sound to them. I could never put my finger on it; just when I'd hear those guitars it would hit me in the face like "That guitar sounds so striking but I don't know what it is." The vintage ones sound kinda like they're being played through a metal tube or something and it just sounds really funky and cool. After going through all the topics - low vs high output pickups, string guage, etc. - and never finding a satisfying explanation, I finally looked into the whole wax potting thing, and I think that's the secret to true VINTAGE sound. Unpotting makes the guitar sound really throaty and chorusy from inside and there's this really cool depth sensation to the sound, whereas modern Strats (and electric guitars in general) sound too clipped and stuffed, like you're just hearing the strings and not the resonance of the guitar. I guess that's nice for a really tight studio sound but you just limit the guitar's potential.
When I was a kid I bought some flats and alnico rods from StewMac and wound some single coils... The event burnt out my drill as well LOL. Thankfully they don't feedback and they live in my partscaster now. They do work and considering it was a "totally winging it" episode done with youthful bull headedness, I am pretty pleased with the results! Hope to get to try out one of yours some day.
I wax potted a hot stack that was really monophonic. It's still picks up the finger taps on the PU and pick guard but not much of the talking into the mic thing....no feedback when turned up. It's powerful. The cheap chinese stuff is usually pretty monophonic even when they're potted. Like the Firefly's and monoprice.
I just got some SD mini HB Antiquities in an SG and they sound amazing... but my pick hitting the pickup covers really is bugging me. I have a set of FB Antiquities that are not that bad. Funny you mentioned the import PRS. I just got a lefty and the pups sound so-so. Was gonna look into a replacement set soon.
Just got done potting a couple of reissue WRHB's that were driving me nuts because my pick kept hitting the neck pickup cover and making these loud pops come through my amp every time it happened. Potting fixed it, but it also changed the sound of the pickups to being a lot clearer.
Came here by way of research on why Gibson bass pickups tended to be dark and muddy eg, the single coil "Grabber" models. In this case the pickup was potted in solid epoxy in a solid metal cover-
Thanks for this informative clip. The old Lady with the unpotted PU sounded righteous! Loved that. Nevertheless, @Vaughn - there is another important factor, which is how loose the wire is wound around the coil. A looser winding tends to squeal the living h*ll out of anything feedbacking into the body - while a tight winding take care of this almost if not just as good as light waxing. Certainly it affects the tone. Tbh - it's probably not only how tight it is wound, but how tight the tolerance is with each and every part. It's also how tight the screws sit and so on For the machine vs. handwound PUs... Häussel, which are German Boutique Pickups get wound by hand in the development process. When the right pattern for a certain PU type ist found, the wiring strength and pattern is analyzed by a computer that can reproduce exact that pattern via machine winding. They sound glorious and are very consistent at the same time. I talked to Harry Häussel at the Guitar Summit this year. Everyone says he's being a relateable, reliable guy who is great working with. And I can tell now, he IS.
Also, di you think is the "wax" that make pickups sound all that deadened? I think its not a matter of wax but the "heat" that wax needs to get stuck on the copper wire. I mean copper gets changed - in its own molecular structure - if you cook it by such a high temperature the wax require to melt
How do you feel about using a light coat of lacquer to pot a single coil? Great demonstration of the differences. My playing style works well for unpotted pickups and I've tried to use unpotted pickups since the late '90s. Thanks for the info/content/upload, count me as a new subscriber.
Sorry I just now saw your comment! I always do my Historic 1954 Strat sets in VERY light lacquer ... and it's MAGIC with those ... AlNiCo III, Heavy Formvar 42, lightly wound, loosely wound ... and lacquer potted. PERFECTION 🙂
@@VaughnSkow Thank You Sir. I'm a big fan of your pickups. I've got a set of your Broadcaster pickups in a custom build, they are indeed "PERFECTION". 👍😉
Ok, this is what i want!!!!! SOUL real live guitar that anywhere you touch the guitar it is alive and has soul. Back in the day people played and everyone loved living guitar playing, get the washboard, get a h-made rasp, fork, rubber band mouth to finger yo yo band piece and lets band a sound own music!!!!! Alright..... I'm in.
How exactly do magnetic pickups reproduce the voice like that? does the voice create a disturbance in the magnetic field, or is literally everything going through the strings at some point? I guess I can see the voice vibrating the strings on a microscopic level that is being picked up by the ultra-sensitive unpotted coil. is that how it's happening?
A magnetic pickup can act somewhat like the condenser mic in an old tape recorder when the copper wires in the coil start vibrating enough to generate a small signal. It can be quite fun if you get your gain,tone and position of the guitar in the sweet spot relative to the amp.
It's Just vibrating that loose coil ! each bobbin has about 5,000 turns of wire, for a total of about one MILE per humbucker .,.. if it's even a little loose, that's got some serious vibration potential 🙂
My 2020 58 LP custom shop with the un potted pickups squeal like crazy. I play stereo thru a 1988 JCM 800 and a 1987 Silver Jubilee using a 1988 RAT Pedal for each of the amps. AT lower Gain and volume levels, There is not as much squealing . I need to do something about it. What should I do???
It's not rocket science. Get some parrafin wax from walmart. You can add some bee waxs if you want but I haven't noticed a big difference between using it and not....I think it can crumble quicker over time.....I've had mine for 10 years and they're fine. Get a hot plate and do it outside.....search wax potting pickups online.....there's a million video's on it. You do need a thermometer to keep from over heating it. The older bobbins aren't as sensitive. They're not plastic.
Unpotted pickups through speakers without dope, let them sing to their best potential I say! But I play lower volume clean sounds mostly, so for me it works, probably wouldn't work so well for a shredder, or anybody who plays loudly with distortion.....?
I've been on a tone quest for a bit after hearing certain vintage Strats have a really neat hollow sound to them. I could never put my finger on it; just when I'd hear those guitars it would hit me in the face like "That guitar sounds so striking but I don't know what it is." The vintage ones sound kinda like they're being played through a metal tube or something and it just sounds really funky and cool.
After going through all the topics - low vs high output pickups, string guage, etc. - and never finding a satisfying explanation, I finally looked into the whole wax potting thing, and I think that's the secret to true VINTAGE sound. Unpotting makes the guitar sound really throaty and chorusy from inside and there's this really cool depth sensation to the sound, whereas modern Strats (and electric guitars in general) sound too clipped and stuffed, like you're just hearing the strings and not the resonance of the guitar. I guess that's nice for a really tight studio sound but you just limit the guitar's potential.
How DO you control the amount of potting when you're potting them?
Fender has always potted their pickups
😄 That was funny! And thanks for the demo. What a cool gritty sound! Dig it
When I was a kid I bought some flats and alnico rods from StewMac and wound some single coils... The event burnt out my drill as well LOL. Thankfully they don't feedback and they live in my partscaster now. They do work and considering it was a "totally winging it" episode done with youthful bull headedness, I am pretty pleased with the results! Hope to get to try out one of yours some day.
This dudes expressions are the best
My 2019 57 Les Paul Custom is so LIVE! It’s tone is great. The neck has so much harmonics it’s insane. Absolutely fantastic for hard rock and metal.
You have an interesting content. Im a fan now. That's pretty cool and you are very skilled on how to play the guitar.
I wax potted a hot stack that was really monophonic. It's still picks up the finger taps on the PU and pick guard but not much of the talking into the mic thing....no feedback when turned up. It's powerful.
The cheap chinese stuff is usually pretty monophonic even when they're potted. Like the Firefly's and monoprice.
You can kill the noise with a noise gate too some of it rock on
I just got some SD mini HB Antiquities in an SG and they sound amazing... but my pick hitting the pickup covers really is bugging me. I have a set of FB Antiquities that are not that bad. Funny you mentioned the import PRS. I just got a lefty and the pups sound so-so. Was gonna look into a replacement set soon.
Just got done potting a couple of reissue WRHB's that were driving me nuts because my pick kept hitting the neck pickup cover and making these loud pops come through my amp every time it happened. Potting fixed it, but it also changed the sound of the pickups to being a lot clearer.
Came here by way of research on why Gibson bass pickups tended to be dark and muddy eg, the single coil "Grabber" models. In this case the pickup was potted in solid epoxy in a solid metal cover-
I used to sing through an original super distortion from the 1990’s. Still own it. I believe it is potted
This guitar is so rad!
Wanting more of the unpotted tone in my 2019 standard Wonder how thick it is on the Burst Buckers?
Thanks for this informative clip. The old Lady with the unpotted PU sounded righteous! Loved that.
Nevertheless, @Vaughn - there is another important factor, which is how loose the wire is wound around the coil.
A looser winding tends to squeal the living h*ll out of anything feedbacking into the body - while a tight winding take care of this almost if not just as good as light waxing.
Certainly it affects the tone.
Tbh - it's probably not only how tight it is wound, but how tight the tolerance is with each and every part. It's also how tight the screws sit and so on
For the machine vs. handwound PUs...
Häussel, which are German Boutique Pickups get wound by hand in the development process. When the right pattern for a certain PU type ist found, the wiring strength and pattern is analyzed by a computer that can reproduce exact that pattern via machine winding.
They sound glorious and are very consistent at the same time.
I talked to Harry Häussel at the Guitar Summit this year.
Everyone says he's being a relateable, reliable guy who is great working with.
And I can tell now, he IS.
Also, di you think is the "wax" that make pickups sound all that deadened? I think its not a matter of wax but the "heat" that wax needs to get stuck on the copper wire. I mean copper gets changed - in its own molecular structure - if you cook it by such a high temperature the wax require to melt
How do you feel about using a light coat of lacquer to pot a single coil?
Great demonstration of the differences.
My playing style works well for unpotted pickups and I've tried to use unpotted pickups since the late '90s.
Thanks for the info/content/upload, count me as a new subscriber.
Sorry I just now saw your comment! I always do my Historic 1954 Strat sets in VERY light lacquer ... and it's MAGIC with those ... AlNiCo III, Heavy Formvar 42, lightly wound, loosely wound ... and lacquer potted. PERFECTION 🙂
@@VaughnSkow Thank You Sir. I'm a big fan of your pickups. I've got a set of your Broadcaster pickups in a custom build, they are indeed "PERFECTION". 👍😉
That guitar looks like it was rescued from the apocalypse! 😳
Ok, this is what i want!!!!! SOUL real live guitar that anywhere you touch the guitar it is alive and has soul. Back in the day people played and everyone loved living guitar playing, get the washboard, get a h-made rasp, fork, rubber band mouth to finger yo yo band piece and lets band a sound own music!!!!! Alright..... I'm in.
There is no video online that shows how to solder a vintage RCA male plug. Could you make one please.
Gr8 info
Man, you should let us listen at the differences between potted vs unpotted by a clen not distorted sound otherwose we get nothing! :)
How exactly do magnetic pickups reproduce the voice like that? does the voice create a disturbance in the magnetic field, or is literally everything going through the strings at some point? I guess I can see the voice vibrating the strings on a microscopic level that is being picked up by the ultra-sensitive unpotted coil. is that how it's happening?
A magnetic pickup can act somewhat like the condenser mic in an old tape recorder when the copper wires in the coil start vibrating enough to generate a small signal. It can be quite fun if you get your gain,tone and position of the guitar in the sweet spot relative to the amp.
It's Just vibrating that loose coil ! each bobbin has about 5,000 turns of wire, for a total of about one MILE per humbucker .,.. if it's even a little loose, that's got some serious vibration potential 🙂
I already subscribed
My 2020 58 LP custom shop with the un potted pickups squeal like crazy. I play stereo thru a 1988 JCM 800 and a 1987 Silver Jubilee using a 1988 RAT Pedal for each of the amps. AT lower Gain and volume levels, There is not as much squealing . I need to do something about it. What should I do???
Have a pickup shop[ (like mine) pot the pickups. I'd go with light potting to retain the vintage sound but control the sequel.
Or swap them out for potted so as to not what they say lol molest it Light potting if needed
It's not rocket science. Get some parrafin wax from walmart. You can add some bee waxs if you want but I haven't noticed a big difference between using it and not....I think it can crumble quicker over time.....I've had mine for 10 years and they're fine. Get a hot plate and do it outside.....search wax potting pickups online.....there's a million video's on it. You do need a thermometer to keep from over heating it. The older bobbins aren't as sensitive. They're not plastic.
You fitted the unpotted pickup on a hollow body guitar which makes it more susceptible to microphonic feedback.
Unpotted pickups through speakers without dope, let them sing to their best potential I say! But I play lower volume clean sounds mostly, so for me it works, probably wouldn't work so well for a shredder, or anybody who plays loudly with distortion.....?
Depends, I agree for clean sounds it’s great but with dirt and feedback level volume it’s really mandatory
cuz effects don't exist
oh yeah also only use orange drop caps cuz music can tell
Some pot them in a vacuum so no air remains in the pickup.
I just threw up .... yeah, they do ...
....sounding clinical and boring....and i thought it was me!!!! maybe there's hope yet. how do i unwax myself or my pickups?
Do you have an email? I'd like to ask you something
just google away :)