I was recently sent a pair of Wilson semi acoustic pickups probably built at some point in the late sixties or early seventies. Though they were producing sound if tapped - they were open circuit ... and what we commonly call 'zombie' pickups: dead but they don't know it!
Made in the UK these are fascinating - and ridiculously over engineered! Here's the bridge one.
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/UTTMFvo.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/UTTMFvo.jpg)
Off comes the cover ... and what do we find under the black plastic trim ...
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/nJhVxWa.jpg?1](https://i.imgur.com/nJhVxWa.jpg?1)
It even has locking wires on the poles ... er ....
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/nAjI3Rm.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/nAjI3Rm.jpg)
Arggggghhhhh an air coil - as in one wound with no bobbin on a special former. This one has the distinction of sitting in an odd plastic trough. Funny, if they were going to get the trough moulded why not use a moulded bobbin? Good old British engineering!
Dont plan ... just do it ... and if it looks complicated so much the better :-)
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/3HuYtD0.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/3HuYtD0.jpg)
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/OnoDNL5.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/OnoDNL5.jpg)
Unfortunately the 'trough that takes the air coil has an advanced case of plastic breakdown ... and literally fell apart as I took the coil out.
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/TPUMWwb.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/TPUMWwb.jpg)
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/fumf29h.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/fumf29h.jpg)
The coil appears to be 44awg wire but I will cut a length from the junk coil before rewinding and diameter check it ...
So with nothing to cradle a replacement air coil in ... well apart from a gooey crumbling plastic jigsaw ... I decided to build a custom bobbin to substitute for the air coil. With the same dimensions and winding level it will sound the same as the original when wound - but save several days of fabrication in a winding jig just for two pickups! It will be very similar to an air coil as it will be made out of paper! Yep paper.
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/0R3zJKt.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/0R3zJKt.jpg)
Thick cartridge paper turned into wafer thin 'fibreglass' by soaking in cyanoacrylate glue.
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/cm5tWuo.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cm5tWuo.jpg)
I am bound to need a replacement at the neck too - so a made two straight off. Yes its pink cartridge paper, get over it, I'm spreying them black anyway! :-)
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/qHyqESx.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/qHyqESx.jpg)
Voila!
![Image: https://i.imgur.com/JU19dFZ.jpg](https://i.imgur.com/JU19dFZ.jpg)
The magnets will be familiar to anyone who has looked inside a Burns Trisonic (which uses two of them instead of four). Clearly these were an easy find back in the day for British companies! Here the configuration is a bit like a P90 crossed with a Gold Foil crossed with a 1960s electric milk float!
Anyway that's all for part one ... winding next
Professional pickup winder, horse-testpilot and recovering Chocolate Hobnob addict.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ...
Oil City Pickups ...
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How do you support/separate the upper & lower surfaces of the paper replacement bobbins?
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog
I love the fact that by trying to copy they made something totally original :-)
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog