Partscasterer
TDPRI Member
I wonder if there’s a discernible difference?
NOS wire pickups: snake oil or the real deal?
- Thread starter Partscasterer
- Start date
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I have a couple of pickups that are close to exact reproductions of vintage pickups that sound just like the originals.
However, I know there are cheaper ones that sound great so there are certainly ones that work at all price points. In the end what really matters is that they sound the way you like.
However, I know there are cheaper ones that sound great so there are certainly ones that work at all price points. In the end what really matters is that they sound the way you like.
So vintage wire that sat in barns and basements for 50-70 years?
I have several 50 year old Tele bridge pickups and had the dead ones rewound by Fralin, I presume with new wire.
The 50 year old pickups cant really be distinguished from the rewinds, aside from some having different turn count AKA dcr.
I understand enamel wire insulation makes for a tonal difference and will try a CS69 soon to “hear” it.
Not sure any of my 70-75 year old Tele pickups are enamel insulation wire.
I have several 50 year old Tele bridge pickups and had the dead ones rewound by Fralin, I presume with new wire.
The 50 year old pickups cant really be distinguished from the rewinds, aside from some having different turn count AKA dcr.
I understand enamel wire insulation makes for a tonal difference and will try a CS69 soon to “hear” it.
Not sure any of my 70-75 year old Tele pickups are enamel insulation wire.
Dostradamas
Poster Extraordinaire
For under $50 I can discern no difference without deeply inhaling the cork.
archetype
Fiend of Leo's
Concise version:
No.
Longer version:
No. It's just 43 or 42 Gauge copper wire. There are a dozen other variables that affect the characteristics of a passive guitar pickup, but copper wire being 'old' isn't one of them.
not unless you roast them to facilitate latticing of the crystal network.
archetype
Fiend of Leo's
I had a very long answer that incorporated that nonsense, but I truncated it for brevity. My real response was...
Concise version:
No.
Longer version:
Hell, no.
Yeah I agree with “no”.
arlum
Friend of Leo's
I don't really have an answer. I can see how using wire that matches the composition of the vintage wire used in the originals would be a good thing but I don't see why new wire that's made to the identical specifications of the old wire wouldn't work. It's just wire. I do believe in the use of vintage caps and other parts to create tonal matches to the originals but wire? If we can't make wire that's identical to wire made in the '50s we've progressed into regression.
northernguitar
Poster Extraordinaire
Who’s listening? Rumour has it, Eric Johnson can tell what solder was used to wire his pedals.
hopdybob
Friend of Leo's
wine, wiskey, that are product were time can do good things.
electronics, wire??
i have '70 / 80 Bill Lawrence pickups. do they sound better? no
because Bill could cope with different materials if, say magnets, where not available to him that he used.
What would the great guitar players of the 60 70 use now?
What they had then was what was produced, production was not well monitored, windings by hand etc.
and they made great music with it because?????
they had it in their mind and fingers.
so leave your money where it is, and spend time practicing your skills and have fun playing music
electronics, wire??
i have '70 / 80 Bill Lawrence pickups. do they sound better? no
because Bill could cope with different materials if, say magnets, where not available to him that he used.
What would the great guitar players of the 60 70 use now?
What they had then was what was produced, production was not well monitored, windings by hand etc.
and they made great music with it because?????
they had it in their mind and fingers.
so leave your money where it is, and spend time practicing your skills and have fun playing music
Partscasterer
TDPRI Member
Sure, but I'll only know after I bought them): I've been eying those for some time https://www.boutiqueguitarpickups.com/mojo-nos-wire-telecaster-set
Partscasterer
TDPRI Member
Just look at what happened to pop music, isn't it exactly the case?
archetype
Fiend of Leo's
You're seriously thinking about paying 729 Euro for a Telecaster pickup set, because it has old wire in it?
You won't know if old wire makes any difference, because there's no way to tell. Their 229 Euro set uses A3 magnets. If they built it exactly the same, but with A5 magnets, it would sound the same as the 729 Euro set with old wire. There's provable physics to explain this.
No, 'a subtle difference' can't be heard that's attributable to the wire. Any subtle difference is due to this vendor implying there's a difference. The vendor is suspect anyway, for marketing an "Esquire" bridge pickup. At any given moment, Fender used the same pickup for Teles and Esquires. There was no such thing as a Fender Esquire pickup.
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BristolKeeno
Tele-Holic
If you think it'll make a difference, it will to you
And if you've got the cash just lying around waiting to be spent, then go for it
Or
Send it to me, I'm saving up to buy a house before the zombie apocalypse puts up the rental prices and makes me homeless
And if you've got the cash just lying around waiting to be spent, then go for it
Or
Send it to me, I'm saving up to buy a house before the zombie apocalypse puts up the rental prices and makes me homeless
SnidelyWhiplash
Poster Extraordinaire
That's a lot for a set of Tele pickups. 
I doubt seriously that " older " wire will make much of a difference.
Mojo costs money...
I doubt seriously that " older " wire will make much of a difference.
Mojo costs money...
archetype
Fiend of Leo's
It's only the thickness. 1,000s of turns of a thicker material = bigger coil = higher inductance = lower resonant peak in the curve = it sounds a tiny bit different.
Exactly. You know what they say about "a fool and his money..."
Let us not forget the sonic differences between formvar and poly coating on the wire. You gotta know this stuff if you want creamy endless sustain.
It's not just that - it's also that a bigger coil has lower capacitance.
