Need Help with dead pickup coil

[erikh]

Hopefully someone here can help me out. Last year I acquired a JB humbucker via trade at a guitar show. About a month ago, I installed it in one of my guitars and it sounded way thin. I have another JB in another guitar so I know what it should sound like.

So, after a while I pulled it back out and checked the resistance across the coils. Come to find out the lug coil is dead, no DC resistance. The slug coil reads a happy 8.xxk that it should (xx = can't remember exact numbers). Even with the red/white wires soldered together it still reads 8.xxk when it should be a little over 16k.

Being the adventurous one with this type of stuff and since I didn't lose a lot in getting this pickup, I decided to open her up to see what I could find. Lead wires to the coils looked OK until I found one that didn't look right. I resoldered that connection but still no DC resistance. I'm thinking either that connection is not solid or there is a break in the coil further inside the windings.

It's been a few weeks since I messed with it but I'd really like to get it working like it should be. Does anyone have experience with fixing these kind of issues? I'd appreciate any detailed info that can be given.

Erik

[bam]

I think there's a problem in the wire itself; as you might already know, good coil wire is not naked, but coated with something .. It could probably be that someone scratched your pup's wire ..

I think the best thing to do is re-coiling ..

[erikh]

Thanks, bam. I'm not experienced in rewinding pickups so I'll try to find someone local to do it for me or send it to MJ at Seymour Duncan to do it (maybe even a custom rewind...hmmmmm).

[StratLover]

Excellent suggestion on the re-coil. You could do a little reseach on that particular pup and find out the original coil mass.
Have the pup re-wound to a specific mass of coil for your particular style of playing. You might end up with a better pup altogather.

Try this link and inquire about your situation either by phone or via e-mail.

I believe they can help you out.

www.guitarsite.com/database/Guitars/rec/371/

[erich0316]

I bought a cheap re-coil kit from Stew-Mac for $39.00, or something like that, I rigged up a counder to a jig & used a cordless drill to spin the coil around, and I actually overwound a couple of Mighty-Mite alnico single-coils, and they sould Great. It is tedious & time-consuming, though.

[bam]

ATTN for DIY rewinders : remember the original coil wire gauge and the number of windings..