J S Moore Pickups

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Custom Handwound Pickups

Pickups

As I make more and more pickups I am starting more models, which are listed below, as well as my custom winds. Once you have decided on your specifics, or if you wish more information, please contact me.

PAF Wind: A mis-matched coil wind to give that vintage paf tone. Great edge to the top end. Available in any mis-match you would like. You can also specify which coil you would like to be hotter. Having the screw coil hotter brightens a guitar up while having the stud coil hotter gives a nice mellow tone for the bridge. Same for the neck position, the pickup will emphasize different characteristics depending on the hot coil. I have found that having a hot screw coil on a neck pickup gives it a tendency to be muddy so a stronger magnet would be a good choice to complement the wind.

Matched Wind: Both coils are wound to the same spec for a superb creamy tone. This is what the original design of the humbucker intended.

Hybrid: Seriously mis-matched coils, generally 2 Kohm ( 4.5k and 6.5k for example) which is great for coil splitting. The high ouput screw coil is just right for that single coil sound. I usually tap the screw coil for either a paf or matched wind to give several different tone options.

Black Widow: High output ( 15k) Alnico 8 pickup. You can have this in a double screw, double stud or a traditional version. You can have an open cover on the double screw ( cover comes in chrome only) or closed cover on the double stud. Big, fat tone with clear highs.

V-1,2 and 3: Classic PAF wind in three different ouputs. You can mix and match these for a set. V-1 is 7.7k and perfect for the neck position. The V-2 is 8.2k and the V-3 is 8.8k. The mis-match on the coils gets larger form the HB-1 to the HB-3. Smooth vintage tone with excellent clarity.

H-1,2 and 3: Same outputs as the V series but with matched coils.

V-59: This is a pickup wound from specs I received from a 1959 Double White PAF. The bridge pickup comes out to 8.3k with the neck being 7.8k or 7.6k, depending on your preference. If you find your neck position a bit dark go for the lower output. It also gives a nice hollow tone in the neck. This is my personal preference for my guitar. This is the pickup you hear in the third clip on the soundclips page. Depending on your rig this set can get that nice edgey high end.

Jekyll and Hyde: This pickup combines the V-59 and the Black Widow into one. Vintage and high output at the flick of a switch ( or pull of a pot) give you the best of both worlds.

Ultimate Rock Set: The Black Widow bridge with a hybrid neck. Truly useful single coil sound within a humbucker package. 15k bridge with a 7.5k single coil and a 7.8k neck with a 6.8k single coil ( or whatever specs you like).

Strat and Tele: Right now I have Alnico 2 and 5. I will be getting some Alnico 3 in the near future. The Tele bridge comes with a baseplate and the neck comes with a cover.

The following are things to consider when choosing your pickup.

Output: The more winds on the coil the higher the output, and the higher the resistance. This lowers the resonant peak with a resulting loss of high frequencies. This is something to keep in mind when deciding on the tone of your pickup.

Magnets: The stronger the magnet the brighter the sound. From weakest to strongest Alnico is ranked 3,2,4,5 and 8. Ceramic 8 is the strongest by far and usually used in pickups 14 Kohms and higher. As a rule of thumb I generally pair a weaker magnet with a lower ohm wind, and vice-versa. As the ohms go up in the pickup a stronger magnet is sometimes desirable to offset the loss of high frequencies. You can choose whatever mix you like for your own personal tone. I magnetize my own magnets so you can also choose your mag slightly de-gaussed for a mellower than usual tone. I have Alnico 2,3,4,5 and 8 in stock. I don’t get much call for ceramic but I will get them if requested. I magnetize them myself to ensure quality,and I use vintage 2 1/2” length. Un-polished magnets are available in 2,3,4 and 5.

Bobbins: Your choice of double black, double white ( Antique white which has more of a bone colour) or zebra ( black/white or black/cream, regular or reverse). I also have double cream, but they must be ordered with covers because of a trademark held by a big pickup manufacturer, who I can’t name because of licensing considerations. You can choose any combination for your set. I will also do double screw and double stud. I use maple spacers for that PAF flavour.

Size: Either the standard 50mm size for both positions or 50mm for the neck and 53mm for the bridge. I also have the 49.2 mm Gibson spacing.

Covers: Nickel or Gold, in either spacing. Un-plated nickel-silver covers are available. I also have nickel-silver closed covers for the double stud pickups. Dog ear or soapbar, black or cream for P-90’s.

Lead Wire: With the exception of the Hybrid I use braided single conductor. Please let me know if you want 4-conductor.

Magnet Wire: I use either 42 or 43 AWG wire with plain enamel insulation depending on how high the ohms need to be for each coil. I prefer the plain enamel over poly-nylon even though it is about twice the cost. There is a difference in build thickness that I believe contributes to a better overall tone. 42 gauge is usually used up to 5 Kohms per coil and 43 gauge is good for up to 7 Kohms or so per coil. There is no hard and fast rule so if you would like 43 gauge or even 44 gauge on your mid 8 Kohm humbucker it’s up to you. But it may sound a little thin.

Potting: I can do either potted or un-potted, it’s up to you. Potting solidifies the coil so that it will not vibrate under sound pressure and cause microphonic feedback ( that’s the really irritating squealing noise) Don’t confuse it with harmonic feedback, which a lot of players ( myself included) find desirable. There is no need for potting with a properly wound coil. Some guitarists claim that un-potted pickups are more responsive, but if you play really, really loud then potting should be considered. And I mean Pete Townsend loud.