Pickup

The three major parts to a pickup are: The Magnets, Copper Wire, and the Bobbin. The wire is wound around a bobbin, to make the pickup coil. The machines are not very complex usually, and someone like Abby Ybarra, who has been at Fender since the 50's, can guide the wire by hand into the winding machine. There is a counter on the machine, and hence the terms "underwind" and "overwind" a pickup. The tension can also be varied when making the winds also. Coils generally have between 6000 and 8,500 winds. Now to charging the magnets; Magnets are usually charged after the pickups have been manufactured (wow). They are charged in a similar way to some of the science experiments we all did in High School, where the pickups are introduced into a magnetic field, which is electrically generated. Does this all sound like a Wolfgang Puck recipe? Why do you think Lindy Fralin and Abigail Ybarra are so well known... if everyone and anyone could wind an amazing sounding pickup (or cook a great mulligan stew)...well...they would all be doing it.... wouldn't we?