The Steel Guitar Forum

I've been mainly an acoustic builder, including Weissenbornagains, over the past 40+ years. In the last 2 years, all of a sudden I'm building lap steels and teaching lap steel building. Now I need to learn a lot about pickups. I've been using Chinese pickups for the students and Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups for myself. I'd like to start making my own pickups to accommodate different numbers of strings and different string spacing. A few questions:
1. Although I see lots of ideas for making pickup winders, I'm more likely to buy one already made. Not understanding these machines completely, I'm interested in feedback on the Stewmac catalog machines. I would assume that spacing of the poles is not an issue with them, but just checking.
2. Stewmac offers a number of cheap kits. but they are in standard pole spacings. I'm interested in suppliers where you can get all the components separately.
3. Also interested in a book/internet site that completely covers pickup building for the "Dummy".
Thanks in advance, Bob/Pegasus Guitars and Ukuleles

Lots of information here.

I can highly recommend Pickups by Mario Milan.



This is not a How-To book. It is a history of the design, materials, construction and so on of the Magnetic Pickup. Although there is a Chapter on 'How-To Modify or Build a Pickup', the main value here is the wealth of information on Pickup Design. There are lots of rare photos, many in color, of pickups and guitars. Unlike some Popular Books, he includes Steel Guitars and European Instruments and more.

IIRC, I think that I got my copy from Amazon. Here is another source: https://www.elderly.com/pickups-winding ... ectric.htm

Good Luck in your New Pursuit.

Michael and Jamie- Both good info. Thanks, Bob

I think this might be what you're looking for.
http://www.lollarguitars.com/jason-lollar/winder-book
It might be a little pricey, but Jason Lollar is one of the foremost pickup builders. I have a former guitar student who bought this book, and the pickups she builds are as good as anything I have ever heard. Not only does he show you how to wind pickups, he shows you how to build a pickup winding machine. It's a great book!

Jerry- Thanks. I have that Lollar book on the way.--Bob