[caption id=”attachment_945” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Handwound Tele-90 Pickup - A P90 design in a Tele Bridge”][/caption]

A P90 design to fit a Tele Bridge Pickup

Fat, grittier tones from your Tele Bridge position whilst still keeping some of that classic Tele twang

Magnet: Custom Alnico 5
Poles: Steel Slug Screws
Polarity: South Up
Coil Wire: 44AWG Plain Enamel
Lead Wire: Vintage Cloth Pushback
Output: 10.4k
Baseplate: Copper Plated Steel

Telecaster Sized P90 Bridge Pickup

A P90 design in a standard Telecaster Bridge size. The Creamery Telecaster sized P90 pickup houses two unpolished custom Alnico 5 magnets, wider steel slug screws and a short, fat 44AWG coil. Huge, fat single-coil tones still with clarity, presence & a defined voice. Get the grit of a P90 in a standard Telecaster Bridge size. Great fat, rounded clean tones - turn up the gain and let the pickup scream.

The geometry of the standard Tele Bridge Pickup size as opposed to a standard P90 means there will always be a slight difference in tone between the two pickups as the coil will be slightly narower - Its for this reason I don’t call it a “true” P90 although I’ve voiced this pickup as a balance between the classic P90 tone with the unique twang of the Telecaster bridge.

A higher output, fat single-coil tone in a standard Tele Bridge sized pickup. The higher output balances with the narrower, lower strength magnets for a much rounder bridge tone.

For more details, you can visit my Creamery Custom Handwound Telecaster Pickups page here

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_940” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Classic ‘71 Wide Range Humbucker Reproduction Pickups”][/caption]

New Repro Wide Range Tele / Thinline Humbuckers

With true individual threaded pole magnets and internal reflector plate. Custom nickel silver / nickel plated covers and available in separate pole spacing for bridge & neck.

[caption id=”attachment_938” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Classic ‘71 Wide Range Tele/Thinline Humbucker”][/caption]

Finally, after working on these for well over 18mths they’re finally ready - my true spec take on the original Seth Lover designed Wide Range Humbuckers.

Magnets: Threaded Pole or Optional Alnico 2
Coil Wire: 42AWG
Lead Wire: Vintage Braided
Bridge Output: 10.7k
Neck Output: 9.8k

The vintage Wide Range Humbucker sound

A true replacement for the modern Wide Range Tele / Thinline Humbucker reissue pickups. Classic fat “Doubled Up” single coil tones - Great clarity and string definition with a bright warmth. Individual threaded pole magnets charged to around 2/3rds capacity allow you to dial in each string. A warmer mid-range than standard single coils and with a higher output, they’re great for breaking up an amp. With a great fat bridge tone sounding akin to a “doubled-up” Tele and a neck with a warm, sweet brightness. Vintage nickel-silver baseplate, ferrous internal reflector plate, full-size custom bobbins with medium scatterwound coils - The Creamery Wide Range Tele / Thinline Humbucker, a direct replacement for those modern reissues.

Pole spacing for Bridge & Neck position

Unlike the originals & reissues, I’ve made the Classic ‘71 Wide Range Humbuckers with 53mm Bridge pole spacing & 50mm pole spacing for better string definition in the neck position.

Calibrated Outputs

I’ve also lowered the neck output a little to give much better volume balance between bridge & neck pickup.

Vintage style threaded magnets

My vintage take on the original pickups have either 12 threaded magnets or a combination of 6 threaded magnets and 6 x hidden Alnico 2 rod magnets. With the threaded & Alnico 2 rod magnets together the tone is ever so rounder, warmer with a few less highs - Great if you want to take a little ‘spank’ out of the bridge position.

Covers

I’ve had custom covers manufactured especially for these pickups. VIntage nickel/silver material, plated in nickel fitted to vintage nickel/silver baseplates.

PLEASE NOTE: These pickups are a direct drop-in replacement to fit the modern Fender® reissue Wide Range Humbuckers.

You can find more details & order a set of my Classic ‘71 Wide Range Humbuckers here.

[caption id=”attachment_936” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Wide Range Humbucker - Standard Humbucker Size”][/caption]

Standard Humbucker Version

Recently reviewed in Total Guitar magazine where they received a “5 Star/Best-Buy award”, you can now get my standard humbucker versions in new custom nickel covers. More rounded than a standard humbucker cover, they’ve a great retro look.

More details of my Wide Range Humbucker - standard humbucker sized versions can be found here.

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_918” align=”aligncenter” width=”450” caption=”The Creamery - New Gift Vouchers”][/caption]

Just a quick note to let you know the gift vouchers are back up online. Available in values from £10 all the way up to £100. You can just order them through the site and I’ll email you back the unique voucher code to use against any of the pickup sets.

You can find them here

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_907” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Radius Stratocaster (Strat) Pickups”][/caption]

Pickups to Match the radius of your neck/fingerboard

I’m often asked to make a custom set of Strat pickups with the old vintage stagger, by that I mean, the pole magnets follow the stagger pattern of the old, early Fender® pickups. This vintage stagger usually poses no problems with tighter radius necks (7.25”, 9.5”) but does create issues with the more modern radius necks.

[caption id=”attachment_908” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Stratocaster (Strat) Vintage Neck Radius & Pole Height”][/caption]

Why do some Stratocaster guitar pickups have staggered polepieces?

Simply put, staggered polepiece magnets help to balance the output/volume of each string. If you have a flat pole set of pickups with a 7.25” radius neck then you’d get more perceived volume from the high & low ‘E’ strings as they would be closer to the magnets whereas with a vintage stagger, the poles follow the radius of the neck to give good volume balance. Conversely, a vintage staggered set on a modern 10” or 12” neck will over emphasise the middle ‘D’ & ‘G’ strings as they will be closer to the strings.

Pickups staggered to suit your neck radius

I often chat with customers about the radius of their guitar neck when I wind them a set of Strat pickups. The pic at the top of this blog article shows a custom 10” staggered set of my Sweet ‘74 Stratocaster Pickups. The customer wanted a good, rounded tone with balanced output across the strings.

Coming Soon - The “Sonic-Six” adjustable pole Strat pickup

[caption id=”attachment_912” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery “Sonic-Six” Custom Adjustable Pole Strat Pickup”][/caption]

Its with this in mind I’ve designed the new Sonic-Six, adjustable pole Strat pickup. The individual threaded magnets allow you to find the right balance for each string. They’ll be launched in early December.

If you’re after a good rounded balance to your strat pickups I can custom make a set to suit your guitar. Have a look at my range of Handwound Strat pickups, and let me know the radius of your fingerboard. If you don’t know, just let me know the make & model of your guitar and I can research it.

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_902” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Classic ‘83 “Hair Metal” Humbucker”][/caption]

Magnet: Alnico 5, 8 or Ceramic

Coil Wire: 43AWG Plain Enamel

Lead Wire: Vintage Braided Pushback or 4way

Bridge Output: 13.6k

Neck Output: 11.7k

The Hair Metal Humbucker

Similar in output to the Dirty Shirt Humbucker but with a tighter focus, the Classic ‘83 has thicker mids, a little more in the bass whilst keeping those fatter higher frequencies.

Choose from Alnico 5, 8 or ceramic magnets - The 5 will give you a more rounded, vintage high output tone. The Alnico 8 is a great balance between the the 5 & Ceramic option, giving more treble but with a smoother roll-off to the mids whereas the Ceramic option works to emphasise those biting higher frequencies at gain.

Great clarity & definition for a higher output humbucker. Avaialble in chrome or Gold H-Cover, simple open black, white or zebra bobbins.

You can buy a single pickup or complete Classic ‘83 “Hair Metal” Humbucker Set (Bridge & Neck) in the online shop.

For more information on my Custom handwound Humbucker pickup range, click here.

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_889” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom ‘Double Track’ Handwound Blade Humbucker Pickup”][/caption]

Design your own Humbucker Pickup

Fully Custom Handwound Humbucker Blade Pickups

Magnet:Alnico 2,3,4,5 or Alnico 8

Coil Wire: 42 or 43AWG Plain Enamel

Lead Wire: Vintage Braided Pushback or 4way

Bridge Output: Low, Mid or High

Neck Output: Low, Mid or High

Here it is, the totally custom blade humbucker from The Creamery. You chose the magnets & the output for a pickup or set unique for your sound. Blade pickups are great for string bending as, unlike polepiece pickups, there’s no audio drop off when pushing/pulling the string. They also have a slightlier smoother, rounder tone as the string is always over the magnetised rail, great for clarity & definition.

Choose from my:

• Hollow-Body Humbucker output: 7.3k Bridge, 6.4k Neck
• ‘57 Humbucker output: 7.8k Bridge, 7.0k Neck
• ‘59 Humbucker outout: 8.3k Bridge, 7.3k Neck
• Dirty Shirt Humbucker output: 13.6k Bridge, 9.7k Neck
• Double Six Humbucker output: 14.5k Bridge, 11.7k Neck
• or your own choice of output: x.xk Bridge, x.xk Neck

Also, with a complete choice of magnets ranging from Alnico 2, through Alnico 3, 4, 5 up to Alnico 8 you can truly have a custom blade humbucker pickup. There’s also an option to have a trio of Alnico 5 & Alnico 8 magnets for a truly powerful, attacking pickup especially designed for high gain playing.

Available naked or with chrome or gold H-Covers & closed covers for a classic look, the Creamery Double Track Humbucker gives you the opportunity to have a truly customised hand-wound pickup or set for your guitar. Have a read through the reviews to see what people are saying about my work.

You can buy a single pickup or set of Creamery Custom ‘Double-Track’ Humbucker Pickups here

Or you can view my Handwound Humbucker Pickup range here

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_879” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Classic ‘71 Wide Range Humbucker Cover - Prototype Sample”][/caption]

Its on its way, just in time for Christmas …

The final prototype covers are on their way and providing all the measurements are correct, the new true spec Creamery Classic ‘71 Wide Range Humbucker pickups will be available on the site start of December.

A Direct Replacement for Fender® reissue pickups

The prototype above is made from brass but the final commercial covers will be nickel with nickel plating. Baseplates are nickel as well.

Still working out pricing but here are some specs:

Magnets: Threaded Pole or Optional Alnico 2
Coil Wire: 42AWG Plain Enamel
Lead Wire: Vintage Braided or 4-way
Bridge Output: 10.7k
Neck Output: 9.8k

The vintage Wide-Range Humbucker tone

A true replacement for the Fender® Wide Range / Thinline Humbucker reissue pickups. Classic fat single coil tones - Great clarity and string definition with a bright warmth. Individual threaded pole magnets charged to around 2/3rds or full capacity allow you to dial in each string. A warmer mid-range than standard single coils and with a higher output, they’re great for breaking up an amp. With a great fat bridge tone sounding akin to a “doubled-up” Tele and a neck with a warm, sweet brightness.

Custom nickel baseplate & ferrous internal reflector plate, full-size bobbins with handwound coils - The Creamery Wide Range / Thinline Humbucker, a direct vintage spec replacement for those modern reissues.

My vintage take on the original pickups have either 12 threaded magnets or a combination of 6 threaded magnets and 6 Alnico 2 rod magnets. With the threaded & Alnico 2 rod magnets the tone is ever so rounder, warmer with a few less highs - Great if you want to take a little ‘spank’ out of the bridge.

Available in both standard humbucker and true spec Wide Range Humbucker sizes with pole spacing unique to bridge & neck for better strings definition.

Only available in Nickel covers (Nickel plated, Nickel Silver material).

You can read more about my Vintage, Modern & Wide Range Humbucker Upgrades here

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_860” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Handwound Classic ‘57 P90 Pickups”][/caption]

P90s are great pickups. That fat, single coil tone can really drive an amp giving a gritty, snarly tone great for riffs. But what if you want something a little different from a P90 pickup? Maybe you’re after a higher output? Maybe you want a brighter tone? A fatter tone? More of a humbucker sound? Maybe you just want something different all together, something unique?

[caption id=”attachment_861” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Handwound Classic ‘53 P90 Pickup with Chrome Cover”][/caption]

Often I’m contacted by guitarists who do want something more form a P90 but just love the vintage look & shape of the Soapbar or Dog-ear P90 pickup. Its with this in mind that I’ve designed a number of custom pickups to fit the standard P90 size that require no modifications to your guitar at all. Sometimes, the new pickup can look pretty much like a P90 though underneath, its a whole different pickup. Have a look.

P90 Sized Humbucker Pickups from The Creamery

[caption id=”attachment_678” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery P90 Sized Humbucker Pickups”][/caption]

A true 12-pole humbucker in a P90 cover

No modifications required to your guitar. These new P90 sized Humbuckers even look like a P90.

Pole Magnets: Alnico 2 or 5
Coil Wire: 43AWG Plain Enamel
Lead Wire: Vintage Cloth Pushback or Braided
P90 sized Humbucker Bridge: 9.4k
P90 sized Humbucker Neck: 8.5k

A 12-pole humbucker pickup inside a P90 that requires no modifications to your guitar at all. My P90 sized Humbuckers even look like a P90 - Once installed, no-one will spot the difference until you plug in and play.

Great string definition & clarity due to the 12 pole magnets. More of a crunchy tone than the fat single coil voice of my classic P90, these new P90 sized Humbuckers give a rich, biting attack.

Available in both Soapbar or Dog-ear P90 size

[caption id=”attachment_864” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom P90 Dogear Sized Humbucker Pickup”][/caption]

All the depth of a humbucker with the sparkle and bloom of a doubled-up single coil. The two, thin 43awg coils help to keep the clarity at higher output while the tone has a sweetness by design of the pickup.

For more details on the new P90 sized Humbuckers - Head to the main site here

The Handwound Sonic-Six P90 Pickup

[caption id=”attachment_869” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Handwound Sonic-Six P90 Pickup”][/caption]

Magnets: Alnico 5
Poles: Individual Threaded Magnets
Coil Wire: 42AWG / 43AWG Plain Enamel
Lead Wire: Vintage Braided
Output: Bridge 7.5k, 8.4k or 12.0k
Output: Neck 7.1k, 7.5k, 9.2k

Available in both Dog-ear or Soapbar

The Sonic-Six P90 Pickup - More clarity, brighter tone

Available in three outputs, a brighter, low-output version of 7.5k Bridge & 7.1k Neck, a mid-output set of 8.4k Bridge & 7.5k Neck and a fatter, hotter 12.0k Bridge & 9.2k Neck. Similar in appearance and the exact same size as a standard P90, the Sonic-Six P90 pickup has individual threaded magnets to keep more tonal clarity & string definition. The lower & medium output version use specific 42AWG coil wire to give a fatter single coil but with more brightness and less warmth than a standard P90. The higher output version uses specific 43AWG coil wire to balance output whist still keeping clarity & that fat brightness and attacking single-coil tone.

I’ve spent a lot on these, changing the size of the Alnico 5 threaded magnets and bobbin size a number of times to get these right. If you’re after that bright, fat twang tone from a standard P90 size pickup then the Creamery Sonic-Six pickups may be the ones for you.

Available as a Soapbar style in Aged White (cream), black or chrome-plated covers or as a Dogear style in Aged White (Cream) or Black covers. Vintage braided wire.

You can find more details on my Handwound Sonic-Six P90 Pickups here on the main site

P90 Sized Wide Range Humbucker Pickups

[caption id=”attachment_872” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Mastersound Pickup to Wide Range Humbucker Upgrade”][/caption]

I’m currently working on a version of the classic Fender® Wide Range Humbucker design to fit a standard P90 Soapbar & Dog Ear pickup. At the request of the guitarist, I recently converted his old Maton Mastersound Pickups to Wide Range Humbucker Spec.

They’re very similar in size to a standard P90 and I managed to make a custom set of pickups for him that he loved. Here’s the blog entry on this Maton Mastersound conversion

With a little imagination, there’s much that can be done with the old classic P90 pickup if you are so inclined - alternatively, the P90 is a true design classic. With this in mind, have a look at my Classic ‘53 & Classic ‘57 P90 Pickups if its the more vintage tone you’re after - and try them without the baseplates, the tone is a little more open.

The Creamery - Custom Guitars, Handwound Pickups - Made in Manchester

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_845” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Custom Jazzmaster & Fender® Jazzmaster Japan Reissue Pickup”][/caption]

Vintage Jazzmaster Pickups

One of my favourite pickups, the original Jazzmaster pickup, unlike the modern CIJ reissues, had short & wide coils around 1/8” high. Its this unique design that helps to give the pickup that classic darker, warmer single coil tone. The larger surface area of coil ‘senses’ more of the string, resulting in that fatter, warmer tone. The individual pole piece magnets help keep clarity & string definition and when combined with the shape of coil, gives that unique tone.

Modern ‘Crafted in Japan’ Reissue Jazzmaster Pickups

Unlike the high-end American versions, Fender® CIJ Jazzmaster guitars have what on the surface looks much like a true Jazzmaster pickup design but underneath its something entirely different.

[caption id=”attachment_942” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Modern CIJ Jazzmaster Reissue Pickups”][/caption]

As you can see from the picture above, the CIJ reissue Jazzmaster pickups are more akin to a Strat pickup, with a much narrower, taller coil giving a brighter tone. When you consider the Jazzmaster has 1Mb pots then you can see why some say the CIJ Jazzmaster are too bright, maybe even shrill with much less in the bass & mid-range.

Creamery Vintage & Custom Jazzmaster Pickups

As shown in the image above, I make all my Vintage, Custom & ‘Extra-Width’ Jazzmaster pickups to the original coil size to give simple variations on that classic warm, darker tone. Recently I’ve been balancing the original design with slightly taller magnets, narrower coil wire for higher output and other variations to give a few modern twists on the original.

What the Guitarist said:

The reissue pickup in the picture belonged to a guitarist who got in touch wanting something more from his Jazzmaster. The neck pickup was ok for him but the bridge was just too bright. We talked about vintage Jazzmaster pickups and I explained the differences. Once I’d fitted my vintage style Jazzmaster pickups to his guitar this is what he had to say:

“What a brilliant difference. My Jazzmaster now has that real tasty classic sound. My Musicman amp has found a good friend. Awesome clean tones. I would never change now. I’ll be requesting some strat pickups now as I had no idea the vintage tone would sound so idyllic with my amp. I have had an education. Thank you.”

Upgrade your Jazzmaster Pickups

If you’d like to upgrade your Jazzmaster with handwound pickups, take a look at the Jazzmaster pickups page on the site here. I don’t have a shelf full of pickups all boxed up and ready to send, each order is custom wound so if you have a spec in mind, just get in touch.

Available in Black, White or Vintage Aged White covers with vintage cloth push-back wire, have a read through the reviews to see what customers are saying about my handwound Jazzmaster pickups.

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_834” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Pickup Rewind Repair - Telecaster ‘74 Bridge”][/caption]

One of the most common pickup repairs that I get in the workshop is where the pickup wire has been snapped or damaged right at the start of the coil. With little free coil wire left over, often the pickup requires a compete rewind to restore it to working order but in some cases I’m able to tease enough wire free to work with. In these instances it means a vintage pickup can be repaired as close to the original as possible.

[caption id=”attachment_835” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Pickup Rewind & Repairs - Telecaster ‘74 Bridge”][/caption]

Carefully teasing out the start of the coil, I worked free enough fine wire with which I could solder and create the join to an extra length of jump wire. This could then be connected to the flatwork eyelet to make the pickup connection.

[caption id=”attachment_836” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Pickup Rewinds & Repairs - Telecaster ‘74 Bridge”][/caption]

I couldn’t leave the large solder joint like this it could easily be damaged so with a simple solder suction stick the joint was ever-so-carefully reduced. The join could then be taped down to keep it free from damage.

[caption id=”attachment_837” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Pickup Rewinds & Repairs - Telecaster ‘74 Bridge”][/caption]

The new solder joint was taped down and with a quick test with the multimeter, the pickup was repaired. Its always good when a vintage pickup can be repaired and I always go for a full pickup rewind as a last resort. If I can, I always try and fix pickup without the need for a rewind.

If you’ve a pickup that needs repairing or a rewind, then get in touch. You can find details & case studies of my guitar pickup repair & rewind services here

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_806” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Maton Mastersound Pickups upgrade to Wide Range Humbuckers”][/caption]

This was an interesting upgrade. The customer got in touch saying he wanted something different from his stock pickups so after a wee chat about the kind of tones & versatility he was after, we settled on a Wide Range Humbucker style pickup for the bridge & more of a higher output, balanced single coil for the neck.

The bridge would give him more versatility, a pickup responsive to the volume & tone controls that would give him a range of sounds. The neck pickup would be balanced in output and provide a sweeter tone to the current pickup.

[caption id=”attachment_804” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Maton Mastersound Pickup upgrade to Wide Range Humbucker”][/caption]

The first thing to notice when the covers are taken off, is the sheer amount of wax surrounding the coils. Wax potting needn’t be so full-on, just enough to hold everything in place. Some would argue that to fully wax-pot pickups in this style gives the pickup more of a sterile tone. I’m inclined to agree that too much wax like this can choke the pickup somewhat but I can appreciate why manufacturers do it this way.

[caption id=”attachment_805” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Maton Mastersound Pickup upgrade to Wide Range Humbucker”][/caption]

The first task was to work on the bridge pickup, essentially using just the unique cover, shape & chrome casing to create a whole new pickup underneath.

[caption id=”attachment_808” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Maton Mastersound Pickup upgrade to Wide Range Humbucker - Bridge Pickup”][/caption]

One of the differences between these particular pickups and the Wide Range Humbuckers is the baseplate underneath. In the Maton Mastersounds, there’s is an internal brass baseplate that holds the coil(s) within the cover. In the Wide Range Humbucker the internal baseplate as ferrous, meaning it has a whole different effect on both the magnetic field & tone of the pickup. Somewhat akin to the ferrous baseplate underneath a standard Telecaster bridge pickup, the internal reflector plate of the Wide Range Humbucker increases the perceived output and gives the pickup that ‘spank’. In pure terms, the ferrous internal plate offers Ferromagnetic & Electrodynamic functions whilst also offering an extra layer of shielding.

[caption id=”attachment_811” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Mastersound Pickup to Wide Range Humbucker Upgrade - Bridge Pickup”][/caption]

The Mastersound bridge pickup here is a twin pole humbucker with 4-way wiring for a true single coil split but the customer found it lacking somewhat. What provided the challenge for this pickup upgrade is the dimensions. Maton Mastersound pickups are slimmer than a standard humbucker and longer, somewhat similar in size to a standard P90 pickup. The challenge was to make new coils to fit the unique dimensions. In this case I made new pickup bobbins to take the new coils and fit the custom threaded magnets.

[caption id=”attachment_815” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Mastersound Pickup to Wide Range Humbucker Upgrade - Custom coils”][/caption]

Due to the geometry of the original pickup the coils couldn’t be wound as fat as my standard Wide Range Humbucker so I chose to mix the magnets. The three-a-side threaded magnets would remain to keep the look of the Wide Range Humbucker but the hidden magnets would be custom charged Alnico 2 magnets to give the pickup a little more warmth.

The cover was also modified to take the six poles. Usually a Wide Range Humbucker has three-a-side holes but as the original cover already had six holes down one side, the customer asked for a further six holes to be drilled so all twelve individual magnets could show through. To ensure accuracy I made a custom jig to ensure the new holes lined up.

The magnets were staggered to match the neck radius to give good string balance.

[caption id=”attachment_817” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”The Creamery Mastersound Pickup to Wide Range Humbucker Upgrade - Custom coils”][/caption]

With the bridge pickup now completed and tested it was time to move onto the neck. Initially the idea was to create a neck pickup more along the lines of a standard Telecaster neck pickup. With a hotter output to balance the new Wide Range bridge pickup I wound the pickup and although it worked well with the new bridge; well balanced with a sweet tone, we agreed that aesthetically it just wasn’t working. Also, with the versatility of the bridge pickup design, we agreed “Why not make it a set” and so I created a new neck Wide Range Humbucker in a similar style to the bridge.

[caption id=”attachment_820” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Maton Mastersound Pickups Upgrade to Wide Range Humbuckers - Final Set just after wax-potting”][/caption]

And here’s how they look in the actual guitar:

[caption id=”attachment_828” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Maton Mastersound with Custom Creamery Wide Range Humbucker Pickups”][/caption]

Happy with the pickups, Mike the owner got back to me with this comment”

“Received, installed, and adjusted :D

Love them. Plenty of character, all three positions sound immense, and at this point I can’t choose a favourite. It sounds more refined and restrained than I was expecting, gives the neck and both pickups on positions a bit of that 50’s hollow body vibe somehow? Usually I go all out on surf-style reverb or slapback (Jaguar, Strat), but this may well be the first guitar which I prefer 100% dry, there’s a warmth there, and just the right about of bite at the top end - my other guitars do that edgy ice-pick top-end, this doesn’t, it’s smooth all the way up. The bridge pickup used to have a big too-much-output midrange ‘honk’ that is totally gone now, it’s clean and clear, and it takes overdrive and fuzz far more easily. I’m fairly certain your skills must extend to witchcraft, the difference it’s made.

And they look stunning :D

Definitely glad we went for both in the end. Most certainly worth the wait.

What’s your poison, chief?”

Yours mega gratefully,
Mike Phillips

——————————————————————————-

If you’ve got a set of pickups that need upgrading, or just want to change the pickups in your guitar, get in touch.

The Creamery - Custom Guitars, Handwound Pickups, Made in Manchester

Original Article

[caption id=”attachment_789” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Converting a P90 Dogear pickup to P90 Soapbar”][/caption]

When you want to keep your P90 pickups but use them in another guitar.

This is a very simple switch, and great if you want to use your P90 pickups in a new guitar but need to change the covers and baseplates from a dogear style P90 to the alternative soapbar version. This can also work the other way around as well.

[caption id=”attachment_790” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Converting a P90 Dogear pickup to P90 Soapbar - Underneath”][/caption]

While essentially the same pickup, the Dogear style differs from the Soapbar version not only through the cover, but also the baseplate underneath. Whereas the Dogear pickup is attached to the body of the guitar through the two lugs “ears” either side of the pickup, the Soapbar is fixed to the guitar via two centre screws with foam pads and/or springs underneath the pickup for height adjustment.

[caption id=”attachment_791” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Classic Handwound ‘53 P90 Soapbar Pickup”][/caption]

As you can see from my Classic Handwound ‘53 P90 Soapbar Pickup above, the two centre holes are utilised to attach the pickup to the body of the guitar. If you look at the Dogear style in the firs picture, you’ll see the lugs “ears” which are used to screw the pickup down.

Removing the P90 baseplate

Its as simple as removing the fixing screws and noting where & whether the ground wire and braided hookup wires are soldered to the existing baseplate.

[caption id=”attachment_793” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery - Converting a P90 Dogear Pickup to a P90 Soapbar style - Removing the baseplate”][/caption]

Usually attached with a couple of screws plus a film of wax from the potting process, the baseplate can be easily removed with very little danger of damage to the pickup coil.

A word of caution though, many P90 pickups will have a ground wire from the coil and the braided hookup wire soldered to the existing baseplate. Take a note of this and simply replicate the process with the new Soapbar style baseplate.

The new Soapbar style baseplate attaches in the same manner, screwed directly to the centre section of the coil bobbin.

Once the baseplate is attached, the new cover can be positioned over the coil and with a quick wax-potting to keep everything in place, the pickup is ready to be installed.

Converting a Dogear style P90 to a Soapbar can be a very simple way to re-use loved pickups even though you may want to change your guitar. The switch is just as simple the other way around. Of course, make sure the new cover has the same pole spacing as your existing pickups. A simple check with the ruler can confirm this.

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You can find more details of my handwound P90 pickups here, and for details of my custom pickup upgrades, repairs & rewinds, just head to the main site here

Original Article

The Strat P90 & noiseless Strat & Tele sets are on their way plus a new “Tele-Sonic” design. It’s all go ;-)

Upgrading the stock Casino pickups for a more vintage tone

[caption id=”attachment_777” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery - Upgrading Stock Epiphone Casino Pickups”][/caption]

I recently ran one of my regular competitions to wind a set of handwound pickups and the winner, Mike, asked whether he could have his Epiphone Casino pickups rewound/upgraded for a more vintage tone - “No problem”, I said.

The stock pickups had a very high output, 12.1k in the Bridge & 11.6k in the Neck, an unsubtle set especially for a Hollow Body guitar. Mike wanted to tone them down with a rewind and new magnets.

[caption id=”attachment_778” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Upgrading Stock Epiphone Casino Pickups - What’s inside”][/caption]

The first task was to remove the covers and see what’s inside. The Epiphone Casino has custom bobbins with a string spacing narrower than a standard P90. The option was to either make new bobbins to match the cover pole spacing or simply use the existing ones. Mike had no issue with me utilising the existing bobbins so the challenge now was to remove the existing overwound coil wire in such a way as to not nick the sides. Any cuts or scratches to the very thin top & bottom layers of the bobbins could catch on the new coil wire when winding, snapping or pulling it leaving a few thousand turns of coil useless.

[caption id=”attachment_779” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Upgrading Stock Epiphone Casino Pickups - Rewinding the coils”][/caption]

Whereas the stock Casino Pickups had a high output, probably due to the thinner 43AWG used (perhaps by mistake), Mike wanted a more vintage tone with a lower output set. I re-wound the coils to a more manageable 7.9k in the Bridge & 7.2k in the Neck which when coupled with my custom made Alnico 5 magnets, would give Mike the brighter P90 tone he was after.

[caption id=”attachment_780” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Upgrading Stock Epiphone Casino Pickups - New Coils, New Magnets”][/caption]

With the new coils wound, the new magnets in place attracted to the pole screws underneath, the pickups were ready to be rebuilt and wax-potted. To stop any unwanted microphonics, I always securely fix the magnets to the underside of the bobbins and wax pot the pickups with a mix of 70/30 ratio paraffin & beeswax. Beeswax isn’t always used in wax-potting - I recommend it though as it makes the wax less brittle and therefore less susceptible to cracking which could, in some instances, damage the delicate 42AWG coil wire.

[caption id=”attachment_781” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Upgrading Stock Epiphone Casino Pickups for a more vintage tone”][/caption]

After cleaning off the waxy residue and a quick polish & test with the multimeter, the pickups were ready to be hooked-up to my test guitar just to make sure they were ready to send back to Mike. He received them, wired them back into his Casino guitar and sent me an email back:

Great stuff. Thanks so much!! They’re a massive improvement! I’m not generally a P90 guy, but they sound fantastic. That syrupy Another Brick in the Wall solo tone is just right there.. :D

- Mike Riddle

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You can see my custom handwound P90 Pickup range here - and if you have pickups in need of a pickup rewind or repair, just contact me through the site.

Original Article

Upgrading the modern Fender® reissue Wide Range Tele Humbuckers to vintage spec

You can find more details of my modern, vintage Wide Range Humbucker pickups & upgrades on the main site. Below is a blog post on the actual upgrade of both a modern & older Japanese Fender® reissue Wide Range Humbucker.

Old vs New

As you can see from the picture, the modern Wide Range / Thinline Humbucker Reissues are simply standard Humbucker sized coils encased in wax to fit the larger Wide Range Cover. As with standard Humbuckers they feature a bar magnet underneath, the difference being the use of threaded slugs to mimic the threaded magnets of the original late ’60s-70s pickups. Having a bar magnet underneath the slugs means these pickups will have a different voice to the clarity, definition and fat brighter tone associated with the original, vintage versions.

[caption id=”attachment_732” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Original Fender® reissue Wide Range Humbucker - Inside”][/caption]

Removing the cover

Using a sharp blade I carefully slice through the old solder. Rather than desoldering, I cut through so later I can simply let the solder flow when reattaching the cover once the upgrade has been completed.

[caption id=”attachment_735” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Original Fender® reissue Wide Range Humbucker - Inside”][/caption]

Inside its clear that the pickup is simply the standard humbucker design, and this accounts for the much darker tone. To achieve the output of the original Seth Lover ’70s pickups, Fender® overwind the coils on these modern Wide Range Humbuckers. The nature of overwinding pickups tend to create a darker pickup which when coupled with the bar magnet underneath can make these modern reissues difficult to brighten up and can often appear muddy in the neck position. A change of pots & caps can help but the tone would still be unlike the original.

The original design had 6 individual threaded pole magnets and a ferrous reflector plate (similar to the baseplate found on the underside of a Telecaster bridge pickup). This original design allowed a much higher output pickup that kept the clarity, string definition and higher frequencies.

As you can see from the picture above, this particular reissue had 2 magnet pieces waxed together underneath the coils.

Threaded Pole Magnet vs Standard Humbucker Bar Magnet

[caption id=”attachment_740” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Wide Range Thinline Tele Humbucker Upgrade - Custom Threaded Magnets”][/caption]

Like the original, my Wide Range Humbucker upgrades use threaded adjustable magnets. CuNiFe is prohibitively expensive now so I use FeCrCo which is very similar to Alnico but with more stable magnetic properties, threaded to enable adjustment of the poles. The individual magnets and custom scatterwound coils help give great clarity and string definition, with a ‘fat’ brightness unique to this design of pickup. The adjustable pole magnets allow you to emphasise certain strings and follow the radius of your guitar neck.

As the FeCrCo threaded magnets could be more aligned with Alnico 5 in terms of ‘colouring the sound’ I offer two options with these upgrades. One version with 12 threaded poles which keeps the brighter attack and another version with six adjustable threaded poles and six corresponding Alnico 2 rod magnets to give a slightly warmer tone.

[caption id=”attachment_741” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Wide Range Thinline Tele Humbucker Upgrade Custom Fullsize Bobbins”][/caption]

The reissues generally have standard humbucker sized bobbins which means the coils are shorter & narrower whereas both the original ’70s design and my new upgrades have full size bobbins that fill the length of the pickup. I custom make mine to be the same dimensions as the originals.

Upgrading the Pickup

[caption id=”attachment_744” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Wide Range Thinline Tele Humbucker Upgrade”][/caption]

The new full size coils are fixed to the baseplate on top of the new custom made ferrous reflector plate. This plate helps to increase the inductance of the coil (like increasing the number of turns of wire) giving a higher perceived output. The steel plate also offers Electrodynamic functions (eddy current interference). Eddy currents shift the resonances toward the lows, resulting in a fatter, more pleasant tone.This coupled with the individual threaded pole magnets offer a clarity, string definition & that “doubled up” tele-like tone unique to this design of pickup.

The coils and reflector plate are screwed down tight before the lead wires are connected. Another great thing about the design of the original Wide Range Humbucker that with 4-way wiring, the pickup can be split into a true single coil.

[caption id=”attachment_747” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Left: Creamery Reissue Upgrade - Right: Original Fender® Reissue”][/caption]

As you can see, the pickup looks pretty much exactly as it did before, the difference being that inside, its completely different - and now true to the original design. Listen to a video demo of the neck pickup upgrade for yourself:

Creamery Wide Range Humbucker (Neck) Upgrade Video Demo

[iframe_loader src=”http://player.vimeo.com/video/24919259” width=”398” height=”224” click_words=”View the Wide Range Humbucker video on Vimeo” click_url=”http://vimeo.com/24919259” ]

Thanks to Sami Saarinen for playing on & recording this video.

[caption id=”attachment_770” align=”aligncenter” width=”600” caption=”Creamery Wide Range Thinline Tele Humbucker Upgraded Reissues”][/caption]

As you can see from the picture above, the upgrades look just like the originals. So if you’re after that vintage Wide Range Humbucker tone and want to keep your Fender® covers, then my Creamery upgrades could well be for you. Available in three options, you can find details of them here.

Reviews of my Custom Wide Range / Thinline Humbucker Replacements / Upgrades

“Had my first gig with it last night - it sounded awesome! HUGE improvement in tone and clarity etc and was noticed by everyone. Really happy with the product and service Jaime!”

Dave Dixon

“Wow, what a great pickup! It’s just what I was looking for. A marvellous sounding pickup. Well done. Now my ‘72 Custom’s neck pickup sounds clear and twangy, with tight bottom. I believe that you got the original’s sound excactly right :-)”

Sami Saarinen

The Creamery Wide Range Humbucking Pick-ups are really amazing. I’ve played for a long time, have owned a vast number of guitars with single coils and humbuckers, but these are something special, indeed. They’re very dynamic, you can make them go from a whisper to a roar just by the touch of your fingers. The sound is clear and bright, but with a solid bottom, never thin or spiky. I’ve put them in my Japanese thinline copy and they do make the instrument come alive in a very special way. Very good if you don’t want to have to chose between mellowness and twang - here you have them both!

Tomas Blom

“What to say… I am really impressed by the sound definition of these PUs. The other Wide Range that I tested before (re-issue ones) were muddy, no precise string definition and the twang of my tele was gone. This is one is trully amazing, clean, soft and subtile. Your telecatser is suddenly beathing ! About the bridge PU, with clean sound it’s litterally smashing your face away ! Sounds powerfull and so precise, ready to roar ! Never heard such PUs combination before and really happy to play them today. Thanks so much Jaime for your beautiful work and patience. “

Fabz, from the band Lazarre

“It really is exactly what I was lookong for. All the twang and single note clarity my telecaster is supposed to have, but so much tighter when overdriven, like a humbucker is meant to be but with the added detail I would get from from my single coil. Thanks!”

Kyle Jernigan

“There is a real difference between these and the reissues - these are brighter/sharper and more tele like. The others were quite dark in comparison. I played it next to my single coil tele and it is now much more useable - it used to be like playing a cheap les paul at times!. Having scrutinised it all I am delighted with the sound”

Greg Dopson

“I’ve received the PUs yesterday and put them back in the guitar. I’m very very happy! With the CTS pots and PIO caps, the sound is great! The guitar now has that nice vintage, warm tone, no comparison with the original (crappy) reissue PUs. Thank you for your good job.”

Judicaël Guesné

“They sound really good; open, punchy and very dynamic - I have to get used to all those nuances! It’s like going from automatic gear to stick shift … Played the first concert with them this saturday. It was an outdoor gig with no soundcheck, so I didn’t get a chance to change the gain structure in my setup. It sounded great, and I guess it’ll be even better when I some time to dial everything in.”

Asger J. Steenholdt

Original Article