Custom Wound Frequently Asked Questions
What is F-Spaced?
F-Spaced means "Fender Spaced". This represents the spacing from center to center of low E and the high E. Many guitars require F-Spaced for the bridge position so it is important to measure this and see what you need. Our F-Spaced measures 53mm.
What are the color codes for Custom Wound humbuckers?
Custom Wound uses the same color code as Seymour Duncan so that most available wiring diagrams that are online will work with our humbuckers.
Why would I need Flat Poles instead of Staggered?
Flat poles work best with necks that have a flatter radius from 12'' to 16''. The staggered poles are recommended for a heavier radius such as the vintage 7.25'' to 9.5''.
Why does the DC resistance read slightly higher or lower than what you advertise?
DC resistance should only be an approximate means of measurement. We wind to a specific number of turns and not to a specific DC resistance. Fluctuation in temperature can significantly increase or decrease the DC resistance and also different batches of wire can cause slight variations.
Can I put a Custom Wound humbucker in my Strat?
Yes, granted that your strat is routed for a humbucker. We use short leg baseplates so their is no problem. The only humbucker we make that may not fit is the Vintage Clone PAF. These have long leg baseplates just like the originals. We recommend F-Spaced for the bridge position of a Strat.
Why don't you offer F-Spaced for the Vintage Clone PAF's?
Unfortunately being a clone means they are exactly the same specs as the original PAF's from the 50's. Back then there was no such thing as F-Spaced. Just Gibson spaced. However we will gladly wind our F-Spaced Classic Wound PAF to the Vintage Clone specs. Just ask.
How long does it take to ship the pickups after I place an order?
We usually ship within 1-2 weeks. There is occasionally rare circumstances that are out of our control which may cause further delays, however we always strive for quick turnarounds.
Are your pickups "Scatterwound"?
Yes they are "scatterwound". However there is a lot of misguided information or hype attached to this word. Many pickup winders use this as a marketing scheme when it really has little to do with making a great sounding pickup.
We wind the pickups to have a specific number of turns per layer (Varies per layer) and specific wire tension which is really what affects the tone in regards to the winding process itself. We do this with a CNC winder that can control these specs on a consistent basis.
Technically speaking, all winding whether it's by hand or machine will "scatterwind" naturally as the wire will never lay down evenly across each layer.
Why don't you bevel the magnets on your Custom Wound Strat pickups?
We can bevel magnets on a custom basis which we have done many times. Mostly for people who have to have that look. It's just an un-necessary step in our manufacturing process. Fender beveled their magnets in the earliest days of production, only because it helped the magnets push through the flatwork easier during production.
Our manufacturing tolerances are really tight with the use of a CNC winder and laser, that we don't need to bevel the magnets for assembly.
Unless the pickups are too close to the strings or the string spacing is much narrower than the pole spacing, there shouldn't be any interference with the edge of the magnets under normal conditions. Also keep in mind that the majority of Fender strats produced from the mid 60's til today did not have beveled magnets.
