About our Handwound Pickups

MJS Custom Handwound Pickups

We produce pickups to any requested specifications including year or model of your choice. They can be installed in most stringed instruments: electric guitars, bass, acoustic guitars, violins, banjos. (See chart below to give you a “Tone” Guideline)

Features:

MJS Custom Hand-Wound Pickups Are Made With:

  • Hand-Made Bobbins – vulcanized fiberboard bobbin flanges for all but traditional humbucking bobbins which are extruded plastic. Custom Humbucking wood bobbins are also available.
  • Canadian Cut & Calibrated Magnets – choice of Alnico2, Alnico5, Ceramic.
  • High tolerance pure copper magnet wire.
  • Each Pickup is pot waxed individually then entire assembly is pot waxed a second time.
  • Choice of Covers – gold, nickel, chrome, wood & plastic. All wood covers are made with solid wood of your choice. Note: All woods used, are in their natural form and grain patterns – colors will vary slightly.
  • Each Pickup is thoroughly tested before being shipped to customer.
  • All MJS Pickups have an in-house warranty to be free of component and manufacturing defects for 10 years to the original purchaser.
MJS Custom Handwound Pickups

Benefits:

Advantages of having a MJS Custom Pickup:

  • Consistency: 1 Machine -> 1 Person -> 1 Pickup
    • variable speed and wire guiding for best scatter winding results
    • not gang wound
    • consistent wire tension
  • No micro-shorts. Clean & clear signal from the source (instrument).
  • Custom ordering to your requirements. Split Single and Acoustic also available in left handed models.
  • Custom built in order to fit any size routing.
  • Local suppliers used for each component – allows better quality assurance on parts and overall QA testing on finished pickup.
MJS Custom Handwound Pickups

Re-Winding (Vintage Pickups Only)

Re-winding your existing Vintage pickup is a good option:

  • Keep vintage look.
  • Can be wound exactly to original spec or wound with modifications.
  • If required, includes pot waxing.

Misconceptions

There is no 1 Pickup that fits everyone’s needs. If there was, there wouldn’t be so many out there to choose from.

Have you ever heard this: “Chimmey bell like highs – Beautiful mid-range – Heart thumping lows…” THERE IS NO SUCH THING! It’s impossible from 1 pickup. However, in a custom, there is an infinite number of combinations that could easily fulfill your needs as long as the right questions are asked from the very beginning. Be honest with what you are looking for and how you want your instrument to sound.

Describing Sound

Describing Sound

Describing sound is very difficult and takes years of experience understanding people’s requirements. Everybody has a different perception of how to describe what they want to hear. We will work with you to make sure you get the sound you want.

Keep in mind:

You need clean sound at source (instrument) in order for your amp to work properly. All “Neck” pickups will sound more mid-range to bottom-end because of more travel in string vibration due to distance from the bridge. All “Bridge” pickups will sound treblier because of the lack of travel in string vibration and the closeness to the bridge. The impact of different magnet types will also alter desired sound/tone.

The Reference Guideline Below Shows Approximate Contrast Between the Different Pickup Tones Available. We’ve also made it available as a PDF that you can DOWNLOAD HERE.