4.52am Issue: 032 4th May 2017 The Little Triggers Issue

FLETCHER PICKUPS
How to Build a P90 Pickup
Ben, from Fletcher Pickups, very kindly
helped us with our Paisley Telemaster Jr
build, by winding us a P90 Soapbar
pickup that would work perfectly with our
aim of using heavy strings (13-65) and
tuning to A-A for a faux baritone kind of
trip.
Being somewhat opportunistic, we asked
Ben to talk us through the process and
take a few happy snaps along the way
(I’ve always loved the old photostories
from Jackie magazine (ahem)) and
thankfully he did just that. We started by
asking what a P90 was,
“A p90 is a meaty, warm, (add
adjectives here....) single coil. Its
power is due to having approximately
double the amount of wire wrapped
around it than a strat single - increasing
output and two bar magnets -
increasing inductance. In essence it is
a very simple device.”
Step 1: Assemble Your Parts
You can't make a pickup without pickup
wire - in this case, AWG42 or 0.063mm
insulated wire. The keeper bar
(bottom) is drilled steel with tight pole
hole diameter to ensure most efficient
transfer of magnetic flux from the
magnets to the screw poles. The
backplate is Nickel Silver and is
completely non-magnetic. This metal is
also used for good HB pickup covers
due to its 'see through' magnetic
properties - i.e. it doesn't colour the
tone. Note also the brass fixing screws,
again non-magnetic and used for least
interference.