Scatterwinding

[El Schmucko]

According to Bill Lawrence there is no particular sound change using scatterwinding. He says it´s just a sales argument.
Is this entirely true?

[Tellboy]

Whatever the pros and cons for scatterwinding at the end of the day it comes down to what the pickup sounds like. Nearly everybody on this forum has chosen BKP pickups in preference to Seymour Duncan, DiMarzio, Bill Lawrence etc.etc because they prefer the sound of them compared to other makes. BKP say that this sound is achieved because of scatterwinding, choice of wire, magnets etc. Whatever Bill Lawrence says will not change the fact that a lot of people think BKPs are better than most of the alternatives.

Also isn't Bill Lawrence stating "there is no particular sound change using scatterewinding" a sales arguement in itself as he presumably does not scatterwind his pickups?

[El Schmucko]

Hey, hey, I´m not saying I don´t think BKP´s sound great. It´s just you can never be sure about anything anymore. Just wanted some answers...

[sambo]

^yer fair enough mate, but like tellboy says, regardless of whether scatterwinding  makes a sound difference or not a lot of people still prefer BKP's....

cant actually help you though mate- dunno whether it makes a difference or not.... all i know is that something about BKP's makes a sound difference and thats all i need to know....  :D

[HJM]

Hi,

Good question! Bill is pretty outspoken but plenty of people disagree with him!

The one thing scatter winding does do is break up the wind pattern and lower capacitance as the wires are no longer running parallel to each other. Capacitance effects the tone by rolling off high end, same problem you get with long guitar cables. So there IS a tonal difference, more harmonics.

Downside is that no two humbuckers can ever be identical, having said that BKP scatterwound pickups are pretty close, that's just because of close tolerance and accuracy!

As the other guys have said, scatter winding is only part of the process, an important part granted but there's more to a pickup than the way it's wound.

Don't forget that a big part of the early PAF sound was down to the hand winding which naturally produces scatter. Leo Fender also new the benefits as he resisted the move to automated winding machines!

the biggest problem is that scatter winding takes a fair degree of skill, serious hand strength and lots patience.    It's not a way to mass produce pickups or get the biggest profit margin

 

[Searcher]

I don't know anything about winding pickups, but I can tell you that I've found that the two manufacturers who do scatterwind that I've come across make the best sounding pickups by a mile, compared with the guys who don't scatterwind.  I can't say how much of this is due to scatterwinding, but I know the pickups sound so much better they're in a class of their own.

[El Schmucko]

Thanx for the answers. I guess there´s more than one on this matter :). Ahh, whatever! BKP´s sound great, and after all that´s all I need to know...

[Steve-Mr Pig 2U]

According to Bill Lawrence there is no particular sound change using scatterwinding. He says it´s just a sales argument.
Is this entirely true?

Proper Scatterwinding is probably the most important thing we do, it greatly extends the frequency response and harmonic detail. As HJM said this is because it lowers capacitance in the coil.

[Tim]

In short ask yourself this question: would we really spend so much longer making our pickups by scatterwinding them if it didn't make a difference?

The answer is in the tone-regardless of the science it sounds better, more musical, more dynamic and far clearer.

Generally the guys running scatterwinding down do so because they can't do it and don't want to expose the fact that they're trying to knock p/ups out as fast as they can regardless of what they sound like.
Here at BKP it's tone first and foremost.

[Shag101]

Here at BKP it's tone first and foremost.

And what a great tone it is....I can't tell you how many compliments I get from people no matter what amp I plug into...

[jt]

:D For my part i can hear a definate difference between DiMarzio/Duncan/Lawrence/Grande etc & my BK`s to my ears & i admit that i don`t have the best of ears there`s no contest the BK`s sound so much better.......i can only asume that this is due mainly but not soley to the scatterwinding process.

Manufacturers that Don`t scatterwind are hardley going to admit that the scatterwinding process improves sound because noone would by there P/U`s would they !  It`s not in there intreset business wise to admit that there P/U`s aren`t as good as BK`s !!


 :D  8)

[hobleguitars]

I've found that scatterwound pickups are a lot more open-sounding and clearer - every string can be heard properly in a chord, and especially with my Mule I can really dig in to the strings and get a much dirtier tone than if I sweep gently for example (dynamics).

Take the plunge!

[sgmypod]

well have to say have had 3 bill lawrence pickups....2 were designed for gibson..and put on my gib sg(soon to be replaced by crawlers) and had one...blade like thing can't remember model...............all I can say is..they were noisy, loud but with no real tone or control....I would never, ever go back to his pickups

[sgmypod]

...forgot to say....muddy as well

[38thBeatle]

I have 2 Strats- one with Apaches and the other is standard ( but will be changed when funds allow). The Apache bedecked Strat has so much more life to it. It was only after it's upgrading that I found the stock Strat sound was a bit bland- still nice but not in the same league as the other.