I recently put together a video showing the full process of how I make a guitar pickup in the shop. The video is about 25 minutes long and walks through each step from the raw parts to a finished wound pickup.

The process starts with laser cutting the vulcanized fiber flatwork that forms the top and bottom of the pickup bobbin. Once the flatwork is prepared, the magnets are inserted using a jig to keep everything aligned properly during assembly.

After the magnets are installed, the bobbin is dipped in nitro to help seal and strengthen the fiber. This step also helps insulate the magnets to prevent the coil wire from shorting, improving long-term stability. Eyelets are then installed so the coil wire can be connected properly.

From there the coil wire is started and the pickup is wound on the pickup winder until it reaches the desired number of turns. Once winding is complete, the lead wires are installed to finish the pickup.

If you're interested in seeing how pickups are actually made, this video shows the full build process inside the shop.

Watch the full video below.