Can bobbins made from different materials change the sound of a pickup?
I am currently doing research on this one and am winding bobbins made of different materials to see how it affects the inductance or Q of the coil. I know plastics have different a dielectric constant and I am working on how it affects the sound of a pickup. Below is the dielectric constant of various plastics used in making guitar bobbins. Plastic Dielectric Constant ABS 2.4-2.5 Acrylic 2.2-3.2 Cellulose acetate 3.4-7.0 Nylon 6 4.0-4.9 Nylon 66 3.9-4.5 Polycarbonate 3.0 Polypropylene 2.0 PVC, plasticized 4-8 Phenolic 4.4-9.0 The above chart giving various dielectric values is information is from the William Bolton Engineering Materials hand book. I know there s a relationship between the plastics and the tone of a pickup though it be subtle or extreme, there is a relationship between them. There are other ways plastics are used in making pickups and guitar parts. Bobbins can be injection molded or fabricated from sheet plastic and hand fabricated. The old Charlie Christian (Gibson ES-
