Does reverse winding affect tone? Does potting?
Reverse winding does not affect tone. Potting may have a slight effect, but it is really insubstantial. If a player wishes, I will not pot their pickups. “What kind of capacitor should I use?” Again, trust your ears. .022 uF is the brightest, .05 uF is a good balance of brightness and midrange, .1 uF will mellow things out if you are having problems with brightness. The latter two caps are vintage correct for the 50’s and 60’s. Try them all with 250K pots and see what you like best. Those are just my impressions upon trying them. “What is aging?” Aging is meant to reproduce the look of a gently pick worn, but well used 50 year-old pickup pulled out of an original guitar. Expect darkening of the magnets, pick wear, and over all wear. In these instances, only the top part of the pickup has been exposed, and the rest often looks fresh. This is the look I aim for, which isn’t rusted or oxidized with soiled leads, as if pulled from a dirty parts drawer. Additional and heavy aging might be e
