Lollar Pickups Blog

Welcome to the Lollar Pickups Blog, where we share in-depth information and stories about the pickups we build.

Understanding Pickup Lead Wires

By Mike Wohl

Pickup wire lead types can be confusing. Single-conductor, four-conductor, braided metal shielding, cloth pushback leads – what’s going on here? It can seem like an overwhelming number of variations. In this article we set out to help you make sense of the differences.

One thing to be aware of is that certain wire leads are only used with specific pickup types. Much of this is based on the historical precedent established by Gibson and Fender in the 1950s.

To start making sense of the options, it can be helpful to group pickups into those that are generally Fender-style, or Gibson-style.

Fender-style Lead Wires

Single-coil Fender-style pickups like Jazzmasters, Stratocasters, and Telecasters along with Jazz and Precision Bass pickups use simple leads that are relatively easy to understand. All of these models use two lead wires of different colors—one is hot and one is ground. At Lollar, we use white for the hot lead (or yellow to indicate that the pickup is RWRP relative to the others) and black for ground. The hot lead provides the signal’s entry path, and the ground carries it back out and provides a path for discharge of interference. Together, they complete a circuit.

In the case of Telecasters, both neck and bridge have metal parts: the neck pickup cover, and the bridge pickup’s baseplate. With a Tele neck pickup, the metal cover itself makes contact with the coil, providing a path to ground. The Tele bridge baseplate is also connected to the coil by a wire jumper and solder joint on the underside.

Strat and Jazzmaster pickups typically don’t have metal parts other than the slugs — though there are some exceptions depending on manufacturer. Because of this, there is no need for additional cover grounding. This applies to Jazz and Precision Bass pickups as well.

All these pickup types traditionally use separate hot and ground wires, each with a metal core insulated by waxed cloth – the cloth can be pushed back (rather than stripped) to expose the interior core, hence the name: pushback wire.

A variation we offer is the addition of a 3rd wire for Tele neck pickups, which provides an additional cover ground to the metal pickup cover. This is necessary for wiring pickups in series; in this case, what is usually the ground lead becomes a continuation of the hot lead, connected to the bridge pickup, which makes your strings and cover hot and quite noisy when touched. The 3rd wire provides an additional ground to the metal parts to eliminate this noise.

Gibson-style Lead Wires

Gibson-style pickups like humbuckers and P-90s work a little differently. We build them with one of two lead types: single-conductor or four-conductor leads.

The single-conductor name is misleading in a sense; the braided metal exterior shielding actually functions as a ground, whereas the interior is your hot lead. So, what looks like one wire is effectively two. These can be found on humbuckers or P-90s and are sometimes referred to as “vintage style” leads.

Four-conductor leads are found on some humbuckers and by nature only make sense with pickups that have two individual coils. In this case, the name is also sort of misleading: there are four leads and a ground (five total) all within a single insulated jacket. In the four-conductor lead, each of the humbucker’s two coils has its own lead where the coil starts, and one where the coil finishes. With our four-conductor leads, the black and white will be the start and finish of the North coil (slug side) and the green and red will be the South coil (screw side) start and finish respectively. The green lead functions as a ground for the two coils, and the bare wire functions as a ground for the pickup’s metal chassis. This additional ground gives you the ability to use series wiring, with the same principle applying as in the Tele neck pickup 3rd wire.

P-90s are single coil pickups, so a four-conductor lead is not an option. They typically use the vintage style single-conductor lead, with a braided metal exterior functioning as ground and the interior functioning as the hot. We can also produce a version with an additional lead in a jacketed 2-conductor version. This allows the Dogear P-90 version’s metal baseplate to be grounded, or to provide a path to ground if being wired in series.

Which version do I need?

Great question! Now that we understand what the options are, let’s talk about what you might need and why.

The vast majority of Strat/Tele/Jazzmaster/Jazz Bass and Precision Bass players will be just fine with the stock pushback leads. If you want to use a 4-way selector switch for series/parallel or in/out of phase switching, the addition of a 3rd wire to your neck pickup will allow you to take advantage of those functions. This will also apply to P-90s in terms of single conductor vs. jacketed two-conductor. It is not necessary to order a 3rd wire for both neck and bridge in most cases.

If your guitar has two humbuckers—each with its own volume and tone controls—and you want basic functionality, single-conductor lead wire is all you need. On the other hand, if you are doing coil splitting, in/out of phase, or series/parallel, then you’ll want to go with the four-conductor leads. It’s worth noting here that the four-conductor leads can be wired up to work like a single conductor, so there’s no disadvantage to ordering four-conductor if you think you might want to use those switching options later.

To use four-conductor leads like single conductor, simply twist and insulate the red and white leads, and solder the green to the bare wire. Your black lead will be hot, your red/white will be insulated, and your green/bare wire will function as your ground.

Which types of pickups can use four-conductor leads?

Another great question. Wiring a pickup with four-conductor leads requires a certain amount of room to access the coils in order to accommodate the larger lead. Not every pickup we make has enough room for this.

The Imperial, El Rayo, Raw Power, dB, and El Dorado as well as La Prima, Firebird, and Mini-Humbucker can all be ordered with four conductor leads as an option.

The Regal, LollarTron Traditional or Humbucker, Senn Model One, Johnny Smith do not have the space necessary, and are not available with four conductor leads.

Sean Costello and the ’50s Wind P-90

By Mike Wohl

Sean Costello made a name for himself and left an indelible mark on the blues world by virtue of his fiery instrumental prowess and workman-like dedication to his craft, honing his chops before his career was tragically cut short by his passing in 2008. Drawing inspiration from the sounds pioneered by Freddie King, Hubert Sumlin, Otis Rush, and so many other legends from the 1950s and ‘60s heyday of electric blues, Sean’s dynamic playing and searing tone moved hearts and minds, inspiring audiences every time he plugged in.

Blues guitarist Sean Costello playing his 1954 Gibson Les Paul Goldtop.

His approach to playing was innovative and lyrical, with an undeniable force behind it. Watching videos of Sean’s live performances, it’s impossible to ignore his passion and charisma—even on the humblest of stages. And similarly, one cannot overlook the beautiful Les Paul Goldtop often seen in his hands, seemingly an extension of Sean himself. This particular Goldtop, a 1954 model, was the source of inspiration for a set of pickups that Jason Lollar built for Sean – what we call Lollar ‘50s Wind P-90s.

For decades we’ve been known for our “Standard” P-90s (we don’t actually refer to them as “Standard”—rather they are simply called “P-90 Soapbar” and “P-90 Dogear”—but we’ll do so in this article to differentiate them from the ’50s Wind P-90). We’re frequently asked what sets our ‘50s Wind P-90 apart from the Standard P-90 we make. There seems to be an expectation that our ‘50s Wind will sound like other vintage-era P-90s—and it does. Well, sort of. Let me explain.

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Gold Foil Pickups—Then & Now

By Mike Wohl

Spend any time looking at unique and boutique guitar builds from the 2010s and 2020s, and you are certain to notice the increasing prevalence of Gold Foil pickups of all sorts of different makes, shapes, and sizes. While once relegated to the pickup cavities of inexpensive 1950s and 60s “student” model guitars from companies like Teisco, Harmony, or Kay, the Gold Foil reconsidered has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in recent years. This has led many pickup manufacturers to offer a modern take on this unique historical pickup. Big and small, single-coil or humbucking, and often bedecked with ornate Art Deco touches, these sometimes-perplexing pickups have characteristics entirely unique to the Gold Foil style, offering something at once different and familiar.

DeArmond Gold Foils in a mid-60s Harmony Rocket H54

Gold Foil pickups have their origins in the 1950s, with some debate as to whether the DeArmond company or the Japanese brand Teisco came up with the design first. In either case, both manufacturers became well-known for their foil pickups featured on guitars bearing names like Silvertone, Harmony, Kay, or Guyatone.

Few guitar pickups garner responses as polarizing as Gold Foils. Players tend to love ‘em or hate ‘em, with far less middle ground. To detractors, they’re a fad — an outdated idea best left in the history books. Considering the quality of many vintage instruments that used Foils, along with the wild inconsistency of original examples, it’s easy to understand how someone might reach that conclusion. But looking a little deeper, we can see that modern foil-style pickups are versatile, exciting, and much better made than their predecessors.

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James Williamson And The Making Of The Raw Power Humbucker

By Mike Wohl

You would be hard-pressed to find a more visceral, aggressive, or influential guitar sound than that of James Williamson’s 1969 Les Paul Custom on Iggy & The Stooges’ 1973 opus Raw Power. Described aptly by none other than Smiths luminary Johnny Marr, it’s a sound that is both “demonic and intellectual.” From slow burns like “Gimme Danger” to the switchblade ferocity of “Search and Destroy” and “Your Pretty Face is Going to Hell,” to the menacing closing track “Death Trip,” Williamson’s guitar is pushed to the front and buried in the red – virtuosic, yet unpretentiously explosive, and a perfect foil to Iggy Pop’s frenzied vocal delivery. It’s a sound that laid the groundwork for generations of heavy rock, punk, garage, and metal bands to follow, with countless players seeking to emulate Williamson’s abandon.

In the late 2000s, Jason Lollar was contacted by luthier Brian Michael of Gryphon Stringed Instruments in Palo Alto, CA on behalf of Williamson to help reverse engineer and reproduce the Gibson T-Top “patent number” humbuckers on the famous Raw Power Les Paul Custom, also known as the “Leopard Lady” guitar for its pinup-style artwork on the lower bout. Brian had previously worked with Jason on a custom pickup for a one-of-a-kind EBO-style bass for another legend, Mike Watt, who was holding down bass duties with the Stooges around that time. That collaboration, along with the Watt-Stooges connection, combined with Jason’s expertise and renown naturally lead to Michael reaching out.

James Williamson visits the old Lollar shop on Vashon Island, circa 2009.

Michael and Williamson had been working to build a replica of the famous guitar and wanted pickups that would be faithful to the original instrument. Williamson had taken a multi-decade hiatus from performing and was gearing up for a return to the stage. With the Leopard Lady living in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, Williamson sought tonal consistency in his various touring guitars, needing to be able to rely on them for the same wild, fiery tones that his Raw Power guitar conjured.

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Let’s Talk About VI

Fender unveiled the original Bass VI back in 1961 (though, officially, its original name was simply the Fender “VI”) as an answer to Danelectro’s six string bass of a similar style of the era. The instrument was unique. Compared to a standard bass, it had a shorter scale, six thinner strings tuned E one octave below a guitar, and, of course, a floating tremolo system; something not usually seen on a bass guitar.

The Fender “VI” underwent a few small changes by its first birthday in 1962, settling on the design we know today as the Bass VI. This latest version featured aesthetic and functional similarities to another Fender favorite: the Jaguar. The most notable similarity between the two was their pickups. The three-piece set of Jaguar pickups featured in the old Bass VI instruments have been heard on countless classic songs from artists such as The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, The Who, Cream, Placebo, Cocteau Twins, The Hollies, Guns N’ Roses, and Wes Montgomery – just to name a few. Chances are, you’ve heard them at work. And the most incredible thing about these pickups? They weren’t even intended to be installed in a bass instrument!

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