Help! Can this pickup be fixed(see pic)

[gtrchris]

Hello gentlemen, I just received a pickup from a fellow forum member and realized that the very fine wire wind on the outside of the pickup is broken.(see pic) Does anyone know if this can be fixed? it's just one wire..can it be soldered?
thanks for your help
Chris
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v95/gtrchris/telepup029.jpg

[Structo]

Sure it can.
How are your soldering skills?
If the wire is too short to reach the eyelet carefully un wrap it one turn cut to length and take a razor blade and carefully scrape the enamel off the end that's getting soldered.
Done.

[Tonerider]

As its a tele bridge that looks like it has some yellow tape or twin around it you might not be able to unwrap a turn as Structo suggests, without removing the tape of twine first. If the pickup has been potted with tape or twine on its a good bed you will create a lot more broken wires removing it.

You might have to create a little jumper to the eyelet. A small piece of tinned wire would do the job. If the pickup is a low end model, it is very likely that is using a solderable coating so you won't need to strip any enamel. If the wire is dark purple or deep rust red that is a sign that it is vintage wire that will need stripping. All other colors are good to go.

Best advice -
1. Have someone next to you who has soldered before
2. Drip some candle wax or parafin wax over the whole repair as soon as you have a DC resistance that looks "ballbark". Tele bridges normally come between 6k and 10k.

[David Collins]

No no no, do not try to unwind that broken wire. That advice would be good if the break were on the other side, but the broken wire appears to be the start of the coil. Try to pull on that and the pickup will be entirely lost, short of a full rewind.

It's really not that difficult to make a small jumper, but it's best left to someone with a bit of soldering experience if you're not fluent with an iron. Insulation needs to be stripped from the wire, which in doing so it is very easy to break the wire further if you're not careful or don't know what you're looking for. It can also be lifted and shimmed a bit during the soldering to work free of the wax on the bobbin, which I find helpful sometimes. Then re-waxing over the repaired section just as Tonerider said is important to protecting the lead.

[Tonerider]

Very good call David! It looks 99% certain from the photo that the start of the coil is broken. Jumper or rewind are the only options.

[gtrchris]

Thanks guys for your input-I'm sure my jumpering skills aren't good enough for the job, but I have a buddy who should be able to do it for me.
Thanks for the expert advice gents!:BEER
C