VERTIGO MAGNETIC

Handcrafted guitar pickups.

Downtown Scranton NEPA

Wild Bill's workbench, with humbucker pickups, winding equipment, tools, and an amplifier project
THE WORKBENCH / WHERE THE PICKUPS TAKE SHAPE
The pickup line

Find your kind of trouble.

Start with the PAF set, built around your guitar and the way you play. Turn up the heat with the Diablo set, or explore the DAF and all-white Albino sets below.

01 /

The PAF set

Vintage-spec character. Attention to every detail.

Built with attention to material selection, fit, and assembly. Period-correct details give these sets their historic character and feel; quality and consistency guide how each build comes together.

Butyrate bobbins
The coil forms use butyrate, a period-correct material choice that carries the original construction style into the build.
Maple spacers
Maple spacers support the assembly beneath the bobbins, continuing the traditional use of wood in the pickup’s construction. Their fit is part of the attention given to the complete assembly.
Single-build enamel-coated wire
Vertigo PAF's are wound using single build enamel coated magnet wire. It requires extra attention during construction compared to modern insulated magnet wire.
Pole screws threaded into the baseplate
The adjustable pole screws engage threads in the baseplate, rather than simply passing through clearance holes. Preparing those threads adds a machining step and is one of the construction details carried through in these sets.
Period-style lead-wire routing
Special care is taken to reproduce the full-wrap internal lead arrangement accurately and consistently—a construction detail that can contribute to the pickup’s mechanical sensitivity and microphonic character.
Underwound, standard, or hot
Choose the direction that suits your playing. Each wind option is a deliberate build choice, with quality and consistency as the aim.
Magnet selection & slight coil offsets
The magnet is selected to complement the wind and intended response. Slight differences between the two coil winds are considered as part of the complete pickup, with your guitar and rig in mind.

The historic vibe comes from the construction choices. The care is in bringing them together.

The PAF deep dive: history, tone & myths ↗
Pricing & ordering coming soon
02 /

The Diablo set

All the PAF flavor. Extra heat.

An overwound take on the Vertigo PAF, built for players who want a little more trouble. More push, more attitude, and vintage-inspired character with a mean streak.

Forty-nine years to the day after Seth Lover filed his humbucker patent, my daughter Paige was born—June 22, 2004. Her middle name? Diablo.

The Diablo set: all the PAF flavor, with a little family heat.

Details & pricing coming soon
03 /

The DAF set

A little room for a few acres of pedals.

I built the DAF set for Mike Lloyd—a recording-studio owner and a monster with ambient guitar effects and soundscapes. He plays a Jazzmaster and wanted a humbucker that wouldn’t smack the front end of his amp.

The idea was to keep the guitar’s character intact after a few acres of guitar pedals had their way with the signal. That became the direction for the DAF set: a humbucker built around Mike’s guitar, his rig, and the space he wanted to create.

Photos and sound clips are on the way.

Details & pricing coming soon
04 /

The Albino set

Humbucker warmth. A little single-coil flirtation.

The all-white Albino set was conceived to explore the space between humbuckers and single coils. Underwound coils and a deliberate coil offset are at the heart of the design, chasing a more open voice with the body of a humbucker.

Alnico 2 and 4 magnets are selected as part of the complete wind-and-magnet pairing, aiming for a mellow top end and an even response across the strings. The idea is warmth with room to breathe—notes that linger without losing their shape.

A little less muscle. A little more conversation.

Product photos and sound clips are on the way.

Details & pricing coming soon

Online ordering is not open yet. Confirmed prices, shipping details, contact information, and Square checkout will be added before launch.

At the winding bench

Vintage-inspired construction.
Controlled winding.

A Mojotone winder paired with a ToneWinder programmable traverse lets me control wire placement and repeat winding patterns. That control supports consistency while allowing deliberate changes for different builds.

The equipment is one part of the process. Careful material selection, setup, and assembly bring the complete pickup together.

Behind the wind

A little about Wild Bill.

Tattoo artist, musician, and maker. Around 30 years building coils for tattoo machines, and a workshop full of ideas. Vertigo Magnetic brings that hands-on experience to guitar pickups.