Potting...
Alright so I offer wax potted, lacquer potted and unpotted. The only form of potting that was ever really done that I don't offer is epoxy potted because it was kind of a sham, but whatever.
Back in the golden age the only pickups that were potted were Fenders which were wax potted and then lacquer potted. There were a few that were unpotted because CBS thought skipping that step would be a big money saver. Gibson pickups weren't potted in general until the 80s. Gretsch didn't pot. Almost nobody did except for Fender. One notable exception is Kay pickups like the Speedbump and Zippo. On these pickups the wax potting actually held the cover on.
But there's one correlation to think about: Fender was also the only manufacturer that hand wound their pickups. It's my belief that Gibson and others could get away with their pickups being unpotted because their coils were machine wound thus resulting in a much tighter, regular coil less susceptible to microphonic feedback.
So the rub is all of my pickups are handwound and with a pretty heavy scatter. By definition a handwound coil is always going to be looser and more irregular than a machine wound coil. To that end I don't recommend unpotted pickups unless you really know what you're getting into. They are my favorite. There's nothing like playing an unpotted pickup. They're magic. BUT, for the most part even lightly potting will make the pickup a lot more usable and versatile.
That being said, my wax or lacquer potted pickups are going to be a lot more lively than most potted pickups. My top secret wax mix is a lot softer than the straight paraffin wax a lot of people are used to. If you want a little more texture and touch sensitivity and high-end airiness go with the lacquer potted.
Unpotted is unpotted. Wax potting is going to offer the most resistance to microphonic feedback. Lacquer potting splits the difference between the two.
Back in the golden age the only pickups that were potted were Fenders which were wax potted and then lacquer potted. There were a few that were unpotted because CBS thought skipping that step would be a big money saver. Gibson pickups weren't potted in general until the 80s. Gretsch didn't pot. Almost nobody did except for Fender. One notable exception is Kay pickups like the Speedbump and Zippo. On these pickups the wax potting actually held the cover on.
But there's one correlation to think about: Fender was also the only manufacturer that hand wound their pickups. It's my belief that Gibson and others could get away with their pickups being unpotted because their coils were machine wound thus resulting in a much tighter, regular coil less susceptible to microphonic feedback.
So the rub is all of my pickups are handwound and with a pretty heavy scatter. By definition a handwound coil is always going to be looser and more irregular than a machine wound coil. To that end I don't recommend unpotted pickups unless you really know what you're getting into. They are my favorite. There's nothing like playing an unpotted pickup. They're magic. BUT, for the most part even lightly potting will make the pickup a lot more usable and versatile.
That being said, my wax or lacquer potted pickups are going to be a lot more lively than most potted pickups. My top secret wax mix is a lot softer than the straight paraffin wax a lot of people are used to. If you want a little more texture and touch sensitivity and high-end airiness go with the lacquer potted.
Unpotted is unpotted. Wax potting is going to offer the most resistance to microphonic feedback. Lacquer potting splits the difference between the two.