What are the NEMA specification for round insulated magnet wire?
I get many letters regarding magnet wire and questions regarding wire specification used in making guitar pickups. I will give you information provided by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) on magnet wire made prior to 1976 which covers many of the vintage wires and specifications. The temperature class will be in degrees centigrade required to melt the insulation also included will be the insulation covering over bare copper wire that is normally used for winding coils for guitar, bass and other types of pickups. Also I will include the magnet wire classification which will be preceded by the letters MW. There is much information that will be valuable to pickup winders and designers and I’ll give you examples of a few. TC is for Temperature Classification in degrees Centigrade. Class is for the designated NEMA Classification for Magnet Wire. Film Classification is the type or name of insulation used to cover the bare copper. Film Coated Round Magnet Wire TC Class
