Correct wire for a mid-60s Gibson humbucker?

goldtop

I can find a lot of info about PAFs and early PAT-sticker humbuckers, but not much on slightly later pickups. So wondering if any of you vintage savvy chaps can tell me what sort of wire is correct for a mid-to-late 1960s Gibson humbucker with:
1) PAT-sticker on the underside
2) T-top bobbins
3) chrome covers

Braided outer with a single conductor wire, I think. But what colour/type of insulation?

TIA

ICBM

goldtop said:

I can find a lot of info about PAFs and early PAT-sticker humbuckers, but not much on slightly later pickups. So wondering if any of you vintage savvy chaps can tell me what sort of wire is correct for a mid-to-late 1960s Gibson humbucker with:
1) PAT-sticker on the underside
2) T-top bobbins
3) chrome covers

Braided outer with a single conductor wire, I think. But what colour/type of insulation?

TIA

Black waxed cotton.

SteveRobinson

I've just rewired a '64 ES-345 and the insulation was a black rubbery material which had perished and was crumbling. 

I had to remove it all and replace with cloth insulated stuff.

SteveRobinson

Sorry I should really do more than skim read posts. The guitar wiring was rubber insulation, the pickups themselves used cloth insulation. Sorry for the confusion.

goldtop

Thanks guys. This helps me decide if/how to restore.

ICBM

As far as I can remember, Gibson have never used anything else for single-conductor cable on the pickups.

If you do buy some, make sure it's cotton and not synthetic (not sure what exact type they use) cloth - not for any snobbery reasons but because the cotton won't melt no matter how much you heat it, which matters when you're soldering it to the back of a volume pot.

I know that rubber stuff SteveRobinson is talking about, it's a nightmare - it's usually fine as long as it's left undisturbed, but if you need to repair the loom then I agree it can be better just to replace the whole lot rather than try to troubleshoot it.