Wiring Conundrum. (Contains desperation)

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I’ve transplanted a complete PRS CU22 wiring loom into a tele bitsa just altering the 5 way rotary for a 5 way blade. I've wired lots of guitars, lots of times over lots of years.

When I fired up the completed guitar all was well except the volume pot didn't completely kill the volume. Assuming a dodgy pot I replaced it with an old PRS spare but still had the same problem. Just in case I’d made a wiring gaff I disconnected the tone circuit and the treble bleed cap leaving just the hot from the 5 way to the left pot lug and the wiper to the output jack.

Unbelievably the problem was still there except lowering the volume now dulls the tone too.

In desperation I stuck in a brand new 250k pot but the problem still exists.

As I left for work this morning I had the Dragon pups feeding a 5 way switch, the hot from the switch to the left pot lug and the wiper to the output jack. Operation of the pot just slightly reduces the volume.

Just in case I had some bizarre earth / pickup coil configuration going on I cut the hot wire from the switch whilst playing and that finally killed the volume.

Is there something that my addled brain is missing here?

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Comments

  • GuitarMonkeyGuitarMonkey Frets: 1883
    If the volume doesn't go to zero when you turn the volume pot down then invariably the third lug isn't connected to earth.

    Since you are experienced however and transplanted the parts from a (presumably) working guitar I suppose it may be something else...?
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    If the volume doesn't go to zero when you turn the volume pot down then invariably the third lug isn't connected to earth.
    +1. If removing the treble-pass cap now makes the volume pot dull the tone that's because the pot track is then in series with the output when it's turned down, which makes it conclusive.

    Often it can be at the pot itself, caused by bending the ground terminal back against the casing which opens the rivetting up, but if you've tried more than one pot that's unlikely.

    Where does the ground wire from the jack go - to the tone pot (relying on the control plate to complete the connection to the volume pot - as Fender usually do it, and wrong!) or to the volume pot (correct)?

    If the ground wire and hot wires from the jack go directly to the volume pot and the pot is not damaged/faulty, then turning down the volume *must* mute the output.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • IanpdqIanpdq Frets: 131
    Sounds like a high resistance on the ground to the pot have you checked it with a meter

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  • It was all down to a succession of dodgy pots including a new one.
    A second install with a different new pot had it working fine.
    ...how frustrating....
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71956
    Did you bend back the ground terminals against the casing to solder them? That seems to cause a lot of problems with modern pots.

    Ideally you need to bend over just the top part of the terminal at a right angle using pliers so you don't stress the rivet on the track board.

    You can usually fix damaged ones by squeezing the rivet hard with pliers as well.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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