New tele project.

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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Black cloth insulated conductor = coil start, normally coil ground
    White cloth insulated conductor = coil end, normally coil "hot"
    Red plastic insulated conductor = permanent independent ground for metal baseplate (and other things)

    Red to either pot chassis. 

    The order for the white and black conductors will depend on the magnetic polarity and output cable format of the bespoke Alegree 'Tron.
    Be seeing you.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    From what I can see I have wired everything correctly and there is no sound from either pickup.  What's the most likely cause, if I wired the ground and live wires from the jack the wrong way round would that equal no sound?
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Er, should I tap a ouija board, gaze into a crystal ball, trust to telepathy or wait until you post a few photographs of your guitar wiring? ;)


    Be seeing you.
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  • CasperCasterCasperCaster Frets: 760
    If hot and earth are reversed as you.describe then you would still have signal, but a lot of buzz/ noise. That assumes everything else is wired correctly, of course.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
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  • sixstringsuppliessixstringsupplies Frets: 429
    tFB Trader
    ^^it's very likely that braided wire from the pickup is hitting the input terminal of the volume control. 
    For Modders, Makers, Players

    https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/

    Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    ^^it's very likely that braided wire from the pickup is hitting the input terminal of the volume control. 
    How would one go about unmuffing that up?
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    If the capacitor leg that is soldered to the centre terminal of the tone pot is touching the pot chassis, it will shunt the entire frequency range to ground. 

    There is too much frayed cloth insulation around the solder joints on the volume pot to form any opinion on how good, bad or indifferent they might be.
    Be seeing you.
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  • sixstringsuppliessixstringsupplies Frets: 429
    tFB Trader
    unsolder it, cover it with rubber tubing then solder it back in. 
    For Modders, Makers, Players

    https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/

    Our YouTube Channel for handy "How-To" Wiring Tutorials
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  • MtBMtB Frets: 921
    edited June 2018
    Desolder the capacitor and flip it over - so the long leg attaches to the pot body, the short leg goes through the middle lug and the cap body sits in the void between the two control pots. Bend the redundant lug(?) out of the way.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71959
    As already said, the bare braided shielded cable is the most likely culprit. It doesn't look like the cap leg is quite touching the pot, and even if it was it wouldn't mute the guitar unless the tone control was turned right down.

    Also check the jack - a totally dead guitar is most often caused by a short there than anywhere else.

    "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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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    Thanks for the answers I will work through them one by one to see if I can get some sound of it which will help the project I think!
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71959
    The easiest way to troubleshoot it is to take the control plate off the guitar, and remove the jack as well - just leave it all hanging loose. Plug that into the amp and you should be able to move wires around and see if anything is shorting.

    "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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  • SeshSesh Frets: 1839
    Before desoldering anything I'd use insulation tape to add temporary separation between any bits that might be touching.
    Can't sing, can't dance, can handle a guitar a little.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    ^^it's very likely that braided wire from the pickup is hitting the input terminal of the volume control. 
    It was two things one of the jack wires had come off when I tightened the socket, then I followed ICMBs suggestion connected when everything was loose and it all worked, but didn't work when I connected it because braid the braided wire was touching the switch, I have put some tubing round the braided wire and got it to work.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    Next job setting the thing up, should be easier than a strat but isn't.  I have compensated brass saddles, as a rough guide how high should they be from the bridge and how far away from the bridge?, strings are touching frets and I can't tell if its neck relief or saddle height.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255
    Well it plays, might need further set up but I seem to have tamed it.  Really pleased with it so far neck is lovely, the creamery red 79 sounds really cool.  Not quite as out and out twang as I planned for a tele bridge but almost funk like twang to it.  The absolute stand out for me is the filtertron made by @Alegree that is something special.  Sounds like a strat neck or a really bell like humbucker depending on what you are playing.  Whole idea of a tele project came from not being happy with the neck pickup in a 50s roadworn (tex mex) and the filtertron is exactly what sound I wanted.

    Will get some pictures up shortly.
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  • munckeemunckee Frets: 12255

    So here is the beast:

    https://i.imgur.com/DcR0t9q.jpg?1

    https://i.imgur.com/WfUUvk6.jpg?1

    With body and neck from @caspercaster bridge pickup from @paulnb57 and generous donations of kit from each of them.  Neck filtertron from @alegree together with various bits.

    I'm still intending to put a 7.25 rosewood neck on it at some point and needs another go at setting it up but sounds brilliant and I wired it all myself from scratch which was a new experience.  I can see why people buy pre-wired but I learned a lot.

    Thanks to everyone for the considered wisdom and assistance!

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  • CasperCasterCasperCaster Frets: 760
    edited June 2018
    That Torty pickguard looks ace - where did you get it? Also, can you do a closeup pic of the bridge - saddles look wrong to me (should be angled the other way, especially low E-A), but difficult to see clearly in current pictures - I'll be honest, I know I had a set of angled saddles, but didn't look at them thoroughly before I sent them out to you - I was just trying to get things packaged up quuckly. Anyway, if they aren't right I have others which I'll send to you so you can get it right.
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  • paulnb57paulnb57 Frets: 3044
    Looks great! Soo glad you didnt strip the body!
    Stranger from another planet welcome to our hole - Just strap on your guitar and we'll play some rock 'n' roll

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