Does This Esquire/Eldred Mod Wiring Diagram Look Right ?

DrBob

To you ?

This one:

http://i526.photobucket.com/albums/cc343/lorddonricci/Eldred Mod Esquire Wiring copy_zpsmm2mu6dm.jpg

I'm at the wiring stage for an Esquire build I'm doing for someone else and I'm having trouble getting the wiring to work. I would point out that the control plate is going 'knobs forward' as opposed to 'switch forward but I get that and how I have to rotate the pots through 180 deg, sit them in front of the switch and rotate the connectors accordingly but here the thing.
I wired it up the first time the other night and then had a go at stringing the guitar up so I plugged it into my Boss Tuner and the weird thing is that the low strings registered on the tuner but as I progressed up the strings the tuner either wouldn't 'hear' the higher pitched strings or if it did it would so only momentarily..
So I had a bit of a ponder and I thought I had the answer.
From looking at the plan it occurred to me that I might have the three way switch in back to front. It doesn't say as much but I'm assuming that the 'hot' or 'output' tabs on the switch are the ones to the left hand end of the diagram as they're the ones with the output to the volume pot and indeed the pickup live attached to them. So I had a look and I did indeed have the switch in back to front to I took it out, spun it out and reconnected it.
Plugged it into the tuner and exactly the same thing, tuner registers the low E,A,D strings no worries, has trouble up at the HIgh B & E.
So at this point I plug it into the amp, nothing, no earth hum, no connection noise when I plug in the jack, silence.
Must confess I got a bit frustrated at this point and wired the pickup straight to the jack, yep, that works.

Sooo, any thoughts or advice gratefully received as I'm keen to get this guitar knocked out and off to it's new owner

DrBob

And as a supporting question. Is my 25w Weller soldering iron manly enough for this task or should I beef up and get a 40w ?

ICBM

No. It looks to me like you've accidentally wired a mute function in the bridge position .

Are you intending to have the 'bridge' position as a 'blaster' (pickup directly to jack) setting? If not then the wire from the ground terminal of the volume pot should go to the pot casing and not to the switch.

If the 'blaster' setting is what you want, the wire from the volume control top terminal round to the pickup hot connection on the switch should not be connected to the lower-left terminal on the switch - that terminal should be bare, it's what lifts the ground from the volume pot to get the 'blaster' setting - and the terminal which *is* bare in the diagram needs to be connected to the volume pot middle terminal.

A 25W iron should be plenty for this, with a big tip you should even be able to do the pot casing grounds. A 40W will make that one easier though.

DrBob

Okay as ever thanks @ICBM, I shall have another stab at this tonight once the workbench (kitchen counter) is clear. Do need to clean up the mess a bit first though. Are we currently advocating de-soldering braid or a spring loaded de-soldering tool ?

ICBM

DrBob said:

Okay as ever thanks @ICBM, I shall have another stab at this tonight once the workbench (kitchen counter) is clear. Do need to clean up the mess a bit first though. Are we currently advocating de-soldering braid or a spring loaded de-soldering tool ?

I use the syringe type, but both work well when you get the hang of them.

DrBob

Just to finish this thread up @ICBM, rewired the guitar as per your instructions, worked straight away !
Thanks Man, wisdoms awarded