I tried this same wiring scheme on another guitar a few months ago and it worked... of course that guitar was rear-routed so any wiring troubleshooting would have been much easier, lol. It had to go wrong on the scratchplate one, lol.
Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong? The single coils were a bit of a tight fit, so maybe something is shorting out somewhere (though it's a bit strange I'm getting the "right" DC resistance readings), or maybe I've done something silly with those resistors or the fancy wiring. I did change the selector switch (and also the pots) so maybe something is shorting out there. It's also possible, being a scratchplate-loaded guitar, that when I put it back together something which shouldn't is touching something else...
Here are the resistance readings:
Bridge: 9.48k
Bridge (partial split): 6.68k
Bridge + Middle (parallel): 3.79k
Bridge (partial split) + Middle (parallel): 3.25k
Middle: 6.25k
Middle + Neck (parallel): 3.17k
Neck: 6.26k
Bridge, Middle + Neck (parallel): 2.39k
Bridge (partial split), Middle and Neck (parallel): 2.16k
Bridge + Neck (parallel): 3.8k
Bridge (partial split) + Neck (parallel): 3.25k
I can't remember the exact readings from before I put them into the guitar, but IIRC the bridge humbucker measured out at roughly 9.6k (the coil being used in the split being ~5.3k), and both the neck and middle pickups had almost identical readings in the 6.3-6.4k region, with IIRC the neck pickup being actually very slightly higher in resistance.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me,
Dave
Comments
Second most likely explanation is a defective selector switch. Those eight-contacts-in-line PCB switches are notoriously prone to failure under enthusiastic handling.
"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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
(a) Will do, good call
(b) Yeah I was wondering about that- it's a new one which I've never used before, it could well be faulty as you said. Is there any way to check if it's faulty?
Thanks John How do I do that? Or am I being an idiot and do I just need to touch it with something metal/magnetic (ferromagnetic? I should probably know these terms lol) to see if it sticks?
I once had a couple of Duncan pickups like this at separate times - one wasn't magnetised at all and the other, quite bafflingly, had the top E and B poles unmagnetised but the rest were OK. How, since I think they put the whole thing in a magnetiser after construction, I do not know! But that was absolutely the fault.
Getting a correct resistance reading means the coil is OK. No output then means it's either not connected electrically (faulty cable or switch) or not magnetised. But if it sounds oddly like the pickup is sort-of working when combined with the middle, the switch and the cable must be OK, which only leaves a magnetic problem really.
"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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Funnily enough, I thought I checked that myself last night before I posted the thread- but I was plugged in and sort of testing whether I heard a "click" through the amp when I did it (which I sort of did).
I guess that means I have to send back the pickup to be magnetised?
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It is possible for pickup magnets to be degaussed by strong electric fields. Andy Summers describes this happening to the bridge pickup in his famous mongrel Custom Telecaster during a rail journey.
I don't think I have any strong magnetic fields here, though. None of my other pickups have had that happen. Anything could have happened in the post, though, I would imagine.
You will get a small click with something ferromagnetic, especially if it's slightly magnetised itself - many screwdrivers are - even if the polepieces aren't, since it still produces a (small) disturbance in the coil.
Yes. Either it's somehow been demagnetised in the post - a bit unlikely if the others arrived at the same time and are fine - or Ash's magnetiser is on the blink... or it just somehow got missed!
"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
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
(b) Now you mention it I think I did it with a screwdriver yesterday- I was adjusting the pickup heights so it was the easiest thing to hand (and I think it is slightly magnetised, as you say). Today I did it with an allen key, to be sure.
(c) Thanks, I'll send it back
Wow, I think I'll send it back in that case!
It's also useful to tame the G on a staggered Strat pickup on flat radiused guitar.1