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Topic: pickup |
Billy Carr
From:
Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 5:51 am |
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| How do you test a pickup to see if it's good or not? I've installed a new pu in a guitar, MSA S-12D but there's no sound. I'm wondering maybe if I might have shorted it out or something. It's mounted to the mounting plate and the two screws on the bottom of the pu are touching the metal on the plate. I don't think it's the jack. Everything else is fine. Never ran into this before. Thanks. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 6:22 am
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Get an ohm meter and put the leads on the wires coming from the pickup. Depending on the pickup, you should get a reading of several thousand ohms.
If you don't get a reading, then there's something wrong with the pickup. If this checks out OK, then the problem is with the operator.  |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 7:46 am
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| If you have by chance wired the jack backwards you would get no sound. Verify that the shield is grounded to the outer (sleeve) contact of the jack and the center wire is attached to the tip contact. |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 9:26 am
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What both said - and Dave's comment is one of the most common mistakes made.
However, it's only a problem if the pickup is otherwise connected to ground - if it's free-floating it makes no difference at all (actually there is a slight tonal difference due to the winding start and endpoints, but it's insignificant unless running multiple pickups.)
If you check the DC resistance of the pickup do it with the wires unsoldered - if they are reversed as Dave noted and there's a shunt to ground you'll get a zero reading and might think it's a pickup problem, when it's actually a short between the chair and the soldering iron...
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Billy Carr
From:
Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 11:37 am pu
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| Ok, it's a E66 pu. 3 wires.Red, black and another wire uncovered. What is correct way to solder the wires to the jack? Never have run into this before and I've changed out several. Thanks. |
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Olie Eshleman
From:
Seattle, WA
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 12:15 pm
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| I would assume (cause I don't actually know) that red goes to tip and both black and shield go to sleeve. |
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Billy Carr
From:
Seminary, Mississippi, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 2:35 pm pu
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| Problem was the wiring on the jack was touching a piece of metal on the frame of the guitar causing it to not work. Readjusted the jack to where the soldered wires are not touching anything. Guitar is fine now. First time for everything I guess. Thanks for the help. |
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Storm Rosson
From:
Silver City, NM. USA
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Posted 21 Apr 2011 2:46 pm
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 What Olie said, black and shield are common and ground twist together ,the red is the "hot" wire so to speak.....Stormy |
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Chris Lucker
From:
Los Angeles, California USA
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Posted 22 Apr 2011 10:42 am
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I test a pickup the old fashioned way.
I get a potato -- not a russet -- use a red potato.
Place one of the pickup leads on one end of the potato, and the other pickup lead on the other end.
If the pickup makes noises, the pickup is bad and don't eat it.
Wait a minute, this is how I test if a potato is bad.
Sorry.
_________________
Chris Lucker
Red Bellies, Bigsbys and a lot of other guitars. |
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