Another Stringmaster Question

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

The neck pickup on the outside neck on my Stringmaster T-8 is not workin. What things should I check before I send it to someone? And also I know this has been addressed before but I couldn't find the thread. I use C6, A6, and now B11, which neck would be the best for each tuning?

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

What model Stringmaster do you have? The pickups were wound different for different models. The early models with the chrome pickup covers didn't have a blend control. The pickups were wired together and should check out at approx. 7-8,000 ohms. The later model pickups with the blend control were wound to approx. 11-12,000 ohms. I'd check the pickup that doesn't work and see if you come up anywheres close to the above.
Erv

Dana Duplan · From: Ramona, CA

I'd also check the solder joints, on both the pickups and the controls. I once had a T8 that got banged when it shipped to me, taking out 3 pickups with it. My tech fixed it easily by repairing some solder joints, with no rewinding necessary.

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

It's a 55' model with the chrome pickup covers, no blend control and slide type switches.

Rick Alexander · From: Florida, USA, R.I.P.

Andy, I always put the lowest tuning on the back neck and the highest on the front neck. More mass means more bass resonance, so stringing it this way should help to balance the tonality of the necks. That's the theory anyway . .
In my case, the back neck is E7 with the low E, the middle neck is A6 with a low F# and the front neck is high C6 with a low A.
So assuming your lowest string in B11th is the A, you could string the back neck A6, the middle neck B11 and the front neck C6.

OR - you could just put the tuning you use most on the neck you're most comfortable with . .

RA

Michael Lee Allen · From: Portage Park / Irving Park, Chicago, Illinois

REMOVED

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

I don't know squat about your geography out there but if the location works, that last post is a great option. But if you are the least bit handy with a continuity tester you can get a lot of mileage out of tracing your connections from either pickup lead to the junction of both pups to the switch to the tone & volume pots to the output jack. You can find bad solder joints, broken connections, funky contacts etc. Nothing easier than reflowing solder at a bad joint, as per Dana D and nothing more satisfying than finding a simple problem yourself. If this-all turns up nothing then you know you've got a bad pickup.

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

Well I checked all I could with what limited knowledge and tools I have and found no obvious bad connections but that's not to say that a solder connection on a switch or pot could still be bad or even the pickup itself. When I turn the tone control all the way counter clockwise I get no sound from the pickup in question, the other neck pickups do have sound when switched on. I live just 2 hours south of Fresno so I'm gonna take Michaels advise and give Mike at Backline a call on Tues. A two hour drive each way would be worth it not to have to pack it up and mail it to someone. Thanks Michael for emailin me with more info and thanks to all who replied here.

Andy Sandoval · From: Bakersfield, California, USA

Well, just got back from Fresno where I had Mike at Backline look at the Stringmaster and everything checked out so it looks like a rewind is in order. Should I send both pickups from that neck? I'm wonderin if gettin the bad pickup rewound is gonna make the other pickup sound weak.

Steve Waltz · From: USA

Could someone give me a example of how to check with a tester to see how far a good singal is getting. Do i set my muti meter to Ohms in the 12,000 range, start at the pickup hot lead and get that reading and then continue down the line? i don't think there are resistors on a stringmaster so the Ohms should stay the same, right? I have hear that you can use a 9 volt battery, attach alligator clips to a 9volt conection and then conect it to your wires so that you can trace that 9 volt signal down the line.

I'm a novice so if you can help keep it simple for me.

Thanks

Steve

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

On the last guitar I tested I was lazy so I just stuck a jack into the hole and held the meter's leads on the two contact points. There is usually a setting on the meter for 1,000 or 1K. If you get a reading of 10, that means you have a pickup wound to 10,000 ohms.
Erv

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