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Topic: BL 705 pickup problem on the road |
John Campbelljohn
From:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 8:54 pm |
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Hi All,
I'm near the tail end of a tour & my E9th pickup decided to go wonky on me. I'm playing an MCI D10 with metal necks non-welded frame.
I'm getting a very thin, bright, tinny, low level unusable tone on my MCI / Bill Lawrence 705 pickup.
I thought it was a switch problem so I turned it on it's side, messed with the switch trying to make contact? ...but nothing. Then I turned it right side up & lightly tapped on the strings over the pickup & suddenly it started working normally at full output. I might ad that I plugged directly in to my amp to try & fix it so it's not a volume pedal problem plus the C6th 705 works fine.
This happened twice in 1 week and for the first time since I bought the guitar some years ago. Now I'm nervous this will happen again before my tour is done.
If anyone has experienced this & can tell me what may be wrong, I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks,
John |
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Jerry Roller
From:
Van Buren, Arkansas USA
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 9:15 pm
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It could be the neck selector switch, but of course it could be the pickup. I would try to get some contact cleaner in the selector switches (buttons). Also check the switches very carefully to make sure there is not a single strand of loose wire contacting where it shouldn't. If you have access to an ohm meter I would compare the readings of the two pickups. This should indicate if it is a pickup problem.
Jerry |
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John Campbelljohn
From:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 20 Aug 2009 10:39 pm
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Thanks Jerry.
I whacked the switch on & off perhaps too many times, but I'll get the contact cleaner & ohm meter on it as soon as possible.
I'm a lousy tech...could I get an accurate reading by placing the meter on the pickup side of the switch? ... or should I remove the pickup, because the underside is hidden by the jack plate? |
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Steve English
From:
Baja, Arizona
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 12:16 am
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Get a couple of test leads with alligator clips and run from the hot and ground p/u leads straight to the output jack.
That takes the switch out of the equation, and you'll be able to tell if there's really a problem with the p/u.
_________________
Always remember you're unique..... Just like everyone else |
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Bob Lawrence
From:
Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 1:38 am 705 Wiring Diagram
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John,
You may need this wiring diagram at some point.
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Bob Lawrence
From:
Beaver Bank, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 1:44 am
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Guitar Audio Jack: Check around the guitar jack and ensure that the terminals cannot touch anything else (i.e go to ground). If the jack leads are close to touching anything try:
1. Backing off the nut and rotate it (the jack) a bit to provide some additional clearance for the terminals(where the wires connect)
For all components in the signal path: Ensure that the terminals, wires,wire fray's etc aren't touching anything else. Also, check the solder joints for cracks etc. One or more components may need the soldering to be re-done.
The picture below is An example of a simple tester that Steve English is referring to. You can bypass the switch for a test an go directly into the amp.
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Jerry Roller
From:
Van Buren, Arkansas USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 11:56 am
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I eliminated a jack problem because one neck is working fine.
Jerry |
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John Campbelljohn
From:
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
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Posted 21 Aug 2009 2:06 pm
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Thanks guys. It's working today & hopefully until I get home and haul it apart.
John |
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