Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Axe_34 on March 29, 2008, 09:29:32 PM

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: Axe_34 on March 29, 2008, 09:29:32 PM

I just wired up my new Mules in a 2007 LP Standard and am getting no sound when I tap on the pickups with a screwdriver prior to restringing it.

I've changed pickups on three other guitars and built three amps, so I must be having a major brain cramp.

I wired it according to the Bare Knuckle specs which consisted of desoldering the stock Gibsons and rewiring the Bare Knuckles the exact same way.

Can anyone see anything in this picture I missed?

(http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa227/axe_34/IMG_0128.jpg)

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: Axe_34 on March 29, 2008, 09:36:30 PM

I also just de- and resoldered and still have no sound.

Plus, I'm reading continuity from the pots to the pickups themselves, so no cold joints.

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: kellar on March 29, 2008, 10:19:37 PM

I'm no specialist, but shouldn't your tone pots be grounded in the circuit?They aren't grounded in the photo.

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: PhilKing on March 29, 2008, 10:30:15 PM

Quote from: kellar

I'm no specialist, but shouldn't your tone pots be grounded in the circuit?They aren't grounded in the photo.

The metal shielding plate connects the ground to the tone pots.

I think the screen is contacting the live to the jack at the tag strip.  pull the BK wires away from it and see what happens.

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: Philly Q on March 29, 2008, 10:32:17 PM

Quote from: kellar

I'm no specialist, but shouldn't your tone pots be grounded in the circuit?They aren't grounded in the photo.

They're grounded by the metal plate that everything's mounted on.

I can't see anything wrong in the picture.  

It's a shot in the dark, but I'm just wondering if the "hot" side of the jack might be shorting out against some shielding paint or something?  That happened to me recently.

(EDIT:  Oops, the other Phil beat me to it.  :oops: )

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: kellar on March 29, 2008, 10:32:52 PM

Just noticed the plate.

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on March 29, 2008, 11:18:59 PM

I'm with the others on this
Think that the braided cable from one of the two pickups is touching something that it shouldn't be and is shorting out the live signal.

Title: Pickup wiring problem
Post by: Philly Q on March 30, 2008, 12:31:34 AM

Quote from: FELINEGUITARS

Think that the braided cable from one of the two pickups is touching something that it shouldn't be and is shorting out the live signal.

Yeah, looking at the pic again, the braided cable of the neck pickup may be touching the hot wire leading to the jack - at the point where the jack wire is soldered to the big "multi-lug" in the middle of the grounding plate.