C-pig: Lacks sustain?

[Tho]

So I've installed this c-pig in my Jackson '94 Professional (maple neck, poplar body), and at first I thought it sounded great. Well, the tone DOES sound great, but I do have a problem.

When I strike a chord, the pickup is very responsive, but it just dies very fast. It's like an overly fanatic noise gate comes in. High notes: no sustain. The note dies very fast. The pickup is very silent, but I don't get no feedback which I find weird for a pickup this hot. I expected this pickup to have more balls. To be honest: The Seymour Duncan JB sounds more badass with more bite and sustain.

Obviously, this can't be right. Can it? The pole screws are close to the strings so that's not the problem. I'm actually starting to think this guitar tech made it a single coil (since it was 4-braided).... can this be?

[littleredguitars2]

sounds like you need a setup

[darrenw5094]

Sounds like it's wired in a$$ways tbh.

I am beginning to realise the JB is fine in bolt on, alder/basswood guitars. I hated it in my Les Paul, but it wasn't designed for that really.

[Dave Sloven]

I'm actually starting to think this guitar tech made it a single coil (since it was 4-braided).... can this be?

There's a very good chance that's what has happened.  Red is hot, black and bare are ground.  Do you have white and green connected to anything, or do they still have their black shrink tubing holding them together?

[Tho]

sounds like you need a setup

The setup is just fine, that's the weird thing

[darrenw5094]

Get it rewired by someone else

[Duck2587]

No way in hell the ceramic warpig lacks sustain and no way in hell the JB sounds better. That thing was wired incorrectly or your guitar is in dire need of a proper set up. Get both done to cover yourself. Don't give me a heart attack.

Sincerely,

A BKP Warpig lover/enthusiast

Keep it evil 

[Kiichi]

Yeah, check the wiring, there is probably something going wrong there. Should be as Agent Orange said.

Another thing, which should not have this large or an impact, could be that they are a tad close to the strings. A magnet that powerful can pull on them quite hard which also reduces sustain (and reduces bite for that matter).

[littleredguitars2]

open it up and send us a picture of the wiring. a number of us should be able to tell you if its wired wrong

[Tho]

open it up and send us a picture of the wiring. a number of us should be able to tell you if its wired wrong

Oke, so it's a mess in that cavity but I'll try to explain.

It's 4 braided. Red is going to the pickup-switch and white is going to the volume pot. The rest's just doing nothing.

PS: I'm a total noob with wiring and electronics. I hope this explains at least something.

PPS: Lowering the pickup didn't change the sound in the way I need it to.

[Kiichi]

You know nothing about wiring? That´s what we´re for! =)

I´ll try to explain, ask if you do not understand something:
Yeah, see, the wiring is not well. Green and white should be taped up together to the side (so they flow into each other). They controll one of the coils. For a normal split those two would be send to ground, thus shutting off a coil. When they are taped together they just flow into the entire pickup.

So the red sounds right, but the circuit is not completed properly from there on. The black and the bare wire should go to the back of the pot, the ground. The black grounds the pickup, the bare the hull it sits in.

When that is done you should get the proper sound.

Have a look at this, should help to illustrate what I mean. https://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/downloads/schematics/general/humbuckers/2_hum__1vol__1tone__3way.pdf

[Dave Sloven]

open it up and send us a picture of the wiring. a number of us should be able to tell you if its wired wrong

Oke, so it's a mess in that cavity but I'll try to explain.

It's 4 braided. Red is going to the pickup-switch and white is going to the volume pot. The rest's just doing nothing.

Yeah that sounds totally wrong! I'm not sure what switch you have in there or how it works exactly, but the green and white need to either BOTH be connected to some kind of switch or left taped/soldered together, and the black & bare definitely need to go to ground.  Sounds like someone has split a coil, and badly, with the white functioning as the ground!  You are running a Warpig at half power.  It's quite possible that you can fix it yourself by unsoldering the white from the back of the pot, soldering it to the end of the green and then covering the end with electrical tape or heat shrink, and then soldering the black and bare wires to where the white one was, if you are any good with a soldering iron.  I'd use 60/40 solder and a 40W iron.  Don't leave the iron on the back of a pot for too long or you will cook it.

[Duck2587]

Green and white taped and soldered together, black and bare to pot and leave the red where it is. I had a similar situation happen to me...practice soldering and you'll be good at it in know time. Took me a half hour to learn and do it clean. Hope this helps. Enjoy the warpig when it's fully set up correctly, it's a beast 

[Tho]

Guys, you've been so helpfull! Thanks so much, this really explains a lot!

I think it's time to learn myself some more about this instead of upgrading my guitars all the time and have other do the work 

I hope my usual guitar tech is available again soon.

Again: Thanks a lot, this forum rocks

[Kiichi]

Guys, you've been so helpfull! Thanks so much, this really explains a lot!

I think it's time to learn myself some more about this instead of upgrading my guitars all the time and have other do the work 

I hope my usual guitar tech is available again soon.

Again: Thanks a lot, this forum rocks

Cheers mate, always happy to help.

Let us know how it turns out and how you find the WP when it is not a piglet anymore. ;)