Help! 50's style wiring and CTS push pull pots

FarleyUK

Hi all,

Need some help please - trying to wire up a Les Paul (2 humbuckers, 3 way swicth, 2 vol and 2 tone) with Bare Knuckle pickups, as 50's wiring and using the weird CTS push-pull pots on the tones for coil splitting. I wired it how I believed it should be (basically using a standard 50s wiring diagram, and wiring the CTS pots as per a post on here showing how they should be wired (C1 to ground, terminal 1 having North Finish and South Finish to terminal 1), but the coil split isn't working, the tones aren't working and the volume on the neck goes down and then back on full at 0.....).

Does anyone have a diagram please...? Thanks!

Jimbro66

I don’t know if this might help:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wiring-diagrams?meta_params=guitar-options,2-pickups,neck-h,bridge-h,2-volume,2-tone,3-way-toggle,accessory-none

From the drop-down list above the shown diagram choose the fourth option (tones with push-pull coil split). Then assuming you know the small change needed to make it 50s wiring you should be good to go.

EDIT: I just saw that you have the cts type push-pull pots so for the actual switch wiring look at this:

https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Learn_About_Guitar_Pickups_and_Electronics_and_Wiring/Wiring_the_CTS_DPDT_Push-Pull_Pot.html

ICBM

Do you have all the pot casings connected to each other and to ground? That's often assumed on schematics rather than shown. Some of what you're describing sounds like missing ground connections.

FarleyUK

Cheers guys - I've managed to wire them correctly now (North and South Finish at terminal 1, C1 to ground). I've used the Seymour Duncan push pull wiring diagram, so not 50s style.... but still not getting any tone difference when I roll off the tone on either pot.

It's a ground plate in the cavity, so all pots are connected to ground (and the bridge ground is connected to the back of a pot as well).

Any ideas? Have both the caps leading from the lowest lug on the volume to the middle lug of the tone CTS pots.

ICBM

FarleyUK said:

Any ideas? Have both the caps leading from the lowest lug on the volume to the middle lug of the tone CTS pots.

The cap should be connected to the middle terminal of the volume pots for 50s wiring (or the high one for 'modern'), and is usually connected to the low terminal on the tone pots with the middle terminal to the casing, although reversing the tone control connections makes no difference if it's more convenient.

FarleyUK

This is weird..... changed the caps, and no change...

However, when I roll the neck tone down, the bridge pup tone changes, and vice-versa. However, the volumes are correct for each, and the push-pull works correctly for each.

No idea what I've mis-wired...!

Funkfingers

Post a few photographs of your wiring, please.

Jimbro66

FarleyUK said:

This is weird..... changed the caps, and no change...

However, when I roll the neck tone down, the bridge pup tone changes, and vice-versa. However, the volumes are correct for each, and the push-pull works correctly for each.

No idea what I've mis-wired...!

Despite there being a ground plate it does, as ICBM said, sound like a grounding issue. If not already done, check all grounding with your multimeter rather than assuming the ground plate will do all. Look for anything reading more than zero ohms.

If that all checks out and there are no dry joints in the signal path then, as @Funkfingers said, photos might show a cause.

BTW a degree of interaction of the tone controls is expected with LP style wiring but not causing the bigger issues you are experiencing.

Funkfingers

Probably going to be some simple oversight or omission.

FarleyUK

Fully re-wired it last night, and seems to be working now

Funkfingers

What did you do differently this time compared to your earlier efforts? 

FarleyUK

Funkfingers said:

What did you do differently this time compared to your earlier efforts? 

Honestly? Nothing I don't think.... Changed a couple of wires and suckered up the old solder, so just have been that.