I just re-wired my Strat after using it to try out a HH combo for a while.
The middle pickup now has almost no low end. It sounds as if there is a high pass filter on it at all times.
I tried de-soldering it all and re-wiring it, I tried removing the tone pot, simplifying the wiring as much as possible. Even tried swapping the hot and ground but every time it has no low end.
Anyone ever came across this before?
It seems so strange, makes me think the pickup must have been damaged.
Can anyone confirm this or offer a solution?
Any help is appreciated, even if it's the bad news of the pickup being damaged.
Cheers.
Comments
It is difficult to comment on possible problems with the pickup itself without first knowing the make and model of the pickup.
If, for instance, your pickup has stacked coils for noise-cancellation and four-conductor + shield output cable, connecting the four conductors in the wrong order would create phase and/or overall output strength issues.
It would also help to see photographs of the offending pickup and your control wiring.
I'll try going direct to the output and see if that solves it, will be back with some photos shortly.
Try resoldering it - it's not likely to be the hot end because that tends to produce silence.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Is it still possible it's a cold solder joint on the pickup if it worked fine for years?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Also tried reheating the hot and ground connections coming out of the pickup but didn't fix it.
Is it possible that a pickup can be damaged in a way that it will still work but have no low end?
Depending on the winding direction it might be fixable by unwinding the last couple of turns, or not without rewinding the whole pickup. If it’s at the inner end it will be caused either by corrosion between the magnets and the wire, or one of the magnets being moved.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
When I thought that I thought about replacements and kind of want to get new ones now but will need to think about it properly.
Quick question @OilCityPickups - the Diamond Geezer in the bridge goes very well with the Fat 50s in the neck and middle; if I was to replace the neck and middle with lower output pickups, would there be a problematic mis match?
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
I was pretty gutted because those pickups are no longer made, and I was fully expecting to have killed it. But to my surprise when I plugged it in, it still made a sound, although it didn’t sound quite right... no low end.
For a while I thought the lack of low end would make a pretty tight metal pickup, but eventually I found another one and replaced it.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
All this and it doesn't always work ... but it's worth a try for a rare pickup.
Formerly TheGuitarWeasel ... Oil City Pickups ... Oil City Blog 7 String.org profile and message
The sixty four thousand Dollar question is, should one shave the insulation off the ends of the copper wire?
Even so my success rate isn’t 100% either...
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Big lesson learnt though - never go pulling stuff off pickups, however benign it may appear.