PDA

View Full Version : TL-1TH quiet pickups



Jubre
02-04-2017, 11:38 AM
Hey guys, the pickups that I have on my guitar are very quiet, my volume pot work but does not shut off the sound completely and the tone pot does not work. I changed the pickups to test them, when I put other pickups in the sound was fine but again the sound does not shut off and the tone still didn't work.
Thanks.

ILRGuitars
02-04-2017, 03:20 PM
Electronics problems are 95% connection issues. Check your earth connections, switch connections, etc. Have you got the pots in the correct position too? Do you have a multi meter to check the pots?

WeirdBits
02-04-2017, 03:28 PM
Some photos of the wiring would help us diagnose the issues. The sound 'not shut off' issue is usually no lug to ground connection on the volume pot. The tone problem could be something at either the volume or tone end, so some photos would really help. What other pickups did you test with, other PBG pups or another brand?

Jubre
02-04-2017, 06:34 PM
Thanks for the response guys, I will put some pictures up shortly. The other pickups I used were from my epiphone lp. I have a multimeter but I don't know how to use it so advice on that would be helpful. Thanks.

Simon Barden
02-04-2017, 06:48 PM
You'll want the multimeter on the resistance setting, but again, post a picture of your particular multimeter (they can vary a lot) and we'll help you set and use it.

Note that to post pictures directly on the forum using the 'insert image' button, they have to be 1500 pixels or less on the longest side, so you'll normally need to use a photo editor of some sort to reduce the picture size (and a maximum of 4 per post). Otherwise host them elsewhere and post a URL link (making sure that the pictures are set to public viewing).

Jubre
02-04-2017, 07:45 PM
18502 here is the multimeter, I was unable to add the pictures of the pots (I tried multiple times). Thanks.

Simon Barden
02-04-2017, 11:11 PM
One of the dimensions on your pot pictures must have been bigger than 1500 pixels. Both have to be less than 1500, not just one.

For checking good contact between wires, set the switch to the 6 o'clock position on the 200 ohm setting. There should be a black terminal for one of the probes to push into, the other should go in the one nearest the left in the picture with V(Ohm symbol)mA next to it. Then place the contacts on bare metal at two points you want to measure for continuity between and see what the reading says. It should be less than 1 ohm for a good contact or solder joint, and will probably read something like 0.03 ohms on the display. If it reads ---.- or 'over' (the display varies between makes), then the resistance between the two points is greater than 200 ohms. If you change the switch to the 2000k (2,000 kilohms/2 megohms) position and still reads 'over' or '---' then its an open circuit with no connection at all. If yoiu get a finite value, then it's either a high resistance joint, or there's a resistor in between the two points (it's going to be a potentiometer in this guitar-based instance).

For checking pickup DC resistance, set the dial to the 20k ohm position. For checking pot values, set it to the 2000k position (the normal 250k and 500k values will be over the range of the 200k setting). If you get a low reading on the screen, then you can try turning the switch one click anti-clockwise to see if you can get a better resolution value.

Here's the Seymour Duncan wiring diagram for what you should have got: Humbucker Tele Wiring Diagram (https://docs.google.com/gview?embedded=true&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.seymourduncan.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F05%2FTele_2H_3B_1V_1T.p df)

Don't worry about pot values for now if yours are different, or the switch connections are different. It will still work. But trace out the wiring and make sure that it looks similar to this this. For the volume pot, where it says 'solder', this indicates the ground connections are soldered on to the back of the pot - including the right hand lug of the pot. You can normally do this by bending the lug towards the case and soldering it. Sometimes this doesn't work as they are too far apart so you need a bit of wire to make the connection. Lack of this connection is probably the cause of your problem, but without the photos, we can only guess.