Question regarding pickup installation

[Gearbox]

First let me say i've only been "playing" for about 4 months. I just finished installing my first set of pickups (SD Alnico II Pro) in my Gibson LP. Sounds great but Im wondering if they are set up right. I followed the schematic off the seymour Duncan sight (2 Hums, 2 vol, 2 tone w/ a 3 way split). What could I expect if they are wired it wrong? Will they work at all? Will the vol and tone function improperly?

[doctadre]

Re: Question regarding pickup installation

Hey, all you have to do is get your guitar plugged in with a clean tone, and listen to each combination of pickups. Start with the Neck, make sure the volume works, and make sure that the tone knob takes the treble frequencies out of the sound. Then try the bridge pickup, and do the same thing. Also check that when both pickups are on, each volume takes out the corresponding pickup when turned down. As for the coil splitting, depending on which pickup(s) you have split, just check both the push and the pulled positions and see how fat the sound is. Usually people wire the coil split the opposite way and you have to keep the knob pulled for the humbucker tone. Its not a big deal but you can easily fix it if thats the case.

[mongrollo]

Re: Question regarding pickup installation

To know if the pickups are correctly split you can do some checks.

Push up the gain of you amp (you don't have to play the guitar) and see if there is a significant reduction of the hum when you have the full humbucker on. Rememer to lay your hands on the strings to give the system a good ground conection.

This a more general one. If you want to check which coils are on each selection you can use a metalic stick (an screw driver it is fine) and touch the polepieces of every coil (a light touch it is enought). You will hear the "touch" on your amplifier if the coil it is selected. On full humbucker mode you should hear the "touch" when you do it on each of the coils of the pickup.

[Gearbox]

Re: Question regarding pickup installation

Ok, I think I have screwed this up. lol. BUT...I know where its wrong. I have friends who told me im nuts for doing this myself. I figure this is the best way to learn.

[mongrollo]

Re: Question regarding pickup installation

Be prepared to refix a lot of things a lot times. It is the only way to learn, but you are going to enjoy it, believe me .

Good luck!!!

[rspst14]

Re: Question regarding pickup installation

Ok, I think I have screwed this up. lol. BUT...I know where its wrong. I have friends who told me im nuts for doing this myself. I figure this is the best way to learn.

Nothing crazy about doing it yourself. My first pickup installation looked like a trainwreck, but it did work and sound great. With a little practice, you'll get much better with your soldering, and you'll be able to move on to more advanced projects. I just finished wiring up a Strat with two push/pull pots, a circuit board and battery for an active piezo pickup system, an extra switch, and a special 9 pin output jack. Talk about an involved wiring project.

Ryan