Alt8 problem

I

iamthesuck

New member
i purchased an alt8 trembucker and black winter neck for a warmoth build. The issue i, the alt 8, even being very close to the strings, is much quieter than the black winter. The BW sounds great, but the alt 8 is quieter note for note, chord for chord. I like my bridge pickup to be louder than the neck for soloing. I checked, it's not out of phase internally, it just sounds weak in comparison. I was thinking of getting a super 3 to replace it, but this just doesn't seem right. Any thoughts?
 
Re: Alt8 problem

Are the coils being run in parallel instead of in series? That might be the issue. The Alt8 is a powerful pickup and shouldn't be quiet compared to the BW neck. I have both pickups. I would seriously double check the wiring first or contact Duncan Customer Support. You should not be experiencing that drastic a volume difference.

If you can, post pics of the wiring.
 
Re: Alt8 problem

I know the Black Winter is powerful, but so is the Alternative 8. Maybe its some sort of wiring issue, like a cold solder joint somewhere.

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk
 
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Re: Alt8 problem

I can post a pic soon. The wiring is pretty simple tho. Red and white soldered together, green and shield to ground, and black to the tone knob. Idk what the deal is. I'm pretty pissed honestly. I may switch to the super 3... Ugh. Is there any way to check for non wiring problems?
 
Re: Alt8 problem

And for the record, the BW neck also goes to tone, but it doesn't have this problem
 
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Re: Alt8 problem

It'll be interesting to see the wiring pic when it comes, as I'm a bit lost on what it looks like. If you've two tone controls, what's the push-pull for the neck tone doing? Cap choice?

Push-pull aside, is this the sort of thing you have:

wiring.jpg
 
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Re: Alt8 problem

iamthesuck said:
tone push pull to coil split
Click to expand...

This would probably be the first area I would be checking!

Simple test. Plug in with a moderate gain setting. Get a metal screwdriver and tap each pickup bobbin in turn with the various controls selected and just make sure that they do everything you expect them to do.
 
Re: Alt8 problem

Get a dc reading from a guitar cable with a multimeter. If it's too low, only one coil is working.
 
Re: Alt8 problem

My Alt8 is a ball0buster, but then it's the only pickup in the guitar, and running straight to the jack.

Soooo, I say just to test, set the push pull up as the pickup selector and bypass the volume and tone controls and 3-way switch altogether. That should tell you right away if the Black Winter is indeed that much louder.

Or you could, I dunno, lower the BW away from the strings a bit more. As for the A8 losing volume when you put it "very close to the strings" that's because the strings are passing "under the radar", so to speak, and the pickup can't pick them up.
This is why I always say pickups are not microphones: the closer you get to the mic, the louder things get. You can hang your lips on a mic and get max volume, but if you get too close to the pickup, you lose volume.
 
Re: Alt8 problem

I've got the alt 8 about a quarter inch from the strings, the BW over a half inch away. The resistance on both reads correctly. I suppose it's just not strong enough
 
Re: Alt8 problem

I've got an Alt 8 and Super 3 in the bridges of two similar guitars- Super 3 actually seems a bit "weaker" if anything
 
Re: Alt8 problem

To see if the problem is the pickup or the wiring, solder the Alt 8's red and white wires together, and insulate them with tape. Then wire the black wire straight to the tip of the jack, and the green+bare+bridge ground to the sleeve of the jack. This bypasses all of the controls of the guitar. If it still doesn't sound right, either the model is defective, and you should return the model to the seller )if you bought from an authorized dealer) and SD will replace it with another Alt 8 or another pickup of your choice. If you did not buy the pickup from an authorized dealer, there is no guarantee that the pickup was not tampered with, so SD can not stand by it. The Alt 8 should not sound weak.

If it works when you wire it straight to the jack, then you know something is wrong with the wiring. My first bet would be that the tone pot the Alt 8 was soldered to is fried from keeping the soldering iron on the casing for too long. That, or a cold solder joint connecting the black wire to the pot or a shorted connection. Can you upload a picture of the wiring job?
 
Re: Alt8 problem

I'll try to really quick, I took it to a shop yesterday and they said the wiring was good. I will try the direct to jack approach. I have to go back to school today unfortunately and the guitar might not come with. I'll pick this thread up when I return to it if I can't get to it today. Thanks for the help!
 
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