Bridge pickup

[weldaar]

I just installed a Duncan bridge pickup in my Tele. (It's an import) Anyway, on the bottom of the stock crappy pickup, there was a wire connecting the plate to the ground wire. There is no ground wire on the Duncan Quarter Pounder. There is a white and black wire. White to switch and black to ground. Why does this pup not work? Should there be a wire connecting the plate to the ground? I tried both ways and still not working. Not wired, the pup reads at 11.5 K.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup


These are the two posts on the bottom of the pup. Should there be a wire grounding the plate to the black wire?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Bridge pickup

The QP I think is a non baseplate pickup. It looks to me like someone has put a baseplate on there. Both coil wire terminals look very close to the baseplate edges. If you have connection there, then the act of fitting the pickup to the bridge might short it.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

So there should not be any connection from those poles to the plate?
I wired the pup as per instructions, White to switch and black to ground on the switch
Is that wrong?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Bridge pickup

There should no connection to either pole per se.......such that it grounds out without you deliberately connecting to one of the terminals for chassis ground.

But the plate is not a factory addition to my knowledge.....did you add it on??

Either way, there is a reason why hot tele pickups often don't have plates, and it is usually based on uncontrolled squealing that usually ensues - plus the fact that it kills some top-end.....something that you have less of with overwound pickups anyhow.


Either way, with the non standard plate grounded to one pole, it should be obvious which one is now ground without thinking.
But this (once again) still doesn't address why you are getting no signal if you've tried both ways with no result.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

Yes, I have wired it both ways, with and without the jumper. Neither way works. However, I do have the black (ground wire) from the pup soldered to the switch ground lug. maybe it should be grounded elsewhere, like the pot itself. The pup reads out when it's not wired to the guitar. First time installing a Tele pup. The plate is there from the old crappy pickup. There would be no way of attaching the pickup if not for the plate.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Bridge pickup

The forbon bobbin in all cases self taps like a strat pickup to provide the mounting.

What switch ground lug??? If it is a typical tele 3-way then there isn't a lug that is ground. But mostly with Tele wiring setups (or any fender for that matter) you simply ground to the back of a pot anyhow.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

On the switch casing, there is a ground lug that the other pickup was soldered to. This is not an American Tele so anything is possible.
I will try grounding it to the pot like Gibson does. As far as the plate goes, that's the only way to attach this Duncan pup to the bridge.
As I had to drill out the pup mounting holes to accommodate the bridge bolts that were larger. This guitar was a gift or i wouldn't even attempt it.
I can probably make up some washers and nuts to omit the plate. I need to get the pickup working first. I can deal with the plate
if it squeals. Tomorrow is another day. I have run out of wanna at this point. Frustrated. Thank you for your help.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

You can see the lug on the switch. I moved the pickup black lead to the pot, still not working. I am thinking I might have to re wire and put in a proper switch.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

I just wired the pickup directly to the output jack and it works just fine. Must something I am doing wrong.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Bridge pickup

There are only 2 connections to worry about. Try selecting the pickup at the switch and measuring between the volume pot lug with the wire from the switch and ground.

Second point is that on the switch your neck pickup (red sheath) seems to be soldered to the more inner lug where you've put the bridge on the more outer lug.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

This is the cheapest switch I have ever saw. I am going to get a proper switch and re wire everything from scratch. Hopefully that will solve my dilemma.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Bridge pickup

I'd get rid of the plate while you're at it. Find some nuts that fit the large mounting screws.

 

[weldaar]

Re: Bridge pickup

Yeah, that's my next move after i get the switch.