Broken SH-4 humbucker

[maciek]

Hello. My name is Maciek, I am a new member of this forum, I greet all of you warmly.
I am using Sqiuer vintage modified stratocaster with SD SH-4 pickup. For some time the humbucker periodically lost the signal. I checked amp, stompboxes, cables, also plugged in another guitar. Everything pointed to a damaged pickup. Today the humb started to tear again, so I took off the pickguard and measured the resistance of the coils. It turned out that the SH-4 coil from the bridge does not conduct. What can cause damage? The guitar was stored and used with care, the pickup has no mechanical damage.
Best greetings!

 

[blueman335]

Re: Broken SH-4 humbucker

Pickups don't break, there's no moving parts. But wires can come loose or be shorted out. Check you connections: wiggle the wires one at a time when the guitar is plugged into an amp.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Broken SH-4 humbucker

Welcome to the forum!

Sometimes, the wiring problems with a pickup are not immediately obvious. Most common is a cold solder joint, or one that only makes a connection when the moon is in the right phase. Less common is an actual break inside the pickup, so yours is most likely something outside the pickup that is causing this. Check the connection on the switch. I am guessing when this happens, the other pickups continue to work?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Broken SH-4 humbucker

+1.

Sounds like a cold solder joint. Just follow the wires from the pup to the switch and ground and re-solder them. This should get you up and running.