Can a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster Pedal Fry a Pickup?

[Roger B]

Hi,

New user looking for some advice...

I just brought a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster Pedal 2nd hand. I went to test it and it didn't appear to be working, however it turns out my middle pickup is fried. Pickup was working fine before i used the pedal, so can a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster pedal fry a pickup?

Thanks in advance!
Rog

 

[jeremy]

welcome to the forum!

i dont see how a pedal could fry a pup unless someone rewired it for that purpose and even then, im not sure. in stock form, there is no way the pup booster would fry a pup. all it does is boost the signal fed into it. it doesnt do anything to the pups in the guitar. do you have a multi meter? does the pedal make sound?

 

[Aceman]

I'm thinking just a coincidence...

 

[eclecticsynergy]

I concur, sounds like a coincidence.

 

[Mincer]

Pedals come after pickups in the signal chain, so I don't see how this could be possible. Check the wiring in the guitar first. If you have trouble doing that, let us know, and we can walk you through that.

 

[Roger B]

welcome to the forum!

i dont see how a pedal could fry a pup unless someone rewired it for that purpose and even then, im not sure. in stock form, there is no way the pup booster would fry a pup. all it does is boost the signal fed into it. it doesnt do anything to the pups in the guitar. do you have a multi meter? does the pedal make sound?

Hi Jeremy,

Thanks for the reply. The pedal appears to work as intended (I tested it with remaining neck and bridge pickups and everything seemed fine). Yep, i have a multimeter - is there anything you would suggest I do to test the pedal?

Thanks again!

 

[Roger B]

Pedals come after pickups in the signal chain, so I don't see how this could be possible. Check the wiring in the guitar first. If you have trouble doing that, let us know, and we can walk you through that.

Hi Mincer,

Have checked the wiring - disconnected the pickup and tested it at the contact points on the pickup itself and am getting a zero resistance reading, so thinking something has shorted inside the pickup?

 

[AdrianSD]

What's the pickup maker / model?

 

[Roger B]

What's the pickup maker / model?

These are the stock pickups in an Indonesian Schecter Nick Johnston - they are G&L (a Korean manufacturer, I think?)...

 

[Roger B]

Also worth noting that I am only using the pedal with a 9v battery, so doubt there would be much scope for a higher voltage 'surge'?

 

[Chistopher]

The amount of power required to fry a pickup is very close to the amount of power required to set it on fire.

 

[jeremy]

right. pedals dont fry pups. battery or plugged in, the pedal shouldnt be sending "power" back to the guitar

 

[Mincer]

right. pedals dont fry pups. battery or plugged in, the pedal shouldnt be sending "power" back to the guitar

Right- the signal flow is to the pedal, then from the pedal to the amp (not back to the guitar).

 

[Roger B]

Thanks for the replies guys, I'm guessing this was just a coincidence, then

 

[Aceman]

Right- the signal flow is to the pedal, then from the pedal to the amp (not back to the guitar).

The signal flow SHOULD be from the mic to the PA. Yet we have all got zapped on the mouth at some point.

 

[Mincer]

The signal flow SHOULD be from the mic to the PA. Yet we have all got zapped on the mouth at some point.

Well, that is a different issue altogether.

 

[maug2122]

Hi,

New user looking for some advice...

I just brought a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster Pedal 2nd hand. I went to test it and it didn't appear to be working, however it turns out my middle pickup is fried. Pickup was working fine before i used the pedal, so can a Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster pedal fry a pickup?

Thanks in advance!
Rog

I've used two SFX-01 Pickup Boosters since they first came out, one at the beginning of my pedalboard with 6dB boost and the second one with a 9dB boost.and then going into my rack .

Never a problem. Maybe you had a cold soldered wire get lose from one of the pots or the pickup wire.

 

[Aceman]

Well, that is a different issue altogether.

Could it not happen to a pickup?

Something ungrounded, touch a pole piece, zap!

But I agree - cold solder joint a more likely culprit.

 

[Mincer]

Could it not happen to a pickup?

Something ungrounded, touch a pole piece, zap!

But I agree - cold solder joint a more likely culprit.

You'd get zapped by the strings before you touch the pickup, though.

 

[jeremy]

if there was current flowing back to the guitar, youd feel it. and i cant see 9v killing a pup