Did I just destroy my pickups?

B

Bravohalo

New member
I attempted to resurrect a set of active Jazz pickups (AJJ-1) that have been lying around. I sinned by assumption, and installed them with 25k pots. The sound they made was obviously not right, so I consulted the diagram from SD and saw they were supposed to have 100k pots. Now they don't put out any signal at all. Nothing. Could I have damaged the pickup itself?

FYI, they were installed with an 18v source with an Aguilat OPB-1 per the Aguilar volume-volume diagram. I e-mailed SD prior to beginning to find out if the AJJ-1 set would be ok at 18V and was promptly ignored. I took out the preamp to isolate the pickups and still did not get a signal.
 
Re: Did I just destroy my pickups?

On the occasion when I was "forced" to test a SD/Basslines Lightnin' Rods P pickup through a 100k pot, it sounded godawful but no damage appeared to have been done. This pickup now resides in a fretless bass. The controls are a 50k volume pot and an EMG BTC active tone network.

First thing to check is the PP3 power supply.

If that is good then the problem is more likely to be physical damage. e. g. Cold solder joints, broken conductor wire ends or, in extremis, overheating the pickup innards with the soldering iron.
 
Re: Did I just destroy my pickups?

Second thought. Are your AJJ-1s the current version with a completely closed top or the earlier Active EQ series with the DIP switches in one corner? Those switches (or their connection to the innards of the pickup) have been known to fail.
 
Re: Did I just destroy my pickups?

They are the current version. I mostly wondered if double the intended voltage + 1/4 the intended resistance could cook the preamps in the pickups.
 
Re: Did I just destroy my pickups?

I shouldn't think so. The installation instructions with my Active EQ PJ pickups illustrated the 18v mod but made no mention of needing to alter the pot values as well.

The change from 100k to 50k or 25k is no different than changing a passive guitar between 1meg, 500k or 250k. There may be loading changes but, electronically speaking, the circuit still operates.

Obviously, prolonged contact with a hot soldering iron tip could damage internal PCB components BUT, on AJJ-1s, there is no need to apply a soldering iron anywhere near the pickup housing.

For all that I know, SD/Basslines active pickups may now be supplied with Quik Connect wiring looms. If your pickups have these "computer" type push-on connectors, they could be on the wrong way around. Hence, no power to the pickup circuitry. Hence, no signal coming out.
 
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