Drop In Output with Hot Rail Conundrum

[NYC2005]

Hi:

Here is a pickup conundrum. I added a SD Hot Rail slim pickup to the bridge position on a Fender Strat. The Middle and Neck pickups are Joe Barden Humbuckers (they look like hotrails). When I play just the Hot Rail, I get the expected output. When I play the Hot Rail and middle position Joe Barden together, the sound is nice, but the output level drops. It is not a huge loss of power, but it is consistent and noticable. When I then play the Joe Barden Humbuckers individually and together, I get the expected output level (more than the Hot Rail and Joe Barden together. All of the pickups are wired serially. There is no tapping or splitting. The tone and volume pots are 500k. The capacitor is 0.1. Since each pickups works normally on its own, I don't think there is a bad connection or faulty component. Any suggestions as to what could be causing the drop in output? Since we are talking humbuckers, I wouln't have thought the direction of the wind would make a difference, but this could be wrong....

 

[BlueGuitar]

Re: Drop In Output with Hot Rail Conundrum

Since we are talking humbuckers, I wouldn't have thought the direction of the wind would make a difference, but this could be wrong....

With humbuckers you can have problems with them being out of phase. Check the blue instruction sheet that came with your Hot Rails to see how to reverse the phase.

For my Tele Hot Rails, you switch the black and green wires, making sure that the bare wire(s) are still connected to ground.

HTH

 

[Artie]

Re: Drop In Output with Hot Rail Conundrum

The capacitor is 0.1.

One other little thing, this may have been a typo, but a 0.1uf cap is an unusually large value for a tone control. Strats typically have .022uf.

Just something to check.

 

[NYC2005]

Re: Drop In Output with Hot Rail Conundrum

I'll try reversing the pickups and see what happens thanks. The Cap is actually 0.1uf cap - the guitar owner likes the sweep effect this gives when he spins the control.

 

[Artie]

Re: Drop In Output with Hot Rail Conundrum

Ok, but you may find that the "sweep effect" disappears when you reverse the wiring. I just did this the other day by accident. A .1uf cap means that the tone pot is working almost as a volume control. If one pup is out of phase, as you turn it down, you are eliminating the phase-cancellation effect - thus, having a "wah-ish" affect.

In other words, the sweep affect is the result of two things wrong. I use the word "wrong" here loosely, because its all a matter of personal taste, just don't be surprised if you lose that effect.

Let us know if you don't. I'd be curious to know if I'm analyzing this all wrong.

(I do it all the time.) :laugh2: