Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

Mitochondria9 · Sep 21, 2009

I know this is probably a fruitless effort, considering Im about to ask an EMG related question and this is the Seymour Duncan forums, but EMG and the EMG forums are being less than helpful (Telling me they dont support the type of pickup selector I have) and the closest guitar tech is a 3 hour drive.

I purchased an EMG 81/85 set, the (mostly) solderless one, I connected all the connections 100% by the book, yet Im left with a 3 way blade style pickup selector switch.

It has 8 lugs in a row, Ive done extensive research on this and trust me, there is very little info Ive found, but I did manage to find a diagram (on the Carvin site, of all places) that shows how it *should* be wired.

(If you can understand this, the diagram said to solder 1-2 and connect them to 7 and 8 and then to the volume/output. Then solder 3 and 4, and connect 4 to the Bridge, and then solder 5 and 6 together and then to the neck, and finally a ground from the body of the switch)

Ive done this, however when I plug the guitar in, I get a low volume overdrive tone, zero clean volume, and neither the volume, or tone knobs, or the pickup switch are functioning, at all.

Im at my wits end because I have no one nearby to take a look at it.

mudpuppy · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

Can you post the links to whatever references you've dug up? I don't know much about emg pickups, so links to their applicable wiring diagrams would be a help. Do you have access to a multimeter or continuity tester? If your 3-way switch is something non-standard, it is probably best to go through the effort of finding out what's doing what (by testing), rather than trying to figure it out based on 'typical' wiring diagrams for the switch.

btw, welcome to the forum. I'm sure that many members here will be able to help you in selecting Seymour Duncan pickups, if you decide to come away from the dark side.

Evan Skopp · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

Hey Mitochondria9. Welcome to the SDUGF, we're glad to have ya.

I'm not an expert on EMG pickups, but Frank Falbo will be along shortly to give you the answer to your question.

Best of luck with your project.

Mitochondria9 · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

Im currently at work, so i dont have easy access, but as soon as I get home I will link the diagrams EMG provided.

I really do appreciate your willingness to help, the EMG forum has pretty much ignored me for almost a week now and EMG support.. well.. anyway.

Something tells me I shouldve bought the SD Distortion set I was looking at first.

Got_tone? · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

What kind of tone were you looking to get from the emgs?

This part of the reason why I avoid active pickups. That and I prefer the tone I get from passive pickups.

This might help you understand how a 3 way blade switch works. Someone who has more experience with emg might come along. Good luck.

3 way blade switch

frankfalbo · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

On a switch like that, I usually connect the middle two (4 and 5) together, and bring that to the volume pot. Then, think of each side of the switch as your three positions. 1 and 2 are connected to the neck pickup, and 7 and 8 are connected to the bridge pickup. If that doesn't work, you need to meter it. There's a small chance that it has an automatic coil cut in the PCB but I doubt it.

freddarl82 · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

Here's a pretty neat interactive tutorial that teaches you HOW a 5-way blade switch works (same principle as your 3-way, it just has the extra interrmediate stops that connect multiple lugs at once). If you have to get down to metering it, etc., sometimes knowing the "How" and "Why" can help you figure it out.

Good Luck!

DrNewcenstein · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

The reason no one supports that switch is because it's junk.
Knowing how a Strat-style switch works only helps if you can see the wiper as it touches the contacts. Since that switch is encased in a plastic housing, a regular Strat switch diagram is as useless as tits on a bull.

However, since that's the only switch you have to work with, either wire it like Frank said or just use 4 of the contacts - the middle two should be the commons which go to the controls, and the other 3 tabs on either side of those 2 center tabs are for your pickups - bridge on 1, neck on 3 should get it. 2 is a bridge between 1 and 3.

Mitochondria9 · Sep 22, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

The guitar is an LTD, btw, an MH-250NT.

I will try to resolder it like that, hopefully it works, this will be the third time Ive resoldered it. I wish I had the choice to switch to a toggle, but Im not about to drill holes in the finished top of my $500 guitar.

I do have access to a multimeter, what would I be looking for if I were to meter it?

I was finally able to get in touch with someone helpful at EMG, he offered to send me the type of switch that EMG *does* support, free of charge, so I suppose I'll wait for that one and then try.

eschoendorff · Sep 23, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

My thoughts....

Whenever you have a EMG problem, just contact the EMG people directly. They have always had top notch customer service (well, in my experience anyway).

They helped me out back when I was wiring up my LTD M-100 (still have that guitar - great machine, BTW) with an active 81 in the bridge and a passive pup in the neck. They didn't have a diagram, so one of the employees drew one up and sent it to me. This was over 10 years ago and it sounds like they still care.

Mitochondria9 · Oct 5, 2009

Re: Help me SD forums, youre my only hope.

Well, heres kind of an update. I contacted EMG about my pickup switch, and they sent me a new one. I then bribed a friend to take me to a guitar tech at a shop that I didnt know about close by.

Apparently the pickup switch my LTD came with was bad, and he tossed it and connected the new one EMG sent, great, everything works, full output, etc.

.......except the tone/vol pots dont work, the guitar is acting like its at full tone/volume, and the pots dont affect anything. (I dont necessarily mind not having a tone pot, but Id like a volume pot).

He's stumped, and Im stumped. He's gonna contact EMG tonight and see what can be done.

...soo... does the SH-6 kit come with all the pots and wiring? =p

Evan Skopp · Oct 5, 2009