Help with wiring

[hatebreedgr]

Hello everyone.
I have installed a JB, an SSL-1 and a JB Jr on a LTD MW600 guitar that i have, following this diagram to the letter.
The problem i encounter is, when i select the 2 or 4 position on the 5way switch (whether i have the coil split engaged or not from the volume pot)
results to significant output loss from the pickups. I can barely hear any sound. Is there any way to correct this..?
Thanks in advance

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Help with wiring

1st thought.. grounding issue.. or the height needs to be adjusted on the pickups

not that I doubt you wired it up correctly but your going to have to show a clear pic of the wiring..

 

[hatebreedgr]

Re: Help with wiring

1st thought.. grounding issue.. or the height needs to be adjusted on the pickups

not that I doubt you wired it up correctly but your going to have to show a clear pic of the wiring..

Thank you for your answer...all connection are triple checked...
i cannot tell you how many hours i've spent readjusting the pickup height with no luck...
I was wondering if the above diagram i used is meant to put the pickups in ''out of phase '' when using the 2 & 4 position on the 5way switch
because that is somewhat the sound i'm getting but with minimal output coming from the pickups. I'm not using a noise gate by the way...

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Help with wiring

Thank you for your answer...all connection are triple checked...
i cannot tell you how many hours i've spent readjusting the pickup height with no luck...
I was wondering if the above diagram i used is meant to put the pickups in ''out of phase '' when using the 2 & 4 position on the 5way switch
because that is somewhat the sound i'm getting but with minimal output coming from the pickups. I'm not using a noise gate by the way...

Out of phase is a possibility, but I think it's probably more likely the fact that the SSL-1 has significantly less output than the JBs. On my H-S-H I have a Hot Stack neck between a JB and a Jazz and I wish I had gotten the Hot Stack Bridge instead, or some other hotter pickup because the volume loss is quite noticeable. It sounds great, but just a lot quieter because the center pickup pulls the volume down.

Whenever I'm running split coils or out-of-phase on any of my guitars (where there's volume loss), I use a booster at the beginning of my chain to bring the guitar's volume back up a bit as it comes in. I've just taken to doing the same thing when I'm running that center pickup. It's not a perfect answer, but it works... at least until I get around to getting & installing something hotter in the center.

That's my two cents anyway... although for all I know that's all it's worth!

Oh, and by the way... welcome to the forum!

 

[hatebreedgr]

Re: Help with wiring

Out of phase is a possibility, but I think it's probably more likely the fact that the SSL-1 has significantly less output than the JBs. On my H-S-H I have a Hot Stack neck between a JB and a Jazz and I wish I had gotten the Hot Stack Bridge instead, or some other hotter pickup because the volume loss is quite noticeable. It sounds great, but just a lot quieter because the center pickup pulls the volume down.

Whenever I'm running split coils or out-of-phase on any of my guitars (where there's volume loss), I use a booster at the beginning of my chain to bring the guitar's volume back up a bit as it comes in. I've just taken to doing the same thing when I'm running that center pickup. It's not a perfect answer, but it works... at least until I get around to getting & installing something hotter in the center.

That's my two cents anyway... although for all I know that's all it's worth!

Oh, and by the way... welcome to the forum!

Thank you both for the answer and the welcome.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help with wiring

I would think even a split JB sounds a lot louder than an SSL-1. But post some pics if you can, because something doesn't seem right here. It shouldn't be so low in volume that you barely hear it.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Help with wiring

I would think even a split JB sounds a lot louder than an SSL-1. But post some pics if you can, because something doesn't seem right here. It shouldn't be so low in volume that you barely hear it.

well i asked him to post a pic but he seems confident in his abilities


to me it sounded and still does like a cold solder or grounding issue

 

[hatebreedgr]

Re: Help with wiring

well i asked him to post a pic but he seems confident in his abilities


to me it sounded and still does like a cold solder or grounding issue

my problem exists only in position 2 & 4 on the 5way switch...On all other positions (where the pickups operate as standalone) everything sounds ok.
If i engage the coil split for the 2 humbuckers, when in 1st and 5th position on the 5way, they both work ok.
Thats why i doubt that i 've done a bad soldering job...

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Help with wiring

my problem exists only in position 2 & 4 on the 5way switch...On all other positions (where the pickups operate as standalone) everything sounds ok.
If i engage the coil split for the 2 humbuckers, when in 1st and 5th position on the 5way, they both work ok.
Thats why i doubt that i 've done a bad soldering job...

In position 3, is the SSL-1 by itself also quieter than the JBs? If so, it's likely to be the output difference. If not, I guess I'm not sure what else to tell you. :dunno:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Help with wiring

In position 3, is the SSL-1 by itself also quieter than the JBs? If so, it's likely to be the output difference. If not, I guess I'm not sure what else to tell you. :dunno:


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

was thinking the same.. reason i mentioned height adjustment in my initial post but that can only do so much. Some pups just done play nice with others

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Help with wiring

If the middle is "loud" by itself, and you are still scratching your head, you may as well try swapping the black/white wires on the SSL-1.

 

[hatebreedgr]

Re: Help with wiring

If the middle is "loud" by itself, and you are still scratching your head, you may as well try swapping the black/white wires on the SSL-1.

...and just like that...PROBLEM SOLVED...

PFDarkside...you are THE MAN..!!!!!!!!

Thank you..!!!!!!

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Help with wiring

Cool.

Do positions 2 & 4 cancel hum when the Humbuckers are split?

(And how is the neck JB jr? I've never tried one....)

 

[hatebreedgr]

Re: Help with wiring

Cool.

Do positions 2 & 4 cancel hum when the Humbuckers are split?

(And how is the neck JB jr? I've never tried one....)

Yes they are hum canceling...
for the Jb Jr neck, in my opinion, is somewhere between a Jazz neck and a paff'59 but closer to the jazz...
imagine a hotter output jazz neck pickup. That is what i hear nevertheless...i haven't had a chance to try cool rails or vintage rails so i could compare with those...
The resistance in full hum mode is 10,23 kohms and while split its 5.17 kohms, if that tells you anything...
...and again...PFDarkside...i can't thank you enough for helping me out man...cheers from Greece.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Help with wiring

...and just like that...PROBLEM SOLVED...

PFDarkside...you are THE MAN..!!!!!!!!

Thank you..!!!!!!

Good you got it sorted. I just wanna say "That's weird"...
The Duncan diagram with humbucker Green wire to ground, and SSL1 black wire to ground should work.
Normally SD single coils are IN-phase with humbuckers and don't need their leads swapped.
Is there any explanation why the stock diagram did not work?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Help with wiring

Who knows, it could mistakenly be a rw/rp pickup, factory error, etc. Sometime weird things happen. I am glad this worked, though. What does a split JB and SSL-1 sound like?