humbucker outputs on all channels :(

A

aaronv15

New member
Hi all :)

This is an iterative process, I suppose. This time my results are better than last time but I still have problems.

I finally found the nerve and bought an SSL-5 RWRP to replace that pesky fender stock pickup my axe had in the mid position. Now I'm lined up from neck -> bridge as follows: SSL-1, SSL-5 RWRP, SH-6 (contemplating replacing the 6 with a blues 59 next). Followed the wiring diagram exactly for 'strat standard 5 way 1 volume 2 tone 2 single 1 humbucker'. I'm an electrician so I know a little bit about assembling electrical gadgets - this was a fun project. This time I made the effort to get very high quality connections everywhere.

End result: my strat now sounds completely awesome :)

But I have some kind of a bug, and I can't figure out why. First I notice that the humbucker is very quiet. Now I do the tuning fork test - the proper pickups switch in for all positions, EXCEPT that the humbucker ALWAYS has output. Like I said, the SH-6 is just way quieter than the other two pickups but it always adds to the output no matter what pickups I have selected. odd.

This wiring diagram is a bit ambiguous, though. If I'm interpreting correctly, red/white get terminated and taped off, black connects to position 5 on the switch, green and chassis ground get grounded. It'd be possible to mix up the white with the ground in that color scheme, but I'm pretty sure I chose correctly.

My SH-6 was bought used, and it worked correctly prior to this iteration of the re-wiring process. I don't have enough experience to interpret this result. This being an unpowered circuit I'd have to guess I've created a circular ground somehow, connected something in the wrong place. Maybe I blew up the filter capacitor between my two tone knobs? I didn't use a heatsink on the thing but in my years fixing appliances I've never damaged a capacitor by soldering.

But if that were the case why would the sh-6 be muted when it's selected? Are the signals subtracting?

If anyone has a suggestion for me, please let me know. I'm about to drag this thing down to the city and pay Larry to do it :P.

AMAZING tone btw Seymour! It made such a HUGE difference pulling out those stock pups. I was a skeptic until yesterday. My axe sounds totally pro, and it didn't cost nearly what a pro axe would :). I was jumping around like a little kid about the sounds I was pulling out of it. My family didn't understand.
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

What type of selector switch have you used? The CRL with a row of four contacts on either side or one of those SE Asian types with eight contacts in a line?

Either way, it appears to me that you have the HB black wire making physical contact with the "wiper" terminal on the group of four contacts that selects between the pickups.

One other possible area of concern; the HB was bought used. You were told that it is a SD SH-6 but it could be another brand or it could have been modified at some time. Hence, its four conductor + shield colour coding may not match the SD permutation in the schematic diagram that you have followed.
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

As for the black wire making contact with the wiper terminal, I'm using a standard replacement 5-way switch from allparts. Two rows of four terminals. I'll re-inspect, but I don't think this is the case. As far as I can tell, the switch is reversible. If I'm wrong about that, maybe I put it in backwards.

I don't think the seller lied to me - my SH-6 has the standard 'Seymour Duncan' logo printed on the front cover. It still has a factory sticker on the back. He would've had to go out of his way to create a forgery, and it worked two days ago.

Thanks for the ideas.
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

I really want a blues 59 anyway. The SH-6 does what it advertises, but the only cool sound I can get from it is a real dirty fuzz. Not really my style. I want something that has character and a full tone when played clean or just overdriven a little and modulated. Maybe I should experiment with different tone pots too.

How would I go about shooting continuities to see if my connections are correct? I'd imagine it goes like this: take continuity from white to black on the output jack, and sweep the selector across each position. I'd expect to see similar resistance readings on positions 1-3-5, and about double on 2-4. pups are wired in series, correct? Otherwise the noise-cancelling RW/RP feature wouldn't work.

I LOVE the SSL-1 / SSL-5 RWRP sound in neck/mid. It's freaking AMAZING. I was a huge skeptic about trying to make singles sound like a HB, but it worked, and the 1+5 make an amazing sound together. HB feedback from the bridge like I mentioned before is dirtying it up a little bit, though. Gotta fix.

The two sound amazing together. When I need the sound to cool off a tiny bit, I just tap over to position 1. If I want the hot tone and a little less saturation I just tap over to position 3. This setup is very cool.

Long response, I'm just very happy with my results overall :)
Good day -_-
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

aaronv15 said:
As for the black wire making contact with the wiper terminal, I'm using a standard replacement 5-way switch from allparts. Two rows of four terminals. I'll re-inspect, but I don't think this is the case. As far as I can tell, the switch is reversible. If I'm wrong about that, maybe I put it in backwards.
Click to expand...

A-ha! The magic word here is reversible.

The following schematic is pretty much how I imagine your guitar should be wired. http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=1h_2s_1v_2t_5w

Note how the pickup cables go to the set of contacts further from the pots and the tone control sends go to the contacts that are nearer. Think of them as (left-to-right) FURTHER = "wiper", neck, middle, bridge. NEARER = neck, middle, bridge, "wiper".

If, for any reason, you attempt a simple relocation with the tone controls sends on the further pole contacts and the pickups on the nearer pole contacts BUT IN THE SAME ORDER AS BEFORE, everything gets cocked up.

One other possiblity is that you have a Japanese switch that has the same 2x4 contact layout as an American-made CRL switch but with its contacts offset differently and, possibly, with the wiper terminal at the "wrong" end. (Japanese instruments made in the Fuji-Gen factories during the Eighties often used this switch.) I haven't seen this type for quite a while.
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

I like the switches that you can see into and identify which contacts are being made in each position. I just mark them with a sharpie so that I KNOW what the terminals do and then wire it. I just recently learned this though as I had a 5 way that was sealed and had to guess (there are multiple different configurations of the contacts) but realized that my main issue was that my mini switch was toast. I look at it like this: had to get rid of that old 5 way anyway to be sure and to find that the mini switch was dead.

I can say though, that I had a similar problem in that prior to changing the mini switch I had neck pickup on permanently.
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

Thanks for the input. I should be able to fix it now, with the comments both of you made. I should have time in a few days to give it one last shot :). If it's still borked up, off to Larry for professional work.
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

smorgdonkey said:
I like the switches that you can see into and identify which contacts are being made in each position. I just mark them with a sharpie so that I KNOW what the terminals do and then wire it. I just recently learned this though as I had a 5 way that was sealed and had to guess (there are multiple different configurations of the contacts) but realized that my main issue was that my mini switch was toast. I look at it like this: had to get rid of that old 5 way anyway to be sure and to find that the mini switch was dead.

I can say though, that I had a similar problem in that prior to changing the mini switch I had neck pickup on permanently.
Click to expand...

thats what I did on mine

100_0084.jpg
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

ehdwuld said:
thats what I did on mine

100_0084.jpg
Click to expand...

I REALLY don't like those modern style switches. Overlooking the fact that I can't tell what a given log is/does they have broken on me. You can pound rocks into rubble with the old style switch and they still work.

I have a philosophy for all things electronic. The simpler the circuit the better the tone. It doesn't matter if its guitar wiring, amps or my recording chain. If it does not not need to be there, its not there. The guitars I build have a pup selector and a volume knob. My amps are for the most part old 1 channel non-master volume amps. The recording chain is as close to wire with gain as I can get. Its a philosophy that just works on every level
 
Re: humbucker outputs on all channels :(

well it is the one that came out and it would do the strat style switching
and the last "super switch" I put in my other Ibanez
needed loads of grinding to the switch arm to thin it down to make the neck and bridge positions

meter tells me whats what

I go from there

I like the ones I can see too but ...............
 
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