Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

[FalloutMaster]

So I installed my new pups last night, an APH-1N in the neck and a TB-11 at the bridge, along with some new CTS pots, and when I plugged it in, I noticed that all the treble was gone, pickups sound terrible at the moment, and when I turn the tone down, it just shuts the volume off. The volume pot seems to be working just fine. Anyone have any ideas? I followed this diagram from Seymour Duncan spot onhttps://docs.google.com/gview?embedded=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.seymourduncan.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2016%2F05%2F2H_5WSPL_1V_1T.pdf I even bought a fender 5 way switch so that it's identical. Though I now regret the 5 way switch because of the way I had to wire it up. I might toss it and get a 3 way and redo the whole thing. I only use the bridge humbucker 75% of the time anyway. Nonetheless, I've attatched a photo of my wiring below if anyone can offer insight. I double checked the wiring on the tone control an it seems to be fine, its connected to ground via the volume, and the Cap is brand new, I don't forsee an issue with it. The cap is attatched to the middle leg of the tone pot and grounded on top.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

Wrong wiring of the tone pot.

 

[FalloutMaster]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

Cold solder joints.

Only on the tone? Or all of them? The guitar seems to function fine except for the tone but I can't really tell. All switch positions work, all coils work. Volume works as normal, even better than it did before with stock wiring and pots. Sadly I am better at welding than I am at soldering, I kinda expected to have some issue if I'm being honest but I figured it was worth a shot.

Wrong wiring of the tone pot.

What's wrong with it specifically? I tried my best to follow the diagram, but I am new guitar wiring.

 

[freefrog]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

Hi,

Deciphering your pic on my tiny screen is not easy for my old eyes but...

...do what Gregory says below or replace the straight wire from outer lug to pot with the cap and leave the red wire alone on the center lug (all these solutions will do the same thing).

[looks like your tone cap is permanently wired between hot and ground for the moment, while the pot acts as a variable resistor, IOW as a volume control].

 

[gregory]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

It's the tone pot. Put the cap between the red wire and the center lug, or connect the red wire to the outer bottom lug and cut the wire connecting it to the back of the pot.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

You have tone control wired to ground. It should only have two lugs connected: 1 to 5-way switch and other to tone cap. Other end of cap goes to ground.

 

[gregory]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

Your basic standard tone control is a series combination of a variable resistor and a cap between either before the volume (modern) or after the volume ('50s) and ground.

The order of the cap and resistor does not matter.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

Your basic standard tone control is a series combination of a variable resistor and a cap between either before the volume (modern) or after the volume ('50s) and ground.

The order of the cap and resistor does not matter.

Exactly.

You can also put the cap between 5-way switch (or volume pot) and tone pot, and connect other lug of tone pot to ground.

I just said it other way around, because that's the way it's usually drawn in schematics.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

OP, what they are saying is that as well as the cap leg grounded, you also have a pot lug grounded. Remove the latter ground.

 

[Artie]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

A tone control, that acts as a volume control, is almost always caused by miss-reading the cap value. In other words, using a .47/.33/.22 instead of a .047/.033/.022 uf. The cap determines the roll-off value. If the cap rolls off everything, it's a volume control. Check your cap value first.

 

[gregory]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

If you look at the wiring you'll notice that the cap and pot are in parallel to ground.

 

[Artie]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

I blame it on old eyes. And maybe, a lackadaisical attitude.

 

[FalloutMaster]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

It's the tone pot. Put the cap between the red wire and the center lug, or connect the red wire to the outer bottom lug and cut the wire connecting it to the back of the pot.

That did the trick! Thanks a bunch man, I was worried I was gonna have to redo the whole damn thing, it's my first time wiring a guitar. It sounds great now, appreciate all the helpful and speedy replies.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Installed new pups, Tone control acting as Volume?

Whenever someone complains that their tone control is acting like a volume control it is almost always because they have grounded too many lugs (as in this case, both the center lug and the outer lug).