Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

[ledzepp29]

I just wired up my Jerry Donahue bridge pickup into my highway 1 telecaster.
In the neck position I have the stock fender PU. They both sound equal in volume but when I use the middle position with both pickups I get a thin tuby out-0f-phase sound. I'm very perplexed because it was a very simple wiring and I have no idea what would be causing this. Any ideas? Thanks

 

[StrangeSound]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

That should help

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/faqdescr.shtml#mixwithothers

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

I resoldered the lead and ground wires oppositely like it said and it worked but now the grounding is messed up and its buzzing a lot. What is the easiest method of grounding a telecaster?

 

[Stratsky]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

From what I've read in different posts here, you have to switch the ground to the metal cover of the neck pickup along with switching leads. I've never done it but I pretty sure somebody will come along and tell you how to do it. For myself anytime I change a pickup in a tele, I change both and use the same brand. That way, I don't run into problems like you're encountering now.

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

so I ground to the neck PU cover? How would I do this?

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

ok heres a little update if anyone would like to help.
i attempted to ground the tele by soldering a wire to the vol pot and then running the exposed wire underneath the bridge and screwing the bridge down. Now theres no buzz but the bridge pickup and the middle position don't work at all!

 

[Stratsky]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

Look at the back of your neck pickup. There is a small wire soldered to the black lead. The other end of this small wire is soldered to the metal cover. You need to move that small wire to the white lead. Then undo the other modification you did. Again I have not done this myself. To me it would be alot easier to buy a Seymour Duncan Tele neck pickup and install it. Then your problem is gone.

 

[kjrocks]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

or reverse the JD wires and leave the neck alone

 

[Stratsky]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

or reverse the JD wires and leave the neck alone

It's not that simple with the bridge pickup either. The metal plate under the bridge pickup is grounded to the black lead. You have to do the same thing to the bridge pickup as you do with the neck. There is a schematic that shows this in the wiring diagram section, though. It looks like you already found it.

 

[Stratsky]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

That's the problem when using different brand tele pickups. If the polarity is reversed you also have to change the ground to the metal cover for the neck or the metal plate under the bridge.

 

[ledzepp29]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

ok problem solved. here's what I did, I put the JD wires back to stock the way I first had them but left the ground wire to the bridge. Then I just swapped the lead and ground wires on the neck pickup and everything works perfectly with no buzzing! Thanks for the help!

 

[nbarr7]

Re: Just wired up a JD and I have some problems.

I had the same problem installing an SD broadcaster in my '69 reissue thinline. Mine works (thanks to this thread) by keeping the correct leads on the broadcaster, swtiching the leads of the original fender neck pickup, and switching the ground of the fender neck pickup to the metal cover (i.e. switching the small wire on the back of the pu). No bridge wire necessary. Works as well as it ever did.