Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

Janglin_Jack

Janglin_Jack

New member
I finally got my Firebird pickup ring for my Les Paul Goldtop. I found something strange after I tested it. Neck P90 tests at 6.6K DC Ohms or so and Bridge Firebird at 7.4K or so. With both pickups engaged, I expected to see about half and it came in around 3.6K DC Ohms, which is about right, I expect. Here is where it gets weird:

When I roll back the bridge volume, I get a reading of around 6K DC Ohms, (with the Neck on full). And with the bridge volume of full and I roll back the neck volume I get 6K or so again.

Now it gets really weird, if I roll back both the neck and the bridge volumes I get like 40K DC Ohms!!! Is there some kind of short or is this normal? I only played the guitar though headphones with my Tascam Guitar Trainer, but both the neck alone and bridge alone, they sound normal. With both PU engaged with full volumes, it almost sounds out of phase. With either the Neck or the Bridge volume rolled back it sounds full. With them both rolled back it sounds thinnner again, like an out of phase sound.

Maybe I have stumbled upon something that might be really cool, but if I have a wiring error, I would like to fix it beforeI get a failure in sound.

What do you think is going on and is something wrong with the wiring, or am I just getting something unique with a P90 and Firebird Mini??

Will try with my amp tomorrow, but currious what might be going on.

Jack
 
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Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

You probably have them OOP.

The ohmmeter can't tell you.
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

uOpt said:
You probably have them OOP.

The ohmmeter can't tell you.
Click to expand...
I will have to go back in an swap the hot and ground on one of them. I guess first I will have to see if the out of phase-ish sound gives me some Peter Green vibe - LOL.

But what about the wacky DC resistence readings?

Jack
 
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Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

No idea about the weirdness but how does it sound dude?? I've been thinking of getting/doing the same exact thing to get that Neil sound
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

I tried swithing the wires on the mini humbucker. I put the shield to the pot and the black center wire to the back of the pot, now there is no sound from the bridge. What is the proper way to get the P90 and the Mini to play together properly?

Jack
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

the wacky readings are fairly normal, when you turn down the pot it does weird things. i dont know the science behind it but i know from first hand experience that it gives wacky readings.

the way you had it wired originally was out of phase, but other than that everything seems to be wired correctly since it is behaving as it should.

as far as getting no sound from the bridge pup after swapping wires, i dont know. it should work with the shield as hot but things would be noisy as the cover and such would be hot rather than grounded.

are both pups duncans?
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

Well, remember the resistance is going up because there's more carbon between the two metal contacts as you roll the pot down.
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

jeremy said:
are both pups duncans?
Click to expand...

No, the Neck P90 is a Lindy Fralin.

Zhangliqun - Well, remember the resistance is going up because there's more carbon between the two metal contacts as you roll the pot down.

I am measuing using a guitar chord plugged into the output jack, not at the pot itself. I won't worry about the readings, just need to figure out how to get the phase/out of phase fixed.

Jack
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

If it's just a phase problem, assuming both guitars have the braided leads, the fix is a magnet flip. P90 is easier to flip than the mini, even though it has 2 mags instead of just one. Easier to take the cover off a P90.
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

Zhangliqun said:
If it's just a phase problem, assuming both guitars have the braided leads, the fix is a magnet flip. P90 is easier to flip than the mini, even though it has 2 mags instead of just one. Easier to take the cover off a P90.
Click to expand...

OK, cool. I will give that a try. So that is not an end for end flip, but flip like a pancake - top becomes bottom, etc??

Jack
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

It's more like outside/in. The sides of the magnets in a P90 facing the screws must be spun around to the outside. Most P90's have the South pole touching the screws on both magnets, so spin the mags so that the North poles are now touching the screws and the South poles (sides) are on the outside where you can see them with the cover off.
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

Zhangliqun said:
It's more like outside/in. The sides of the magnets in a P90 facing the screws must be spun around to the outside. Most P90's have the South pole touching the screws on both magnets, so spin the mags so that the North poles are now touching the screws and the South poles (sides) are on the outside where you can see them with the cover off.
Click to expand...
Interesting. Before I read this I swapped them and didn't notice much difference. I flopped both, like a pancake. I will try what you said and see how that works.

Jack
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

Worked perfectly!! Thanks Zhangliqun!!!

Jack
 
Re: Les Paul Goldtop with P90 Neck and Antiquity II Firebird Bridge - Wiring Error?

I was playing my guitar and really like the sounds a lot. I had to play with low gain on the bridge as it would feed back like crazy. That seems weird to me for a humbucker, but can anyone tell me if the Antiquity Firebird Mini is wax potted or not? Is it possible when I drilled out the tabs for mounting some shavings can be causing some feedback squeals?

Jack
 
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