Lipstick pickup!!! Red, White and Bare lead help!!!

[es125luv]

Hello everyone!!!

I have a guitar I am trying to rehab... it has two lipsticks in it... this thing is wired crazy... I am seeing ground loops all over the place. There is a wire soldered to the bottom plate that simply connects both pickups... wierd..

ANYWAYS... you all seem so knowledgable here, and honestly I can't find any resources on wiring diagrams for lipsticks with THREE wires coming out of them!!!

Wire 1: Red
Wire 2: White
Wire 3: Bare

I tried to measure resistance, and got 5k across red and white!!!

Which wire is hot? Do I tape any of them together??

I know I am asking a lot, but I am really frustrated with this thing.
The guitar is a Charvel Surfcaster.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Lipstick pickup!!! Red, White and Bare lead help!!!

First, welcome.

5K seems pretty average for the DC resistance of a lipstick tube. On this the bare would be the chassis or baseplate ground and the insulated wires would be the leads to the coil winding. The insulated wires can be positive or negative. Just be consistent or else you could end up with two pickups out phase with eachother. No tape is needed - bare and ground (one of the insulated wires) to a ground (such as the back of a pot) and the other insulated to the hot terminal on the switch.

FYI, the colors aren't Seymour Duncan colors, but SD lipstick tubes do have two insulated leads and a bare ground just as you described.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/lipstick_tube_version1.html
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/lipstick_tube_version2.html

 

[Dirt123]

Re: Lipstick pickup!!! Red, White and Bare lead help!!!

Another comment: I don't know how the Surfcaster is supposed to be wired, but Danelectros have their lipstick tube pickups wired in series, when they are both on. That does make the wiring look weird.

Dirt

 

[es125luv]

Re: Lipstick pickup!!! Red, White and Bare lead help!!!

Guys, sorry it has taken me so long to get back here, but I wanted to say THANKS MUCH for your help!!! It is appreciated!!! I am going to try, as MikeS suggested, to stay consistant... and you know how it goes... if I have to open it up again and resolder... what the hey.......... you guys made something overwhelming seem A LOT less stressful... take care... it's always an experiment with everything.