Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

[Plaguewielder]

What is the correct way to wire a Live Wire metal set using 2 volume, 1 tone and 3-way?

The way I am wiring it up now is:

Neck & Bridge to vol pot white to center lug, red to battery, braid to pot back.

First lug on each pot grounded to pot back, tone pot has cap between lug and pot back.

3rd lug on volume pots go to outside lugs of 3-way.

Tone pot center lug to center lug on 3-way.

All pots run to ground on back of 3-way as well as bridge.

Pickup red wires to red of first battery wired in series to 2nd battery, black lead to ring on jack

Tip to center lug on 3-way.

Am I doing something wrong here? When I plug the guitar in I get noisy signal when activating the bridge pickup(sounds like bad ground), but get somewhat quiet signal when switched to neck pickup. Tone control seems to only work on bridge pickup. I can remove the noise from the signal using the otne control when switched to the bridge pickup.

Hope someone can answer this tonight as I would like to complete this install.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

If you want the tone to control both pickups you'll have to go from each pup to their own volume pot and then to the switch. Then go from the switch to the tone pot.

You can wire it where the tone will control only one pup by putting it between the volume pot and the switch for whichever pickup you want.

What type of switch is it? Tele blade style or a LP style toggle?

 

[Plaguewielder]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

I have it wired up the same way that you suggested, which is how I think I tried to explain it in my first post.

It is a Les Paul style 3-way. I figured it out last night. I had to move a couple of wires that were touching things they should not have been. Good thing man invented shrink tubing.

I do notice though that this new net that I have seems to be a tad noisier than the set I bought back in 1989. Only when the volume AND tone are wide open though. Is this normal? I also wonder why the set came with 1uf caps for the tone controls when the online diagram calls for .47uf caps. Also why is the wiring diagram on the yellow sheet that comes with the set different than the online version for the same setup (2 pups, 2 vol, 2 tone, 3-way)? Anyhow, I got the set working, I can deal with a little noise.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

I haven't noticed any noise in mine. I'd double check the joints just to make sure.

I thought mine came with .47uF pots, but maybe I'm wrong. Actually, I don't remember looking at them when they came in. I'll give it a look tonight.

I have no clue about the difference in wiring diagrams.

I'm glad you got them working. How do you like them?

 

[Plaguewielder]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

Oh I love them. Like I said, I have a seet that I bought 17 years ago and have had them in one of my guitars since. I run a NMV Marshall amp and these pups sure give that added gain to drive the amp into a nice clipping. Something like a MV Marshall without the fizzy distortion.

I like the voicing of the Livewires more than EMG's. The Duncans sound like a hot rodded rock pickup and EMG's sound lifeless in comparison. The EMG's are the pickup you want to use if you want actives and want the amp to do the work. Livewires are the ones you want if you want the guitar to punish the amp.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

I concur. I play through a Blues Jr., so I like the extra boost from the active circuitry. They still sound good through a higher gain amp, too.

 

[Plaguewielder]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

Ok maybe someone can help me with this now. I have noticed that I get bleed over when one pickup is wide open ahile the other is turned off, when switched to the off pickup. Still using the above mentioned wiring: 2-hb, 2-vol, 1-tone. I have gone back and rewired all connections and ground points.

Is this normal for this wiring setup? I have noticed this in my old set of Livewires as well which is wired the same way.

Would it be the switch or is there another wiring mod I can do to isolate one pickup from the other? I use the 3-way toggle for an on/off switch at times and this really sucks live when you have bleed over when switched to the off pickup.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: Livewire wiring 2-H 2-vol, 1-tone help

It doesn't make sense that it would do that, but I've never had a set wired up that way so I can't say for sure that it shouldn't. I can't think of what would cause it, though.