Performer Scorcher Installation

[dfsixstring]

I have a really (I mean really) cheap electric that someone gave me with crappy, low output pickups in it - one a humbucker and the other a single-coil at the neck. I replaced the humbucker first with an inexpensive Duncan Performer Detonator pickup - no problem installing it and man what a difference. Before I was playing with my pickup switch in the center (both pickups) but after putting in the Detonator I was playing most everything on the humbucker alone. My GNX4 sounded like a whole new workstation. I decided to replace the single-coil as well and purchased the Performer Scorcher (dual rail mini humbucker). The instructions looked simple enough but this pickup (or the way I installed it) has made everything sound like crap. Here's my layout: two knobs, volume and tone, a three position switch (1) single coil, (2) both, (3) humbucker. I soldered the red and white (Scorcher) leads together and put heat shrink tubing on them. I soldered the ground to the same place as the original gounding wire (the back of the volume switch casing); the black lead to the solder point on the back of tone control; the green lead to the appropriate place on the three-way switch. I get a warbling sound no matter which position the switch is in - in other words - even my sweet sounding humbucker now sounds as bad as this new one. I am sure I have something soldered to the wrong place - maybe I should have used the red/white wires and not the green and black - I followed the diagram on the sheet entitled 2. Phasing - when used with another pickup. Any help would be much appreciated. My expectations for this pickup are pretty high and I would really like to hear it when installed correctly.
thanks

 

[Danglin' Fury]

Re: Performer Scorcher Installation

If it's a Duncan, the green lead needs to be tied to the bare wire and that is your ground. If you have one volume and one tone, the pups need to be tied to the switch first, the out from the switch needs to go to the volume and then to the tone. If you need to see what I'm talking about, check out the Duncan website for schematics. If that dosen't help, go to stewmac.com. They have a load of stuff that has helped me.

 

[dfsixstring]

Re: Performer Scorcher Installation

I think I may have "mostly" figured it out. I did re-run the black and green wires to the 3-way switch but that still didn't help. I took the heat shrink off of the red/white wires and held them to the back of the tone knob and strummed it and all of a sudden my humbucker sounded as it should and the new scorcher sounded like a pickup should. I went ahead and soldered that connection. The only thing now is that the single-coil doesn't quite sound as loud as I think it should??

 

[dfsixstring]

Re: Performer Scorcher Installation

I believe I have it now. I ended up taking the white lead and soldering it to the back of the tone control. I took the red and put it on with the lead from the humbucker to the switch control (black lead on humbucker) and now the tone of all three positions sounds good and the sound levels are about equal. I am sure that this guitar is not your standard pickup install. 'Preciate the help though.