Pickups not Picking Up Strings

[Ginnger13]

I am Working on finishing a parts guitar and ran into an issue I can't find an answer to elsewhere. I'm building a Stratocaster with three single coils, and the Clapton style mid-boost. When I plug the guitar into my amp and touch the pickups with a screwdriver I get the pop, however when I string it up and play I get nothing. If it's strung up and I touch it with a screwdriver it works. Has anyone had anything like this happen before?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

Yes, something in the cavity was grounding out the signal partially or mostly when it happened to me.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

Don't think this is your issue, but I was trying out a Tele once and the pole magnet under the A string had gotten demagnetized where you'd run a scale from the E string through to the D string but anything on the A string was silent.

 

[Ginnger13]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

Thanks for the help guys, all of the magnets still seem to be magnetized so I don't think that's it

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

so if you touch the poles with a screw driver you get a pop but no noise from the strings, right? do all the controls work on the pop? as in does the volume control, tone control and mid boost control effect the pop?

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

Wiring issue with the output jack?

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

Does the screwdriver tap still make the pop if your other hand is on the strings? It sounds like you are grounding out the signal when you hold the strings to play. Somewhere you have your hot and ground mixed up, i think.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

You can also try wiring it directly to the jack to eliminate any other issues.

 

[Ginnger13]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

I've replaced the output jack now, and I've directly wired the pickups to the output and it still does this.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

You are using metal strings aren't you? :scratchch

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

Pics?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

You are using metal strings aren't you? :scratchch

pfft rubber bands are all the rage these days man! get with it

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Pickups not Picking Up Strings

My only guess at this point is the ground was never connected properly and touching the slugs on a Strat single coil, assuming you were holding the metal part of the screwdriver in your fingers, created a connection to ground and popped. Then when you finally play, you're back to no ground, no sound.