Pup output imbalance

[Coma]

I'm scratching my head here. Just finished setup of a friend's guitar, a Gibson SG with a Jazz in the neck and a BK Nailbomb in the bridge.

DCR for the pups are listed as 7.5 and 15.7, respectively. Now I know that DCR is not the be-all-end all measurement when it comes to output, and I know that naturally, the neck pup due to positioning is going to be loud. But the difference is HUGE. Like ridiculously huge. Like far beyond anything I've heard in any guitar before.

The SGs tend to need that very odd discrepancy between pickup height due to their design, so I've tried to compensate as much as possible. The difference here is pretty extreme (sorry for crappy cellphone photo quality).

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Maybe check the actual DC resistance of the pickups, through the guitar jack. It should be a little lower than listed, but neither a lot lower, nor a lot higher.

 

[Coma]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Maybe check the actual DC resistance of the pickups, through the guitar jack. It should be a little lower than listed, but neither a lot lower, nor a lot higher.

Thanks for the tip, didn't even think of that. D'oh!

Bridge measures slightly below, neck slightly above. So still doesn't explain it.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Pup output imbalance

How about checking the magnetic strength at the tops of the screws?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Or you could mess around with screw height. DCR means nada in terms of output. A L500XL bridge is about 12.7k and would brutally overpower an STK-S10 neck which has 25.5k. Both are actually extremely articulate as well.

Plus the average Tele has a higher DCR neck than bridge and they match in output. Your best bet is to keep fiddling with it and maybe even swap magnets if you can't fix it.

Edit: it could also be a wiring issue that's causing your problem. I have a Les Paul that the neck is easily 1/4 the perceived volume of the bridge. I have yet to get it fixed, but I know for a fact that a bad joint on the switch is the culprit. It's so bad that the bridge will push the amp to saturation and the neck is almost clean.

 

[Coma]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Maybe check the actual DC resistance of the pickups, through the guitar jack. It should be a little lower than listed, but neither a lot lower, nor a lot higher.

Thanks for the tip, didn't even think of that. D'oh!

Bridge measures slightly below, neck slightly above. So still doesn't explain it.

Plus the average Tele has a higher DCR neck than bridge and they match in output. Your best bet is to keep fiddling with it and maybe even swap magnets if you can't fix it.

Edit: it could also be a wiring issue that's causing your problem. I have a Les Paul that the neck is easily 1/4 the perceived volume of the bridge. I have yet to get it fixed, but I know for a fact that a bad joint on the switch is the culprit. It's so bad that the bridge will push the amp to saturation and the neck is almost clean.

Well, not my guitar, so I have zero mandate (or incentive, for that matter) to start messing aroud with the electronics. If he wants that kind of mad science done, he's either gonna have to take it to a professional tech or go fetch the necessary parts. Which he wont

 

[Coma]

Re: Pup output imbalance

How about checking the magnetic strength at the tops of the screws?

How do I do that?

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Pup output imbalance

How do I do that?

Just take something made of steel that is light weight, and see if one pickup's screws attract it much more or mush less than the other.

But I just looked up the Nailbomb and I see that it uses a ceramic bar. I think the pickups you have just generate very different output levels.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Is it possible for you to measure the millivolt output on your multimeter for us?

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Plus the average Tele has a higher DCR neck than bridge and they match in output. Your best bet is to keep fiddling with it and maybe even swap magnets if you can't fix it.

Because a Tele neck pickup is wound with 43 AWG wire, instead of 42. The thinner wire has a higher resistance per foot.

So even though it's not wound more than the bridge it reads higher.

This is also true of over wound humbuckers. It's likely the bridge pickup is wound with 44 AWG. So it looks really hot, but it's not wound much more than the neck pickup.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Coma]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Is it possible for you to measure the millivolt output on your multimeter for us?

Provided you do it the same way I measured the DCR, yeah, sure. Sorry, never actually had to do this kind of troubleshooting before.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Pup output imbalance

That's how people like their bridge pickup.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Try lowering the Nailbomb.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Wait, you said the neck pickup is too loud? Or the bridge? If the neck is too loud it is definitely a wiring issue.

 

[gregory]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Wait, you said the neck pickup is too loud? Or the bridge? If the neck is too loud it is definitely a wiring issue.

For the life of me I couldn't figure out which pickup was too loud.

 

[gregory]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Put some large-capped Invader screws in there to compensate for the string angle.

I bet that would look tight with the cover still on!

 

[Coma]

Re: Pup output imbalance

Heeeeh, oh yeah, I sorta skipped over that part, didn't I? :laughing:
It's neck pup that's too loud.

Put some large-capped Invader screws in there to compensate for the string angle.

I bet that would look tight with the cover still on!

Funny enough, that very guitar used to have Invaders in it. That the owner bought second hand off of me

And for the record, I've tried Invaders with covers on. It looks killer, but I ran into tons of issues with it, though I'm not sure the covers were actually the culprits.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Pup output imbalance

One annoying thing about SG's is that the strings and the pickups do not lie in the same plane. If you look at the adjustable polepiece side of your bridge pickup, its actually way away from the strings while the fixed polepiece side is probably about normal height. You can equal this out somewhat by stuffing a large piece of fairly stiff foam under the bottom of the bridge pickup only on the side nearest the bridge. This will tilt the pickup flatter and allow you to adjust it closer to the strings.

 

[gregory]

Re: Pup output imbalance

And for the record, I've tried Invaders with covers on. It looks killer, but I ran into tons of issues with it, though I'm not sure the covers were actually the culprits.

Were both coils still populated with screws?

 

[gregory]

Re: Pup output imbalance

You can equal this out somewhat by stuffing a large piece of fairly stiff foam under the bottom of the bridge pickup only on the side nearest the bridge. This will tilt the pickup flatter and allow you to adjust it closer to the strings.

...or use appropriate pickup rings.