Saturday Night Special Neck Output

[aericj]

I have had a set of Saturday Night Specials in my Epiphone SG Custom for a nearly a year and love the bridge pickup, but the neck just doesn't seem to have the same magic... it's just not as powerful (loud) and seems lacking in the grit that I like in the bridge pickup. It sounds best wide open but quickly loses power as the volume is reduced (much more so than the bridge as I know some of this is normal in a 50's wiring setup). I do realize neck pickups are tamer than the bridge, but want to be sure its normal behavior for this one before I look at other options.

I recently tested the output and the bridge comes in at 9.7 which is consistent with the DCR indicated on the website, but the neck pickup only comes in at 6.9 which is much lower than the 7.9 indicated on the website. This seems like a pretty high variance from the description - is this normal? Could this variance have a significant impact on the sound?

I did install these myself with a 50's style pre-wired harness from Tone Man, with the following specs:

4 – Bourns PDA241 Series 500K potentiometers - Short-Split-Shaft, Audio Taper
1 – PIO K40Y-9 Russian .033uf / Capacitor (Bridge Tone Cap)
1 - PIO K40Y-9 Russian .015uf / Capacitor (Neck Tone Cap)
1 - Switchcraft 3-Way Right Angle Toggle Switch with black tip
1 - Switchcraft 1/4 Output Jack
1 – 50’s style cloth push back 22awg wiring through out

Last question... as I am not a professional guitar tech, is it possible that my soldering abilities had an effect on the output? I thought I did a decent job, but is there a way to tell?

Thanks!!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Saturday Night Special Neck Output

Without seeing several good clear photos of your wiring, it is impossible to tell if you have any problems associated with that. A cold solder joint can definitely affect your output.

The difference in DCR in your neck pup is substantial and will have a noticeable affect on the volume.

Before doing anything costly (replacing a perfectly good pup) or time consuming (resoldering your connections), try raising the neck pup as close as possible to your strings without causing any buzzing or other interference (1/16" - 1/8" away with the strings depressed to the fretboard at the highest fret). And maybe even lower your bridge pup slightly to balance output. You may have to compensate for any tonal changes with your amp settings.

 

[aericj]

Re: Saturday Night Special Neck Output

So, I checked out the soldering and everything seems good, except the ground wire came off and had to be reattached... but I don't think that was affecting the sound. I tested the resistance directly at the wires and it was the same as through the input so I don't think the soldering or components are affecting it. It appears to just be a lower output pickup. I am sure there is some normal variance, but this one must be at the low end of the normal range for a Saturday Night Special.

At the end of the day, I did move it closer to get more volume and grit, but wish I didn't need to. Maybe its just me, but just not bonding with the tone like I do the bridge. I'll play around with it some and see what happens at rehearsal tomorrow night.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Saturday Night Special Neck Output

Neck pickups often significantly overpower the bridge with more vintage strength pickups.....even where they are position calibrated. Your situation seems odd......for the full strength situation. After turning down you are the realm of the pot taper of course, but even then if they are original pots then the taper should match.

I can't see why the pickup height adjustment should be such an issue......it is the absolute #1 adjustment for volume balancing no matter what set you buy. It should never be seen as a compromise to have to do it.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Saturday Night Special Neck Output

That DCR doesn't seem right, but it also might just mean that you simply don't like it an it is time to move on. Before you do that, any and all adjustments should be on the table, though, as all they cost is time.