Sudden pickup death ?

[Merodack]

So, I've just restrung my 1995 Epi Firebird and I'm tuning it up, when suddenly I notice that I've got no sound in the neck and middle positions. Last time I used the neck pickup it was fine, and the guitar has had only moderate use since then. I've taken off the scratchplate and backplate and I can't see any broken solder joints, and the switch still seems to be working, as the background hum in the neck position changes when I move the volume and tone controls. I also get the impression that the neck pickup sounds less bright than it did, but that might just be the trauma talking... I'm thinking that the only reasonable explanation is sudden neck pickup failure, but that seems strange... :dunno: I'd be grateful for any ideas you guys might have.

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Sudden pickup death ?

So, I've just restrung my 1995 Epi Firebird and I'm tuning it up, when suddenly I notice that I've got no sound in the neck and middle positions. Last time I used the neck pickup it was fine, and the guitar has had only moderate use since then. I've taken off the scratchplate and backplate and I can't see any broken solder joints, and the switch still seems to be working, as the background hum in the neck position changes when I move the volume and tone controls. I also get the impression that the neck pickup sounds less bright than it did, but that might just be the trauma talking... I'm thinking that the only reasonable explanation is sudden neck pickup failure, but that seems strange... :dunno: I'd be grateful for any ideas you guys might have.

Maybe a cold solder joint? I'd say un-solder the neck pickup and test its DC resistance. The only real way to break a pickup is to sever the circut, to make a cut in the winding. Most pickups wont get exposed to the kind of abuse that could cause that kind of damage...Its a pretty difficult thing to do just with regular use.

It sounds like its probably a bad solder joint, but check out the resistance on the P/U to be sure that it works.

 

[Merodack]

Re: Sudden pickup death ?

Thanks. Like you said, I couldn't see why a pickup would self-destruct. I decided to have a closer look at the wiring before unsoldering, and it turns out that one of the wires to the volume pot is loose. I pushed it around a little and got sound from the neck pickup, but also a nasty electric current going through the strings. Looks like it's rewiring time...