Unusually thin sounding pickup

[WDeeGee]

Hello,

I bought a new axe online, but humbuckers sound awful: only highs, no bass.

The pups are a pair of tonerider generator humbuckers, of which, after a quick search, people describe the bridge pup as a fatter sounding JB.

Nothing fat about it! Wiring is ok, I checked with the guitar manufacturer's wiring diagram. Both coils measure about 8k, so the coils are intact.

So were'd the bass go?

 

[Mincer]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

Is this happening when both are on or one at a time?

 

[WDeeGee]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

One.

It's neck HB, both inner coils, bridge HB. Bridge has no bass, neck some, but little compared to my other guitars.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

Coils could be internally out-of-phase (I had a PRails that was). Is it 4 conductor?


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[WDeeGee]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

Coils could be internally out-of-phase (I had a PRails that was). Is it 4 conductor?

Yes.

How does this work then? North and South wire colors mixed up internally or one of the coils physically placed upside down?

 

[WDeeGee]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

Yes.

How does this work then? North and South wire colors mixed up internally or one of the coils physically placed upside down?

Which, incidentally, would amount to the same thing.
Thanks for the hint, I'll check it out tomorrow and report back. It's sleepy time here now.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

Maybe you're only getting one bridge coil. Does it measure around 16K with the switch in bridge position?

 

[VinceT]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

Yes.

How does this work then? North and South wire colors mixed up internally or one of the coils physically placed upside down?

On SD color codes - white and red are soldered to give series between the coils. Swap out white for black, so green and white are the connections to pot/switch.


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[WDeeGee]

Re: Unusually thin sounding pickup

On SD color codes - white and red are soldered to give series between the coils. Swap out white for black, so green and white are the connections to pot/switch.

Opened the pickups and they are wired correctly.

The error is in the schematic of the SZ320/SZ520 wiring on Ibanez' website.

It has the N- and N+ wires of the neck humbucker going to one lug of the 4P 3-way switch for coil tap in center switch position (two inner coils of both humbuckers active). This is wrong, that should be S+ and N-, with N+ going to the neck vol. pot. (as it is with the neck pickup, which is correctly wired in the drawing).

Thanks everyone!