Vintage Rails for Strat SVR-1n output

[Lefty Bluesman]

hello,
just received this pickup for my strat, however when I test the resistance using a multimeter it says 9.74k. The infirmation on the pickup page says the pickup for the neck position is 2.7k. Is this correct? thank you.

 

[beaubrummels]

Sounds like it's wired in series instead of parallel. Also, you aren't measuring output, just resistance, which is different.

 

[Mincer]

Yes, it should be wired in parallel, so verify how it is wired, first.

 

[Artie]

Yes, it should be wired in parallel, so verify how it is wired, first.

And it's kinda important to wire a VR in parallel. I tried one in series once, and while it was a bit louder, it was dull and lifeless. Lost all of its VR character. Which is odd because a Cool Rails in parallel still sounds decent. Lower output, but still has a nice spanky clean Strat sound. I can't explain why, since they seem to be similar, (or maybe even the same), coils.

 

[Mincer]

I think with the Vintage Rails, you use one coil for the treble strings, and one for the bass strings. That might not be a great sound in series, and I guess it isn't.

 

[Lefty Bluesman]

Sounds like it's wired in series instead of parallel. Also, you aren't measuring output, just resistance, which is different.

thanks, I changed the post. When I'm using the multimeter, I'm using the the black and red wires on each probe of the multimeter - maybe that incorrect?

 

[beaubrummels]

My Vintage Rails neck I'm holding here measures:

Black to White: 5.16k
Red to Green: 5.18k

Parallel: 2.586k

Parallel is black+red together to white+green together. I don't know how you got 9.74k, unless you measured in series.

 

[Lefty Bluesman]

My Vintage Rails neck I'm holding here measures:

Black to White: 5.16k
Red to Green: 5.18k

Parallel: 2.586k

Parallel is black+red together to white+green together. I don't know how you got 9.74k, unless you measured in series.

ok, I tried it the way you suggested and got similar readings - thanks. To get the 9.74k reading, I followed the wiring diagram on this site for a guitar with 2 fender pickups, and the vintage rails which says that the red and white wires get soldered and taped off, and the black go to the selector switch and the green go to gnd (on the back of the vol pot). since I figured that this is the way i would hook it up in guitar, it would give me an accurate reading of the resistance when installed, so I attached the multimeter leads to the black and green wires, and it says 9.47k...maybe my assumption is incorrect?

 

[jeremy]

red & white soldered together is series, which should give you 9k+ so it sounds like the pup is ok, just should be rewired in parallel

 

[Lefty Bluesman]

red & white soldered together is series, which should give you 9k+ so it sounds like the pup is ok, just should be rewired in parallel

thanks, that makes sense. the wiring diagram that came with the pickup says that if you are using the pickup with fender pickups, that the wiring gets reversed - black and red go to ground; and white and green go to the selector switch. does that sound right? and what about the bare wire ground - does that go to the selector switch as well?

 

[Artie]

Yes. Black & Red to ground, Green & White to switch. (To match a Fender single.) Bare always goes to a ground somewhere. Think of it as "chassis" ground. It's soldered to the base. Not either coil.

 

[Lefty Bluesman]

thanks everyone! I installed the pickup as suggested and it works. The paperwork that came with the pickup and it's name (SVR1-N) suggests it gets installed in the neck position - but I've seen other review where the pickup is installed in the middle position, fewer that install it in the bridge position. Anyone tried to install it in other positions and what were the results?

 

[Artie]

The neck and middle are identical. Since they're naturally humbuckers, there doesn't need to be an RWRP version. If you install one of those in the bridge, you'll just have slightly lower output. Shouldn't be a problem otherwise.

 

[Lefty Bluesman]

The neck and middle are identical. Since they're naturally humbuckers, there doesn't need to be an RWRP version. If you install one of those in the bridge, you'll just have slightly lower output. Shouldn't be a problem otherwise.

thanks. I'm trying to get it dialed in with the 2 remaining strat pickups installed (middle and bridge). It was way too much treble (which I wasn't expecting), so I lowered the SD pickup height, but then the vol was too low - which I think means i need to lower the other pickups? but don't really want to do that as I have them dialed in in a good spot....

 

[jeremy]

the vr is a bright pup for sure, its kinda supposed to be. what are the other two pups? do you have a tone control on the neck pup by itself or is it shared?