Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

A

Agustaburn

New member
Hello
I've never done much in the way of testing Pu's for Dc resistance and all the other possible ways to analize a pu. If I use a Ohm setting on my meter to test both contacts on the plug is that the dc resistance?:feedback:
 
Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

well, kinda .. but that's not really useful ( i assume that when you say 'plug' you are talking about the guitar's output jack ... it helps to use correct terminology when asking a question ... if you meant something different and i assumed incorrectly, pleas clarify and i'll try to answer better)

you need to have the pickup out of the circuit to get the most accurate reading ... then you use the volt-ohm meter set to measure resistance (usually in the 20K ohm or less range)

there really isnt much more analysis to do on a pickup once you determine from the DC resistance that it is probably in working order

if you get infinity ohms as the resistance, it is likely a pup in need of repair or replacement ... same if you get essentially no resistance - something somewhere is shorted

if you have more than two wires from the pup, you need to know which is which (hot / ground/ split/tap/other) in order to make sense of the measurements you make

t4d
 
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Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

Agustaburn said:
Hello
I've never done much in the way of testing Pu's for Dc resistance and all the other possible ways to analize a pu. If I use a Ohm setting on my meter to test both contacts on the plug is that the dc resistance?:feedback:
Click to expand...

Are you referring to the 1/4 inch plug here? If so, then No, it won't give you what you want.

The best way, IMHO, is to measure across the "hot" and the ground wire from the pickup (with the wires unsolderd, i.e., removed from the circuit.)

How many wires do you have coming from the pickup?

Dave
t4d..We were typing at the same time...you won.
 
Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

Yes, I was referring to the output from the guitar. specifically the sleeve and tip of a monster 500 connected to my LP. I wasn't trying for anything too specific. I just built and installed a Alnico 8 Pro and thought I could get some more info out there for those interested. BTW the DC Resistance on the An8p was 8.37 compared to 7.47 in the Alnico 2 Pro in the neck.
 
Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

Agustaburn said:
Yes, I was referring to the output from the guitar. specifically the sleeve and tip of a monster 500 connected to my LP. I wasn't trying for anything too specific. I just built and installed a Alnico 8 Pro and thought I could get some more info out there for those interested. BTW the DC Resistance on the An8p was 8.37 compared to 7.47 in the Alnico 2 Pro in the neck.
Click to expand...

if you measured those numbers from the tip and sleeve of a cable, they are not true measures of the pickup's DC resistance as that term is commonly used ... if you disconnected the pickup from everything, then they are true measures
 
Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

When the pickup is disconnected, do you just touch the probes of the meter to the hot and ground wires? If so it should be the same technique for any pickup, as long as you can identify which wire is for what.
 
Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

baritone said:
When the pickup is disconnected, do you just touch the probes of the meter to the hot and ground wires? If so it should be the same technique for any pickup, as long as you can identify which wire is for what.
Click to expand...

Yes, but the "connection" between the pickup wire and the probe should be more than a light touch...you need to be sure there is good contact.

Same process for all passive pickups.

Dave
 
Re: Volt Ohm Meter to Test PU?

Cool, thanks. I did it right then. I recently sold my old Epiphone pickups, and that's how I camu up with my DC resistance values.
 
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