Volume issues after re-doing electronics

[jesseverhage]

Dear community,

Recently, I redid all the electronics in my Cort EVL Z2, this meant swapping out pickups, replacing one tone pot with a killswitch, swapping the capacitor, and using different pots.

Since I have done this, the output of my guitar is very low, it is still easily audible, but loads below what it should be. (I salvaged the pickups from another guitar, in which they caused a volume which was at least 3x as loud)

I feel like I have done something wrong with the wiring, does anyone see anything odd in my scheme? (It's in the attachment)



Thanks in advance!

P.S. I am new on this board, so please let me know if there is anything I forgot to post with my question.

 

[Artie]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

The wiring diagram itself looks correct. Here's a couple things I'd check, and maybe something I'd change:

1. Makes sure the red/white wires of each pickup are actually soldered together. Not just taped.

2. Look everything over and make sure you didn't do a solder-bridge somewhere.

3. This one isn't a problem per se, but I'd change it. Take the left-most terminal of the killswitch, and move that wire to the center lug. It will work exactly the same and eliminate the possibility of getting a "pop", click or hum as you flip the switch.

Other than that, looks fine.

Artie

 

[jesseverhage]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

Hey Artie,

Thanks for the quick response!

1. I did solder them together
2. I am not sure what you mean by solder-bridge, care to explain?
3. Thanks for the idea, I do get the pops indeed, I will change this right away

Thanks again

Jesse

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

I don't like the way that ground for the pickups goes via the kill switch. Any leakage across the inner contacts of the switch and you could weaken the grounding. Poor grounding of the pickups would explain the reduced output level.

Test the circuit with the kill switch removed.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

Dumb question but it needs asking. What pickups were in the guitar when you bought it? What pickups have you installed in their place?

It is obvious from your schematic diagram that your new pickups are passive, high impedance humbuckers with 4-conductor + shield output cable.

If the previous pickups were low impedance, active types, the stock control pots would be 25 or 50k. These are wholly unsuitable for passive pickups. You require 500k pots.

 

[jesseverhage]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

Hey Funkfingers,

There used to be the same kind of pickups in my guitar, I also replaced the original (500k) pots with new 500k pots, so that shouldn't be a problem.

With regards to the grounding, I will try and see if this fixes the problem when I have time, probably this evening.

Thanks a lot for your insights!

Jesse

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

What pickups were in the guitar when you bought it? What pickups have you installed in their place?

There used to be the same kind of pickups in my guitar

Yes, sure, but what make/model are they? This is important.

Your schematic follows the Seymour Duncan colour code convention for four con + shield cable. If your pickups are of another brand, they may use the same four colours but in a different order. Hence, the coils of your pickups may be interconnected wrongly.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=color_codes

 

[jesseverhage]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

There used to be EVL humbucking pickups in there; http://www.cortguitars.com/downloads/pdfs/EVL-Z2.pdf

I replaced them with Mighty Mite pickups which I salvaged from a Cort HBS-2, these do not use the same color codes as the SD pickups do. I do however know with certainty that the pickups are wired correctly, I just color coded them the way SD pickups are coded so the schematic would make some sense to you guys.

Jesse

 

[Artie]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

A solder bridge just means that you accidentally got a blob of solder across two points. Like at the 3-way switch, for example. Not likely, but something to double-check.

 

[jesseverhage]

Re: Volume issues after re-doing electronics

Hey guys,

I removed the killswitch from the circuit, and it works perfectly now, so I think Funk's suspicions were correct.

Any idea on how I should put it back in, in order to not break the working circuit?

Thanks!

Jesse