Does This Pickup Work????

Dixon · June 24th, 2008, 02:36 AM

I've made good progress on my first Tele build. The body is loaded, but the neck isn't attached yet. (For final set up I plan on sending the loaded body and unattached neck to an out-of-state luthier that I trust.)

So I plugged the body into an amp to see if I was getting any humming, and to try and determine if I had properly wired everything.

It actually seemed very quiet and by lightly tapping on the neck pup I could tell it was functioning when the pick up selector switch was in the appropriate positions.

The bridge pup up, however, didn't seem to respond to my tapping until I lightly tapped the poles with the tip of a screwdriver, at which time I could hear a response, although it didn't seem very loud through the amp.

So here are my questions...

1) Does the bridge pickup respond differently to light tapping than the neck pickup?

2) Based on what I've described, does it sound like my bridge pickup may be bad? (I acquired it with a bunch of other parts. The previous owner didn't know if it worked.)

3) Does anyone know of a way to test the bridge pick up without having strings on the guitar? (I also do not have a multimeter).

In advance, thanks for the guidance. In the course of putting together my guitar, TDPRI has been an awesome resource. I appreciate all of the help I've received. Best regards....Mark

MBradford6288 · June 24th, 2008, 05:35 AM

well, multimeters are your friend. You should definitely invest in one, and the ones from radio shack are cheap and work great. The little travel guy works fine. One thing you can try is holding a tuning fork, ringing of course, and that will come through the pickup. Just make sure you hold the tuning fork the same height above each pickup and you should hear comparative outputs.

Reality, if you're gonna be working on guitars, or just guitar electronics, multimeters are your best friends. So much you can do with it.

YMMV,
Matt

winny pooh · June 24th, 2008, 05:55 AM

It should be fine, a screwdriver tap is more reliable than a regular one, hang tight until the neck is there.

Zhangliqun · June 24th, 2008, 11:49 AM

Make sure the vol is up and tap the poles of each pickup with a screwdriver (switching to the appropriate pu each time of course). You should get an unmistakably loud metallic "thunk" on both. With both pu's on (middle position), both should "thunk" fairly loud, but not quite as loud as either by itself.

If you're not getting that, either your wiring is jacked up or the pickup is dead.

June 24th, 2008, 02:36 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dixon NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Salt Lake City Age: 46 Posts: 1	Does This Pickup Work???? I've made good progress on my first Tele build. The body is loaded, but the neck isn't attached yet. (For final set up I plan on sending the loaded body and unattached neck to an out-of-state luthier that I trust.) So I plugged the body into an amp to see if I was getting any humming, and to try and determine if I had properly wired everything. It actually seemed very quiet and by lightly tapping on the neck pup I could tell it was functioning when the pick up selector switch was in the appropriate positions. The bridge pup up, however, didn't seem to respond to my tapping until I lightly tapped the poles with the tip of a screwdriver, at which time I could hear a response, although it didn't seem very loud through the amp. So here are my questions... 1) Does the bridge pickup respond differently to light tapping than the neck pickup? 2) Based on what I've described, does it sound like my bridge pickup may be bad? (I acquired it with a bunch of other parts. The previous owner didn't know if it worked.) 3) Does anyone know of a way to test the bridge pick up without having strings on the guitar? (I also do not have a multimeter). In advance, thanks for the guidance. In the course of putting together my guitar, TDPRI has been an awesome resource. I appreciate all of the help I've received. Best regards....Mark

June 24th, 2008, 05:35 AM	#2 (permalink)
MBradford6288 Tele-Meister Join Date: Jun 2005 Posts: 135	well, multimeters are your friend. You should definitely invest in one, and the ones from radio shack are cheap and work great. The little travel guy works fine. One thing you can try is holding a tuning fork, ringing of course, and that will come through the pickup. Just make sure you hold the tuning fork the same height above each pickup and you should hear comparative outputs. Reality, if you're gonna be working on guitars, or just guitar electronics, multimeters are your best friends. So much you can do with it. YMMV, Matt __________________ Classical music is the kind we keep thinking will turn into a tune. -Kin Hubbard (1868 - 1930) Music makes one feel so romantic - at least it always gets on one's nerves - which is the same thing nowadays. -Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)

June 24th, 2008, 05:55 AM	#3 (permalink)
winny pooh Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: South London Posts: 1,443 1 Photos	It should be fine, a screwdriver tap is more reliable than a regular one, hang tight until the neck is there. __________________ my afro ambient side project: http://www.myspace.com/theswyambusessions

June 24th, 2008, 11:49 AM	#4 (permalink)
Zhangliqun TDPRI Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Los Angeles Age: 44 Posts: 57	Make sure the vol is up and tap the poles of each pickup with a screwdriver (switching to the appropriate pu each time of course). You should get an unmistakably loud metallic "thunk" on both. With both pu's on (middle position), both should "thunk" fairly loud, but not quite as loud as either by itself. If you're not getting that, either your wiring is jacked up or the pickup is dead.