New pickup installed! Need help though...

[relic@$ter]

So I installed my gfs pro alnico neck pup last night...noticed a few things when first installed that seemed a little weird but may be normal...first thing I noticed was the bridge pup was significantly louder in volume than neck pickup (the bridge is 7.3k and neck is 6.8k) and much more muffled like the tone knob is all the way on the bass side...other neck pickups I've had have had that similar tone characteristic so that's what it is i suppose...but I don't remember the volume being soo different between the two on past guitars I've had...also another thing I noticed was the hum...the guitar is unshielded so when I touch the string(or any other metal part) the hum goes away (normal for unshielded guitar,right?!) but before I was playing with only the bridge pup and it was a lot more mild hum, now when I added the neck pup it makes this almost like pop noise when metal is touched and the hum is worse with the addition of the neck pup...neck pup has alnico V and bridge is a 52ri alnico III...the bridge pup has more space between strings so I would think it would quieter not louder...should I adjust neck pup height? I haven't adjusted it yet but the bridge is adjusted to spacing recommended by stew macs Dan erlewine book...all this aside I was absolutely shocked by the fact that I liked this pickup better then the USA fender 52 ri/ov bridge! Yup that's right and it was half the price of the fender and Asian? Made I believe...and I like the USA bridge pup very much! So that says alot! Very happy except for those little problems (extra hum/pop,volume difference) any suggestions for fixing this? Appreciated!

[relic@$ter]

Maybe it's not actually louder but just more open sounding, maybe I just noticed it more on this guitar because their not a matched set as I've used previously...but these pickups are perfect for each other and I like that there very distinct in what they do and when you hit it into the middle position they just blend wonderfully! No hum cuz the neck is rwrp! I would highly recommended this combination to someone who does want to pay extra for the telecaster vintage noiseless pup set...get the bridge pup from Angela instruments for $50 and the gfs neck pro alnico for $34...you won't be sacrificing quality because it cost less...very impressed with the gfs even a little more so than the fender! I guess I'll have to shield the thing but not sure how with the neck pup being left uncovered by a pick guard or pup ring...

[relic@$ter]

Hmm

[musicmatty]

The neck Pup shouldn't sound like the tone knob is rolled all the way back on it...being that it's an AlNiCo 5.. It should have a lot of clarity.

You said the bridge pup is a little hotter..7.3k... So yes, it probably is a little louder than the neck Pup.

It sounds like you have something wired wrong and the Pups/ bridge plate are not grounded.

[relic@$ter]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

The neck Pup shouldn't sound like the tone knob is rolled all the way back on it...being that it's an AlNiCo 5.. It should have a lot of clarity.

You said the bridge pup is a little hotter..7.3k... So yes, it probably is a little louder than the neck Pup.

It sounds like you have something wired wrong and the Pups/ bridge plate are not grounded.

Oh yeah? Your right the bride plate is not grounded but both pups are grounded to the back of the pots...do I solder a wire from the plate to the pot to ground it?

[waparker4]

The bridge plate is probably grounded via the baseplate on the pickup through the negative lead of the bridge pickup. The hum goes away when you touch the strings tells me the bridge plate is grounded.

The neck pickup shouldn't sound like it has the tone all the way down. Nor should it pop, maybe check your soldering.

The two pickups are of different construction and I think different wire gauges, comparing their DC resistance has no bearing on which has louder output.

I don't understand this "all this aside I was absolutely shocked by the fact that I liked this pickup better then the USA fender 52 ri/ov bridge! Yup that's right and it was half the price of the fender and Asian? Made I believe...and I like the USA bridge pup very much!" I thought you were using the USA bridge pickup?

[relic@$ter]

Originally Posted by waparker4

The bridge plate is probably grounded via the baseplate on the pickup through the negative lead of the bridge pickup. The hum goes away when you touch the strings tells me the bridge plate is grounded.

The neck pickup shouldn't sound like it has the tone all the way down. Nor should it pop, maybe check your soldering.

The two pickups are of different construction and I think different wire gauges, comparing their DC resistance has no bearing on which has louder output.

I don't understand this "all this aside I was absolutely shocked by the fact that I liked this pickup better then the USA fender 52 ri/ov bridge! Yup that's right and it was half the price of the fender and Asian? Made I believe...and I like the USA bridge pup very much!" I thought you were using the USA bridge pickup?

Yes I'm using a USA fender bridge pup and a gfs pro neck pup...I was just pointing out that I like the gfs just as much as the bridge pup (USA)...at one point I was only using the bridge pup then I installed this gfs neck and was very impressed (much to my surprise)

[waparker4]

You like the gfs neck pickup even though it sounds like it's muffled like the tone is all the way down?

[relic@$ter]

Originally Posted by waparker4

The bridge plate is probably grounded via the baseplate on the pickup through the negative lead of the bridge pickup. The hum goes away when you touch the strings tells me the bridge plate is grounded.

The neck pickup shouldn't sound like it has the tone all the way down. Nor should it pop, maybe check your soldering.

The two pickups are of different construction and I think different wire gauges, comparing their DC resistance has no bearing on which has louder output.

I don't understand this "all this aside I was absolutely shocked by the fact that I liked this pickup better then the USA fender 52 ri/ov bridge! Yup that's right and it was half the price of the fender and Asian? Made I believe...and I like the USA bridge pup very much!" I thought you were using the USA bridge pickup?

Yeah I'm not sure why the neck pup has a somewhat muffled tone...I could make a video and see what you think...

[relic@$ter]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SxcGYJ69QF0

I might just be crazy, it's not that noticeable from the video...what do you think? The popping from the touching metal is noticeable for sure at the beginning and then I showed switching between neck a bridge with the same chords and the. I play a little on each pup (1st neck 2nd bridge and 3rd both)...everything sound normal?

[relic@$ter]

Ok I raised the neck pup a little a now they sound a lot closer...now I suppose the only problem is the hum which isn't bad as long as I'm grounded to metal (so no rock star move for me I guess!)

[relic@$ter]

Any comments on the video?

[waparker4]

I think your guitar would benefit from shielding, and I couldn't really tell any overly muddy sound from the neck pickup, though there wasn't much volume so it was hard to tell. You can still do the windmill maneuver as long as your left hand is touching the strings. Generally the hum should only be an issue if you're not playing, if there is signal going to the amp, like playing a chord, the hum should not really be audible

[relic@$ter]

Originally Posted by waparker4

I think your guitar would benefit from shielding, and I couldn't really tell any overly muddy sound from the neck pickup, though there wasn't much volume so it was hard to tell. You can still do the windmill maneuver as long as your left hand is touching the strings. Generally the hum should only be an issue if you're not playing, if there is signal going to the amp, like playing a chord, the hum should not really be audible

Right! Love the windmill comment! I'll have to practice that! I I'm clueless on how to shield this rear route thinline?!? With copper foils at least! Maybe the paint might be better but unsure of how well that will shield, how do you ground the paint (guessing you don't, just works without grounding?!)

[musicmatty]

I watched your video..your overall sound, seems a bit suspect What are you playing through/using for an amp
I couldn't tell much of a difference between the 3 positions. Zero Ass end from your sound..no thump with the Bridge pup and no Burble with your neck pup..this tells me, your amplification is lacking in the Tone department.

No question, those pickups are Excellent, however, your sound does not demonstrate this. Check all your wiring, for correct connections...Something is wrong in the wiring I'm guessing, aside from your amplification

[relic@$ter]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

I watched your video..your overall sound, seems a bit suspect What are you playing through/using for an amp
I couldn't tell much of a difference between the 3 positions. Zero Ass end from your sound..no thump with the Bridge pup and no Burble with your neck pup..this tells me, your amplification is lacking in the Tone department.

No question, those pickups are Excellent, however, your sound does not demonstrate this. Check all your wiring, for correct connections...Something is wrong in the wiring I'm guessing, aside from your amplification

Yes the amp is a pre modded valve junior...i have all the parts for the mods just gotta get around to doing it! Weber speaker, few component changes, and a new output transformer...this will make for much better tone! I did the harness with some old audio wire so maybe that contributes somewhat to it (I mean everything functions correctly its just kinda poor sound, hopefully mostly from the amp) maybe if I redo the harness with new wire and capacitor (used an old pio pyramid cap) and shield with the paint (and do the amp mods of course) that thing might be just right...agreed?!

[musicmatty]

A couple things...it's possible you got some static pop going on, if you have Cold dry air in place..lots of static with that mix. I had to run a dryer sheet on my neck this evening, to quiet down all the static pop I was getting.

Your neck pup didn't sound dark...just not much of a tone difference in the 3 positions.

You say you have a Fender Blues Jr. ? I've played thru those and they sounded great on their own. Check your tone settings and ditch any pedals for now, until you get your tone and pickups sorted out.

[relic@$ter]

Originally Posted by musicmatty

A couple things...it's possible you got some static pop going on, if you have Cold dry air in place..lots of static with that mix. I had to run a dryer sheet on my neck this evening, to quiet down all the static pop I was getting.

Your neck pup didn't sound dark...just not much of a tone difference in the 3 positions.

You say you have a Fender Blues Jr. ? I've played thru those and they sounded great on their own. Check your tone settings and ditch any pedals for now, until you get your tone and pickups sorted out.

No (epiphone) valve jr...big difference! So you do think something is wrong?! What's the main problem though (the bad tone of the amp) or with the pups? Maybe it's the old cap and/or wire? I did raise the neck pup and there's even less of difference in tone and kinda liked it better on the video...

[musicmatty]

If I were you, I would be using standard guitar harness wiring and any thing else There are several online guitar sources with reasonable prices for such items. Yes..that could have a lot to do with a poor sound.

I don't know your amp..so I can't comment with any authority. Your pickups however, are excellent..I know those pickups. Get your guitar sorted out with some quality parts and make sure it's wired properly..again, there are many wiring diagrams available for this online..so no excuse for trial and error

Once the above is sorted out...then I would consider your amp and what you may need down the road for a worthy sound Hang in there..it's nothing that can't be sorted out with a little time and a little cash

[relic@$ter]

Made a few changes...switch to 4ohm stock speaker (was playing through a Newcomb alnico 8ohm) sounded better but no as much breakup, changed r1 to 1m ,r2 jumpered, and jp1 (c4) cut...these changes had an incredible effect on the tone of the amp (more changes to come!) here's a video with the changes...I also raised the neck pup to proper "fender" spec...much better than the first video!