Bridge Pickup, no sound, fluctuating resistance

[TNTales]

I have a Fender Yosemite bridge pickup. After installation there is no sound. I checked the switch and grounds, no issue. I removed the pickup from the guitar and tested the pickup at the solder joints from the coil (open circuit on the wires). The reading at the joint fluctuates a lot and sometimes goes to open. Can anyone help? I'm hoping I didn't break it on installation. Thanks in advance

 

[Leonardocoate]

I wonder if there is an exposed part of the hot lead coming in contact with the plate ground, causing a short. From what you describe, it seems like a short. There is a lot going on in that joint area. Does moving the wires while your testing do anything?

 

[Leonardocoate]

Try testing between the plate ground and the hot lead.

 

[LowCaster]

So you desoldered the pickup? And the readings are fluctuating? Check the multimeter first. (Test from the ends of the wires first) The reading value should not be moving if nothing moves. You should be reading the dc resistance value (I don’t know, in the 7kohm range?) or close to infinite if the wire is broken, and close to 0 if there is a short.

 

[TNTales]

I tested hot to bridge plate and got the 0.L on the meter.

 

[LowCaster]

It means there is a short between the plate and hot wire. Same reading between the plate and the other wire?

 

[Peegoo]

@TNTales

Hot lead to bridge plate and you got OL ("open line" or open circuit)? Not all bridge plates are properly grounded.

Look closely at the pickup. Do you see these two little wires laying against the bottom flatwork? They are EXTREMELY delicate. Look at then crooked and they will break. Don't touch 'em; just look closely at them to see if they're broken.

The one coming from the black/ground lead is the start of the coil and the one connected to the red/hot lead is the end of the coil.

If one or both are broken, the pickup is dead. This is repairable, but it's akin to brain surgery.

 

[TNTales]

Ground wire to plate show's 0.00 and hot wire to plate was 0.L and here are some pictures

 

[LowCaster]

0.00 is normal, the plate and ground wire are connected, resistance=0ohm . But then 0.L means something else. Either you are not using the correct setting (try the next superior value) or resistance is infinite (Means something is broken).

 

[Peegoo]

Ground wire to plate show's 0.00 and hot wire to plate was 0.L and here are some pictures

It looks okay. Do you have the pickup completely removed from the guitar? If not, do so.

Now test it like his: set your meter to read Ohms resistance and test across the solder contacts (eyelets) where the wires attach to the pickup, on the bottom side of the pickup.

Do not test across the eyelets on the top side of the pickup because touching one of those wires running to the coil can break the wire.

What reading are you getting?