HELP, all pickups not working

[handynas]

I'm really an idiot when it comes to troubleshooting problems with electric guitars. I'm using a washburn and it seems that all my pickups are not working. I'm not sure how to go about fixing it.

Could anyone advice on where to lookout for possible cause of this problem? I unscrewed the cable inlet to my guitar and found that the wires are intact. I'm not sure if the problem lies with the pickups (i doubt so as all the pickups are not working and I just bought a new cable) or some wires linking to the pickups. I'm not sure how to dismantle the pickups to check as well. Please help!!

[Axl_Rose]

Id start with the toggle switch, 90% of the time its that thats responsible. Dust perhaps or a loose connection.

[PonyOne]

my Epi SG stopped dead not long ago, and it's the jack that's crapped out. I could go and fix it but I'm too damned lazy. That could be the problem... did the guitar just totally die, or did it get all crackly for awhile, did one pickup go out before the other...?

[noticingthemistake]

If both pickups went out at the same time, it's probably the wiring in the guitar. Either a wire came lose or there is a short in the wire somewhere. You should be able to check yourself by removing the back panal (or pickguard) on the guitar. Once you remove that, you should be able to see all the wires and if they are connected. Check the piece where the guitar cable goes into the guitar, that's where the problem lies in most cases. If both wires are connected to that piece, check everything else to see if they are connected. If everything is connected, then the problem is probably a short in a wire somewhere. Your better of taking it to a guitar technician, and have them take a look at it. Don't mess with your pick-ups!! You will probably destroy them!!

It's probably not your pickups since they both went out at the same time. That pretty much points to wiring. Very easy to fix. The most you'll probably have to do is replace a wire. But anyways, if it turns out to be a short in one of the wires. The cause is from improperly turning on your equipment. Here's how you should do it to avoid such problems.

1. Make sure your volume knobs are all the way down on your amp and guitar.
2. Plug in your guitar to your amp.
3. Turn up your amp to a low volume.
4. Turn up your volume on your guitar.
5. Turn up your amp to the volume you want.

[Lordathestrings]

Originally posted by noticingthemistake
... But anyways, if it turns out to be a short in one of the wires. The cause is from improperly turning on your equipment...:rolleyes: I really hope that's supposed to be funny. Turning an amp on while everything is cranked can make trouble for your amp if the guitar is being strummed or picked, but there's no way that could damage the guitar wiring!

[hairbndrckr]

Are you using toggle switches or a 5way switch. I find the biggest culprit, (at least on all my guitars LOL) is the volume potentiometer. A good multimeter should be able to tell you for sure.

[noticingthemistake]

Originally posted by Lordathestrings
[QUOTE]:rolleyes: I really hope that's supposed to be funny. Turning an amp on while everything is cranked can make trouble for your amp if the guitar is being strummed or picked, but there's no way that could damage the guitar wiring!

No, actually I was being serious. And yes it can damage the wiring in the guitar if you do it over and over again. A big reason why wires short out (die out) is because of electrical surges, and well if you turn your amp on and have your guitar all the way up when you plug in the chord. There is already a electrical current flowing through the chord. So when your plug the chord into your guitar, you can get a electric surge!! And overtime the more surges, the more life you drain from the wires. Do it everytime you play your guitar and yes you will eventually ruin the wire(s). And NO the ground wire on the guitar isn't fail safe. Unfortunately guitars don't have surge protectors built it, so it might be something to watch for. But then again not everyone takes care of their stuff or knows how to. If you actually ended up with an acute electrical surge somewhere, this will help prevent such damage.

[hairbndrckr]

Hence the need for circuit breaker cables :)

[noticingthemistake]

Yep. Most are now days, but I still do it out of habit. Better safe than pist!

[handynas]

you guys are superb! I'll try the suggestions out to findout what's wrong...or get another new guitar - provided i strike lottery or something...

[Lordathestrings]

Originally posted by hairbndrckr
Hence the need for circuit breaker cables :) ROFLMAO Hoooo-haaaaa! :) That's right in there with the 'GOLDEN" speaker cables that peeps swear sound better! :rolleyes:

Please, noticingthemistake - take a look at my profile - and understand that while you are free to believe any damn thing that tickles your fancy, I ain't gonna bite.

[noticingthemistake]

Originally posted by Lordathestrings
Please, noticingthemistake - take a look at my profile - and understand that while you are free to believe any damn thing that tickles your fancy, I ain't gonna bite.

Ok Mr. Funny, now everyone knows why nobody every buys anything made or assembled in Canada! :p No offense to canadians in general.

Although you might be right, this is what I was told to do for this very reason by a guitar technician from fender. I've never had a problem, when I know people that have. He would probably know more about the issue cause he is a specialist in the area. And unless you can give productive responce rather than being a smartarse and write about tickling and biting, be quiet! But even if your are right, blah blah, I'm still gonna do it to be safe.

[Lordathestrings]

As I said, plugging into a live amp with everything cranked can cause problems for the amp, but there is no way that will damage the guitar unless there is a serious wiring problem with amp, or the AC line it's plugged into.

Guitars, and their amplifier inputs, are high-impedance circuits. There is no current flow, unless the guitar is producing a signal, or the input 'leaks'. In any case, we're dealing with millivolts and microamps.

If there are problems with the AC socket, the ground (shield) side of the guitar cord can be live, which can make the guitar player dead! :eek: This situation could also damage the guitar wiring, but the power-up routine you described would not help in this case.

Shorts in wiring occur when two wires are allowed to connect in ways they were not intended to. Open circuits are what happens when an intended connection is broken. Both faults occcur due to the mechanical shock and vibration that anything is subjected to when it is handled and moved around. Sloppy wiring and poor solder joints are particularly vulnerable. Long-term use will eventually cause problems with moving parts like the control pots, switches, and the jack.

The procedure you described is a good one to follow, (I do it that way myself), because it ensures that the amp is ready to run before you actually play into it, and it reduces the noise caused by transient voltages that occur when you plug in. By the way, you should always plug the cord into the guitar first, and then the amp. If you plug the cord into the amp first, the tip of the plug is connected to the input, and the amp gets fed all those crackling voltage transients as you plug into the guitar. If you plug into the guitar first, the amp input does not 'see' any signal until the plug is fully inserted into the jack.

[noticingthemistake]

Thank you, lordatthestrings. That was more productive and alot cooler than the other response. I guess maybe I was wrong, but I was just repeating what I was told. It's still a good thing to do.

[hairbndrckr]

That's right in there with the 'GOLDEN" speaker cables that peeps swear sound better!

It's not golden...it's silver, and YES they do sound better... If they didn't they wouldn't be popular with audiophiles.... I sell them in a car audio application and I can without a doubt hear a definite difference in sound. You analize stuff. Call Kimber Kable and get a spool for yourself, when you're done, you WILL be a believer...