Pickup not working properly!


ameen_s23
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Joined: 03/01/10
Posts: 33
ameen_s23
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Joined: 03/01/10
Posts: 33
01/16/2014 3:51 am
I've got an Ibanez GRG170 DX, in which the neck humbucker (not a Gibson style) pickup is not working properly. It only works if you touch one of its screws with an electrical conductor. Whenever I switch to the neck pickup, there is hardly any voice coming out of the amp. Please give me any solutions.
# 1
Jekade
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Jekade
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02/03/2014 5:15 am
It sounds like you might have a grounding problem. My best suggestion would be to take it to you local guitar shop and have them look at it.
# 2
Andrew Tintle
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Andrew Tintle
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02/14/2014 8:26 am
I had a problem with my pickup that sounds exactly like yours. I am playing an Ibanez JS1000 with a Dimarzio PAF Pro humbucker for the neck pickup. I bought the guitar used and the neck pickup was always intermittent - it would only kick in if I took an allen wrench and touched one of the metal poles on the pickup. I thought it might have been a grounding issue but that wasn't the case for me. After checking all the solder connections I determined the pickup just needed to be replaced. I was surprised to learn that pickups aren't all that expensive and doing solder work really isn't too bad. I had a new pickup installed in less than an hour and everything sounded great.

I would take JEkade's advice and take it to a professional in your area just to get another opinion. If you decide you need to replace the pickup and are going to do it yourself, I can point you in the direction of some really great tutorials on youtube that helped me get the job done.

Let us know what you find out and good luck!
# 3
ameen_s23
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ameen_s23
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02/15/2014 5:37 pm
Thanks Andrew and JEkade for the advice
Andrew, do share links on how to replace the pickups myself (in case I do). I am going to get it fixed by a local shop.
# 4
Andrew Tintle
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Andrew Tintle
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02/16/2014 8:27 pm
Here is the link to the soldering technique video I found the most useful:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUVX_RTS-Z8&list=WLUCQ38nYdVFlZmQID6GPxSml5XB7Bm90u

Being familiar with what is involved and how to do it right is really valuable, even if you aren't doing the repair yourself (this way you know it was done right :)

I looked up the pickups that come with that guitar - unless you bought the guitar second hand with aftermarket pickups they should be stock Ibanez pickups: PSND1 humbucker neck pickup, PSND-S single coil middle pickup, PSND2 bridge pickup.

I found a replacement neck pickup that is an exact match for about $12:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-IBANEZ-PSND1-Powersound-humbucker-NECK-PICKUP-with-BLACK-COVER-SCREWS-/360634504426

This may be a good opportunity to upgrade your pickups and try out some new sounds. If you're looking to explore some different options check out some of the different manufacturers: Dimarzio, Seymour Duncan, and EMG are some of the most popular. They all have pickup selectors that could help you narrow down some possibilities. You'll end up spending more than $12 but you can take your pickups to any new guitar you may get now that you will know how to solder pickups into your guitar :)
# 5
ameen_s23
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ameen_s23
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Posts: 33
03/15/2014 9:49 am
The pickup is kinda working now, I realized that the problem seems to be with the switch, because when I move it around within its position, it starts working. Now what should I do? Besides, please tell me how different pickup models in the same position affect the tone.
# 6
compart1
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compart1
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03/15/2014 1:34 pm
hi ameen_s23
It's possible your switch is just dirty. If the switch lever feel to have a positive stop for each selection, dirty would be a good possibility. It the switch lever feel loose and sloppy it most likely broken. If the whole switch is loose, you maybe have a bad solder joint.
If dirty, contact cleaner may get you back on track. Caution, contact clean can be dangerous to your finish.

The pick up sound very from how it's made. Mainly the windings. Pole adjustment in relation to the strings. Even how the magnetic field is protected from outside interference.
Hope this is helpful.
# 7
aschleman
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aschleman
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04/08/2014 3:16 pm
If it's the switch, check out www.stewmac.com and look for a 5-Way Switchcraft switch... Unfortunately, on those types of guitars they skimp on the components (all the stuff you can't see) in order to cut production costs. The Switchcraft switch will fix you right up and last a long time... They aren't more than 10 bucks or so. Should be a direct replacement and simply pull your old switch out and wire it up the same one wire at a time.

For pickups, a search in the forums will take you to a lot of posts on the subject. But, pickup tone is decided by a few factors. Humbucker or non humbucker, active or passive, what type of metal is the magnetic, and how the pickup is wound... Those are the basic things that dictate how a pickup will sound. What tone are you looking for? That's the best way to start a pickup search... Otherwise you'll be wandering a great abyss of aftermarket pickups and not know what you're even looking for in particular.
# 8

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