PC1 -- Quiet neck and middle pickups

[Chew]

I bought a new Chlorine PC1 last September. I love it, but there is a substantial drop in volume/output when toggling over to the neck and/or middle pickups. So much so, that I rarely use them. I think I'm really missing out on the intended versatility of the guitar.


I'm wondering:


Is this normal with the stock PC1 pickups?
1. If not:
a. is it a likely problem with the sustainer board?
b. Is there an adjustment to get more balanced output?
2. If so:
a. Will swapping out for better pickups resolve it?


If I do swap pickups, what kind of PCB connectors do I need to get to attach them to the sustainer board? Existing connectors are labled MX 15D (or 150?), but I can't find anything that looks like them on the Molex site.

[neilli]

I had exactly the same issue, plus my whole PCB had to be replaced under warranty. There are a pair of micro adjusters on the PCB which control gain and output (as I recall). You can try increasing these, but I was advised to use a nylon blade driver on them, to minimise the risk of damage to the PCB.

However, from talking to people at Jackson, officially the neck 'pickup' isn't a pickup, it's primarily the sustainer driver. As such, the output is lower than the other pickups. In my opinion, this aspect of the sustainer is the one massive weakness in the PC1.

As for the connectors, most people seem to just break and rejoin (then heat-shrink) the wires instead, but again, to avoid damage to the PCB, disconnect them first.

[rjohnstone]

As nelli said, the neck pickup is a sustainer driver first and a pickup second.
It's a terrible pickup.

The middle pickup is a stacked humbucker, so it shouldn't be that noticeable of a volume drop when you switch to it.
Check the pickup height for the middle pickup. It' probably set too low.
Leave the sustainer driver/pickup alone. Changing the height will impact the sustainer. The sustainer driver and humbucker should be the same height from the strings..

[Chew]

Thanks guys!

Rick - you were right, the middle was too far away from the strings. I raised it a few days ago, but I still noticed the volume drop when switching the 5 way.

So, here's a mystery: In the process of inspecting the wiring, I disconnected the all of the PCB connectors and reconnected them. After which, I fired up the amp to see if the sustainer on/off position was relavent to my issue. To my surprise, now I don't notice the volume drop, regardless of sustainer status.

Is it possible that one of the header pin contacts was not solid? Would that result in the middle and neck "leakage"? They sound fine now, and the only thing different is that all of the PCB connectors have been reseated. Does that even make sense? While three of the connections are pickups, I think the last goes to ground and volume. If it were a loose ground connection I could see some sort of output loss, but I would think that would affect the bridge pickup too, which always sounded hot.

[rjohnstone]

It's very possible the PCB connector was not seated properly or had some "crud" on it. Re-seating it probably cut through the crap.
I also wouldn't be shocked if there is a break in one of the leads and re-seating it repositioned the cable so that contact was made.
I strongly believe they have apes wire these guitars up.
I haven't seen one yet that didn't need a little help in the electronics cavity.

Careful swapping batteries too. Open the boxes slowly and don't mash on them.
The leads like to snap off the battery box at the hinge. It's ridiculously thin wire.

[adampone]

I strongly believe they have apes wire these guitars up.
I haven't seen one yet that didn't need a little help in the electronics cavity.

spot-on evaluation.