Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

[SweetPete]

Guys,

How do I test a pickup with a multimeter to verify that it's working correctly?

[Jim Shine]

Re: Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

Buy a cheap ohmeter. Even dead coils can generate sound. An ohmeter is a very handy tool to have.

[Overlord]

Re: Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

Jim,

What are the ranges of resistance values that are normally found in pick-ups and how do they usually fail? Do the wire coils break and cause an "open" i.e. infinite resistance, or do they "short" across the coil and cause little to no resistance? Thanks! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

Steve

[etaeniura]

Re: Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

I have a cheap ohmeter I got from Wal-mart for like 10 bucks a few years back. Set the dial to OHMS (on mine it has 1K or 10-use 1K). Touch the leads to the probes and VOILA!

Single coils usually read somewhere in the 5-7K range. HB's can be anywhere from around 8 (low output) up into the 20's or so for very high output pickups. As a reference, here are the values of some pups I have lying around:

1. Standard Jap strat SC-6.0K (normal)
2. Jackson J200 (SC sized HB)-11.7K (fairly hot)
3. Duncan designed SC101-7.2K (hot for a SC)
4. model four bridge HB-9.2K (average HB)
5. DD HB102B-17K (hot HB)


I don't know about the shorting or opening thing....I'm just a hack when it comes to stuff like this. Hope this helps a little.

[Ace]

Re: Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

Pickups can both short AND break connection. If the resistance reads infinite(overlimit) or ridiculously low(0.5 ohms) something is wrong. You are looking for a reading in the 7-18K range.

[Overlord]

Re: Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

Thanks for all the info! It appears that they are pretty much go/no go, without a gradual breakdown over time.

Thanks again,

Steve [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[Jim Shine]

Re: Educate me: testing pickups with a multimeter

It is also a good idea to heat up the solder joints and as a last ditch effort, replace the leads before calling a pickup dead. I regularly get 20+ year old pickups that read dead that just need the solder joints reheated to come back to life. Sometimes lead wire deteriorates and cumbles inside and needs replacement.

Old Strat pickups read anywhere between 5.3-6.5K ohms.

[metalboots]

Great info! Just what I was looking for...

[straycat]

I buy lots of old pickups and JimShine is right on.Some of the old ones just sound better.I have an overwound 74 DiMarzio super D that kills in the tone dept ugly as hell dirty, yellowed,rusty, grooves worn in the bobbins but it sounds sooo good.