I know, I know...another EMG wiring question

[Spivonious]

I got the Kelly I bought on Ebay today and it has EMGs (white labels...81s?) in it. The auction said that they "shorted out" and sure enough, no sound. I opened things up and what a mess! Also, the wire to the output jack had come off. Put it back on...yay we have sound! But only out of the bridge pickup.

I figured more things might be wrong, so I took everything out of the guitar and rewired it following EMG's instructions. Checked with a multimeter and everything reads the same voltage, so I'm pretty sure things are hooked up right.

The problem is I get white noise. Did I burn out a pot, or is this some EMG grounding problem? My battery is new.

[Spivonious]

Okay, the problem appears to have gone away. Maybe some bad insulation in one of the wires? Oh well, if it appears again I guess I'll take a closer look.

Oh and the neck has a gold label, not silver.

[toejam]

Oh and the neck has a gold label, not silver.

Silver logo = 81
Gold = 85
Gray = 60
Red/Copper = 89

[Aaronharmon]

If they are actives, they should not be grounded. EMG actives are grounded internally. If you ground them, the batteries may die fast.

[charvel750]

If they are actives, they should not be grounded. EMG actives are grounded internally. If you ground them, the batteries may die fast.

No, no, no. You MUST ground the pickups. What you might be thinking is that the string ground is not necessary with EMG's. So normally there is a wire from the bridge or trem that grounds to a volume pot, not needed with EMG's. But you MUST ground the pickups (shielded part of the wire) or you'll get improper output.

[Spivonious]

No, no, no. You MUST ground the pickups. What you might be thinking is that the string ground is not necessary with EMG's. So normally there is a wire from the bridge or trem that grounds to a volume pot, not needed with EMG's. But you MUST ground the pickups (shielded part of the wire) or you'll get improper output.

What do you mean by improper output? I don't think I grounded the shielded parts.

Silver logo = 81
Gold = 85
Gray = 60
Red/Copper = 89

Thanks! That means it's an 81 bridge, 85 neck.

[DonP]

No, no, no. You MUST ground the pickups. What you might be thinking is that the string ground is not necessary with EMG's. So normally there is a wire from the bridge or trem that grounds to a volume pot, not needed with EMG's. But you MUST ground the pickups (shielded part of the wire) or you'll get improper output.

+1

[toejam]

Thanks! That means it's an 81 bridge, 85 neck.

Yep. That's a very popular setup, but I still prefer the 85 in the bridge with the 81 in the neck.

[Spivonious]

thread about the guitar

[charvel750]

Spivonious, if you don't ground the pickup wire of an EMG you will get crackly, sputtering output, if anything at all. When you switch to that pickup it will usually result in a loud popping sound through your amp. So ground the shielded wire from the pickup and connect the lead wire to the switch or pot. You don't need to ground the cavity shields or the tremolo claw with EMG's.