Model 4 electronics problem

[David S.]

Hi guys, just trolling for some tech support here...

The neck pickup on my apparently stock model 4 has no output when switched on. I pulled the pickups and the cavity cover to inspect the wiring and everything looks solid and untouched. No twisted wires or broken solder connections as far as I can see. The mid boost works, and the bridge and middle pickups sound perfect. I was wondering if there are any common problems with the 2 way toggles or if it could possibly be the pickup itself?

[dg]

Could be the toggle or the pickup. If you have a multimeter, you can test the switch by checking for continuity and maybe also compare resistance values to the other switches. Otherwise, you could wire the pickup to one of the other switches that you know is good, and that should tell you what the problem is. Now that I think of it, that may be the easiest thing to do anyway, since you'd need to unwire the switch to test with the multimeter. If it's the switch, you can get a new matching one here:

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/SWM32-12/Double_Pole_ONON_Mini_Toggle_Switch_w_Flat_HandleBlack.html

I've also found them at my local Radio Shack for about $5, but it's hit & miss at those places.

It may also just be a matter of corrosion on the contacts. You may be able to clean it. I'm not sure about that since these are sealed switches, but there might be a small hole on it somewhere that you could spray some cleaner in. FWIW, when I've had one go bad, it usually feels pretty loose & sloppy.

If it turns out to be the pickup, I wouldn't call it a big loss. Not a huge fan of the J200, but that's a matter of taste.

[Spivonious]

It could just be a cold solder joint. Do all of the joints look shiny?

[David S.]

If it turns out to be the pickup, I wouldn't call it a big loss. Not a huge fan of the J200, but that's a matter of taste.

Thanks for the quick advice! I have a Duncan Hotrails I can toss in the neck pos if that's the case. I didn't think to simply wire it to another switch. I bought a cheap soldering iron at radio shack the other day so i'll do that when I get home. With a little luck, I won't set the whole damn guitar on fire....

And Spivonious, the solder connections look shiny to me. I'm assuming that's good, right?

[Spivonious]

Thanks for the quick advice! I have a Duncan Hotrails I can toss in the neck pos if that's the case. I didn't think to simply wire it to another switch. I bought a cheap soldering iron at radio shack the other day so i'll do that when I get home. With a little luck, I won't set the whole damn guitar on fire....

And Spivonious, the solder connections look shiny to me. I'm assuming that's good, right?

Yep, that's good.

Is there no sound at all in the neck position or is it just so quiet that you can't hear it?

Oh and check out my "Soldering Epiphany" thread before you open the cheap soldering iron.

[David S.]

No sound whatsoever.

I got a peek at that other thread. Good info.

[David S.]

My local guitar tech fixed me up. The pickup was not properly grounded.