Can you believe this pickup story?

FredJr · Post by **FredJr** » Thu May 09, 2013 3:25 pm

So I built my Jaguar. I wired it EXACTLY to specs. Everything worked. The dual pickup setting sounded wonky, boxy, out of phase. I checked the wiring - all good.

I played an original 63 Jaguar. The dual position was bright and chimey as it should be. Mine was not.

So I checked the pickups which were bought brand new, but not as a matched set, just the neck and bridge AVRI 62 reissue pickups. Magnetically, they were reversed.

I had no way to check the winding direction so out came the screwdriver and soldering iron. Within 20 minutes the bridge pickup leads were switched and the guitar was back together.

Perfection in the dual pickup position - all is well. The Jaguar sounds like ---- a Jaguar. One happy builder

here but I gotta ask "What's up, Fender?".

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Fri May 10, 2013 12:09 pm

most employess, especially in the pickup depo actually don't eat lunch and instead smoke crack and worship satan. I suspect that hailing the dark like that could be some of the issue. it only works with EMG pickups

FredJr · Post by **FredJr** » Fri May 10, 2013 4:37 pm

robert(original) wrote:most employess, especially in the pickup depo actually don't eat lunch and instead smoke crack and worship satan. I suspect that hailing the dark like that could be some of the issue. it only works with EMG pickups

OOOOOKAAAYYY - that's one explanation.

MattK · Post by **MattK** » Fri May 10, 2013 9:38 pm

Two wires got swapped, it's hardly unbelievable.
Make sure on the pickup for which you swapped wires, that the wire now connected to ground, is connected to the claw. You might need to unsolder one and attach the other to the claw. That way the claw will be part of the shielding, which helps with noise of course.

theshadowofseattle · Post by **theshadowofseattle** » Fri May 10, 2013 11:56 pm

Yeah dude, one is wired in backwards. Just swap the two wires on whichever is more convenient.

FredJr · Post by **FredJr** » Sat May 11, 2013 11:44 am

MatthewK wrote:Two wires got swapped, it's hardly unbelievable.
Make sure on the pickup for which you swapped wires, that the wire now connected to ground, is connected to the claw. You might need to unsolder one and attach the other to the claw. That way the claw will be part of the shielding, which helps with noise of course.

Actually what I find unbelievable is the odds of grabbing 2 pickups "off the shelf" and having them be reversed and having them in the same store unless there are more out there...... Seems like a one in a million shot to me but maybe it's because I think about stuff like that too much....

LizardKing · Post by **LizardKing** » Sat May 11, 2013 1:56 pm

robert(original) wrote:most employess, especially in the pickup depo actually don't eat lunch and instead smoke crack and worship satan. I suspect that hailing the dark like that could be some of the issue. it only works with EMG pickups

Funny, but Fender employees have been worshiping Satan since the beginning.
Just look at how many guitars were built with things put on wrong...

James · Post by **James** » Sat May 11, 2013 3:10 pm

FredJr wrote:
MatthewK wrote:Two wires got swapped, it's hardly unbelievable.
Make sure on the pickup for which you swapped wires, that the wire now connected to ground, is connected to the claw. You might need to unsolder one and attach the other to the claw. That way the claw will be part of the shielding, which helps with noise of course.
Actually what I find unbelievable is the odds of grabbing 2 pickups "off the shelf" and having them be reversed and having them in the same store unless there are more out there...... Seems like a one in a million shot to me but maybe it's because I think about stuff like that too much....

They'd only need to make a mistake with one pickup for this to happen, so it's much more likely than you think.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat May 11, 2013 4:07 pm

true, one pickup wired wrong with ANY pickup that is wired correctly will yeild this issue.
and what fenders were put together wrong?

FredJr · Post by **FredJr** » Sat May 11, 2013 4:17 pm

robert(original) wrote:true, one pickup wired wrong with ANY pickup that is wired correctly will yeild this issue.
and what fenders were put together wrong?

2 AVRI Jaguar pickups, neck & bridge, to me it is highly unlikely give automated production for the reversal to happen but it's probably not worth expending more energy on it. It makes me feel good that I found it I fixed it and my other pickups will probably come from Novak or Lollar when I replace these.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat May 11, 2013 4:48 pm

that last bit was for lizard king. but anywho.
i had a seymour duncan antiquity3 or some such pickup that i put into the bridge position of my LPB MIJ jaguar and it was CRAP! no matter how i wired it, it was just a bad pickup, it was thinner and shittier than the stock pickup, ends, mezz, sloan, robroe, morawaka, aen and i think one or two others can attest to this.
it happens.

FredJr · Post by **FredJr** » Sat May 11, 2013 11:59 pm

robert(original) wrote:that last bit was for lizard king. but anywho.
i had a seymour duncan antiquity3 or some such pickup that i put into the bridge position of my LPB MIJ jaguar and it was CRAP! no matter how i wired it, it was just a bad pickup, it was thinner and shittier than the stock pickup, ends, mezz, sloan, robroe, morawaka, aen and i think one or two others can attest to this.
it happens.

I know that Duncans have to be reverse wired with Fenders. Maybe DiMarzios too but I don't remember.