unclej Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 i've just been going through my used pickup drawer in search of a couple of useable single coils for a project. i generally make sure that they work before i store them. one of the pickups didn't show anything on the ohm meter so i hooked it up to a modified cord that i have with a couple of aligator clips and a 1/4" jack to go to an amp. tapping the pickup with a screwdriver produced the popping that shows that it's functional... i tested a couple more and got readings on the meter so i know it's not that... how is it possible for a pickup to work and not show any resistance? by the way, i tested at the lead ends and at the solder joint on the pickups to make sure that the wires were'nt faulty...same results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 It's called capacitive coupling. The wire is actually broken in the winding, but the sheilding holds the two ends *just* appart. It works like a tiny little capacitor. An A/C signal like that through the pickup would pump through just fine, but a D/C voltage from an Ohmeter will show that it's an open circuit. Pretty neat, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted September 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 well whoda thunkit? thanks for the info. that is pretty neat although capacitive coupling sounds kinda kinky for around here. i knew i started hanging around for a reason..just might learn something. thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan O' Zakk Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Just another thought...if your multimeter is set either too low or too high in the ohm scale, it can also register ohm loads as "0" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 thanks fan but i tested two or three others and the meter was functioning properley. besides, i think i like capacitive coupling better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Just so I know what's actually happening here, did the meter read 0 ohms, or infinite ohms (open circuit)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 well, this is a relatively inexpensive gb instuments meter with two probes. when you touch them together you get a digital reading of 0.00. when they're not touching anything the screen is blank. when i tested the pickup in question the screen remained blank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted September 13, 2004 Report Share Posted September 13, 2004 thanks fan but i tested two or three others and the meter was functioning properley. besides, i think i like capacitive coupling better. BTW, I remember reading something about Eddie's humbucker that he rewound. Someone measured it and said "It shouldn't work", but it did obviously. I read a lot into that statement made by Eddies guitar tech at the time, and figured that he must have had the same problem that you do. Eddie must have broken the wire while winding it. The tone should change a little. The lower frequencies should roll off a bit more so you get more highs. I'd actually like to hear what the pickup sounds like compared to a "working" one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.