Blackened_led Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 Hello everyone, I have a couple of Wilkinson WVC N like this ones I installed them on a explorer that I built. The problem is that when I touch the mics with my fingers, they make an ugly noise ... sounds like a grounding problem, but I don't know why, because I grounded them with the volume pot (and with the jack of course) ... Any idea? Thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Samba Pa Ti Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 is the jack wired backwards ? are the pickups wired backwards ? one of these things must be it, if backwards the shielded casing on the pickups will be hot which can make this noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackened_led Posted July 28, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 is the jack wired backwards ? are the pickups wired backwards ? one of these things must be it, if backwards the shielded casing on the pickups will be hot which can make this noise. Thanks for the answer Well, there is a point right there. Because the hot and the ground cables from the pickups are the same color!! the only difference is the gauge... First, I used the thinest cables to the volume pot ground, but no sound came out. Then I inverted the cables and used the thickest ones, and then, started the sound, but with this problem... Maybe the cables should be at the first position and the sound problem is another ... I should post a photo of them ... Wich of the cables should be the hot? the thinest or the thickest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mender Posted July 28, 2010 Report Share Posted July 28, 2010 is the jack wired backwards ? are the pickups wired backwards ? one of these things must be it, if backwards the shielded casing on the pickups will be hot which can make this noise. Thanks for the answer Well, there is a point right there. Because the hot and the ground cables from the pickups are the same color!! the only difference is the gauge... First, I used the thinest cables to the volume pot ground, but no sound came out. Then I inverted the cables and used the thickest ones, and then, started the sound, but with this problem... Maybe the cables should be at the first position and the sound problem is another ... I should post a photo of them ... Wich of the cables should be the hot? the thinest or the thickest? The first thing to check is the thick wire. Are you sure this isn't two wires in a single sleeve, maybe a "hot" wire and a screen? I believe the Wilkinson pickups in you picture may have two wires from the pickup coils and a ground wire from the cover. If this is the case, you need to strip the sleeve of the thick wire back a bit so you can separate the two wires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripthorn Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 do you mean popping when you touch the pickups? Do you have a bridge ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackened_led Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 do you mean popping when you touch the pickups? Do you have a bridge ground? Yes, the bridge is grounded. The sound is like a high frequency white noise, specialy using distortion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackened_led Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 The first thing to check is the thick wire. Are you sure this isn't two wires in a single sleeve, maybe a "hot" wire and a screen? I believe the Wilkinson pickups in you picture may have two wires from the pickup coils and a ground wire from the cover. If this is the case, you need to strip the sleeve of the thick wire back a bit so you can separate the two wires. This is a more accurate picture showing the cables. Notice that the thin cable is slightly blue, in my case, its completely black like the other ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted July 29, 2010 Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Googling the wilkinson HBs I found this: Thin Black = Live, Thick black/ Silver = Ground, Red & white = Coil Tap (Joined for normal operation). IF you do it like described and still get a lod buzz, the problem might be elsewere. Do you have a multi meter with resistance measuring? If so, start measuring. Whats the resistance between the covers/base plate of the pickups and the bridge and between pickups and sleve at the output jack? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackened_led Posted July 29, 2010 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2010 Googling the wilkinson HBs I found this: Thin Black = Live, Thick black/ Silver = Ground, Red & white = Coil Tap (Joined for normal operation). IF you do it like described and still get a lod buzz, the problem might be elsewere. Do you have a multi meter with resistance measuring? If so, start measuring. Whats the resistance between the covers/base plate of the pickups and the bridge and between pickups and sleve at the output jack? Damn! you are right!!! I googled it and saw a thousand times the picture, but never searched with "thin" or "thick" Nothing more to say ... the cables are joined backwards like Samba said before ... I'll invert the cables. And then, try to resolve the "no sound" problem I mentioned ... I don't know why the pickups don't have a diagram (EMG ie. do have) Thanks a lot to all of you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted July 30, 2010 Report Share Posted July 30, 2010 Glad to help. A tip on how to procees: Start by eliminate almost anything you got in the cavity, leaving only one pickup, one volume pot and the output jack (leave the stuff in there but bypass them...) Does it work? If not your problem is the volume pot. If it works, add the tone pot. If that work, disskonnekt that signal path from the jack and start over with the other pickup (if you have two). If both signal chains work, its time to turn your attention to the switch. And always scrutinice your solder joints. A bad joint can look good but still not function like it should. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borge Posted July 31, 2010 Report Share Posted July 31, 2010 Glad to help. A tip on how to procees: Start by eliminate almost anything you got in the cavity, leaving only one pickup, one volume pot and the output jack (leave the stuff in there but bypass them...) Does it work? If not your problem is the volume pot. If it works, add the tone pot. If that work, disskonnekt that signal path from the jack and start over with the other pickup (if you have two). If both signal chains work, its time to turn your attention to the switch. And always scrutinice your solder joints. A bad joint can look good but still not function like it should. Good luck Or buy a meter, learn how to use and find the problem within a few minutes... Sorry but electrical fault finding is something i do everyday and I consider that^ bad advice. I guess if you only ever plan on fixing one guitar your advice may apply, but a cheap meter cost less than a soldering iron and saves a lot of time in the long run...the first thing I do on a guitar with faulty electrics is plug a lead in and test it with a DMM, 99% of the time I'll know the fault before I even open the guitar up. /electricians rant. EDIT Just reread the thread and saw this from you: Do you have a multi meter with resistance measuring? If so, start measuring. Whats the resistance between the covers/base plate of the pickups and the bridge and between pickups and sleve at the output jack? Excellent advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwedishLuthier Posted August 2, 2010 Report Share Posted August 2, 2010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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