Need wiring help

[RiverDog]

Paging [mention]andrewsrea[/mention] [mention]mozz[/mention] [mention]Buddha Pickups[/mention]

Could someone please help with a pickup wiring issue? I don't typically have problems installing pickups, but for some reason when it comes to GFS pickups I do. They just everything so confusing. I'm trying to install 2 GFS GF'trons in my Gretsch G5222

Anyway, here's what I'm working with. 3 wires - white, black, and red, plus bare shield. Here's what came with the pickup. Bottom configuration in the pic.

Here's a diagram I found for a Gretsch and this is how the Blacktop Broad'trons were wired in. But they only had 2 wires plus bare shield (red for signal that went to middle volume lug, and white + bare which went to ground).

I tried soldering the red wire to the middle lug, the black and bare to ground, and taped the white off to the side. No dice. I also tried soldering the red to the middle lug, the white and black together and taped off, and the bare to ground. Also no dice. Help me Obi Wan Kenobi. You're my only hope!

[RiverDog]

[mention]andrewsrea[/mention] please disregard my PM since I tagged you here.

[LancerTheGreat]

Have you tried running red and white to the middle lug together?

I'll check my explorers control cavity to see if I had to do anything funky when I put in the gfs rails/59 in it.

[RiverDog]

Have you tried running red and white to the middle lug together?

I'll check my explorers control cavity to see if I had to do anything funky when I put in the gfs rails/59 in it.

No I haven't tried that. I appreciate it. Just remember, there's no green wire here and older GFS pickups had one. Thanks!

[RockYoWorld]

From what that document said, you should have it right the first time. Red should go through your volume pot with the output of the pot going to the toggle switch. There are two different ways to coil split with the white wire, choosing which coil you use depending if you connect the white to the positive red or to ground, so I would assume that taping it off is the way to go if you don't want to coil split.

I would ensure that there aren't any other wiring and/or grounding issues. Also check to make sure that the connectors are all connected solidly.

[LancerTheGreat]

I had a buddy who had a similar issue, it ended up that the pickup leads weren't a solid run of wire, but were just wires mashed and taped up all together with the actual leads coming from the pickups. I mean red, white, black, and bare all just wadded up together and taped up inside of the housing.

[RiverDog]

Thanks dudes. I'll mess with it again after work.

[mozz]

Can't really help with GFS pickups. Their wiring colors could mean anything. There was a chart out there on Google images which showed color schemes of a bunch of companies pickups though I doubt GFS was listed.

[MattFireblade]

It should be your first method, but if that fails, try red/white to lug, copper/black to ground.

If that fails...well...then check connections I suppose.

[dabbler]

OK, the information I'm about to share is like gold if you are going to do pickup swaps. Hey ready to copy and paste it somewhere handy because it WILL come in handy:

Pickups - What wire does what?

If you've ever bought or been given a pickup and wanted to know how it should be connected, this tip should help. I will explain the process for a single coil but the SAME principle applies to HBs. If it is a 2 wire you will do it for the pickup as a whole, for a 4 wire HB you should do each coil separately.

Tools needed: multimeter (MM) that can read DC, screwdriver (metal).

1. First, connect the MM across the leads in resistance mode to make sure that you have a complete coil (this might be especially important for 4 wire HBs).

2. Connect the MM across the coil leads in DC mode (if you have to set the sensitivity, some MMs do this automatically go for the most sensitive setting).

3. Tap the coil with the screwdriver. Actually, it is not really necessary to touch it, but you must bring the metal of the screwdriver within the coil's field. When you do this, the meter will jump either positively or negatively. When you remove the screwdriver from the field, the meter should jump in the opposite direction.

4. Record the color leads connected to the + side of the voltmeter and the - side. Call the lead connected to the + side of the meter when the voltmeter jumps + the positive side of the coil. Actually, I may have + and - reversed here, but it really doesn't matter ALL THAT MATTERS is that all the pickups you install get installed the SAME WAY. On 2 wire pups, however, if one of the leads is a shield, call that the - lead (shields should always go to ground).

5. Repeat for every other coil/pickup. If the next coil/pickup makes the needle jump negative when you touch it with the screwdriver, then whatever lead you have connected to the - side of the voltmeter is the + lead for that coil/pickup.

When you are done you will know the + and - side of each coil/pickup. In order to make sure what you are installing is in phase with what is already in your guitar, check it too.

I didn't invent this, I got it from a book. But it has made me NEVER have to guess how to wire a pickup!

[RiverDog]

OK, the information I'm about to share is like gold if you are going to do pickup swaps. Hey ready to copy and paste it somewhere handy because it WILL come in handy:

Pickups - What wire does what?

If you've ever bought or been given a pickup and wanted to know how it should be connected, this tip should help. I will explain the process for a single coil but the SAME principle applies to HBs. If it is a 2 wire you will do it for the pickup as a whole, for a 4 wire HB you should do each coil separately.

Tools needed: multimeter (MM) that can read DC, screwdriver (metal).

1. First, connect the MM across the leads in resistance mode to make sure that you have a complete coil (this might be especially important for 4 wire HBs).

2. Connect the MM across the coil leads in DC mode (if you have to set the sensitivity, some MMs do this automatically go for the most sensitive setting).

3. Tap the coil with the screwdriver. Actually, it is not really necessary to touch it, but you must bring the metal of the screwdriver within the coil's field. When you do this, the meter will jump either positively or negatively. When you remove the screwdriver from the field, the meter should jump in the opposite direction.

4. Record the color leads connected to the + side of the voltmeter and the - side. Call the lead connected to the + side of the meter when the voltmeter jumps + the positive side of the coil. Actually, I may have + and - reversed here, but it really doesn't matter ALL THAT MATTERS is that all the pickups you install get installed the SAME WAY. On 2 wire pups, however, if one of the leads is a shield, call that the - lead (shields should always go to ground).

5. Repeat for every other coil/pickup. If the next coil/pickup makes the needle jump negative when you touch it with the screwdriver, then whatever lead you have connected to the - side of the voltmeter is the + lead for that coil/pickup.

When you are done you will know the + and - side of each coil/pickup. In order to make sure what you are installing is in phase with what is already in your guitar, check it too.

I didn't invent this, I got it from a book. But it has made me NEVER have to guess how to wire a pickup!

That's right, I've seen this on the web before. Thanks man! Definitely going to save this info!

[andrewsrea]

^ this. I PM'd you back today, but you may have defective pickups. Check the resistance between the black and red, the white and red and between the black and white. You should have 2K to 10K+ resistance in those tests.