EMG HELP!!!

[Cederick]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lBXGyVjDmfs/T-CIhTRUYQI/AAAAAAAABgk/hV8GmJEECv8/s1600/emg-1.png

I used this to wire a EMG 81 into a guitar (one pickup only, only volume)

And this is driving me nuts... I mean how much could go wrong? There's no tones or shit like that...


The problem is: it's weak and low output, and the volume does nothing

turned up or turned down it sounds the same and nothing happens.

So I have no idea wha'ts wrong! I use a EMG 250 pot, and everything should be as right as it can get but for some stupid reason it just don't work.

And I DID wire this pickup into another guitar before and had no problems whatsoever, the problems started all of a sudden...

 

[Fat Pete]

The standard pots for active EMGs are 25k not 250k but higher values shouldn't stop it working. I'd be double (& triple) checking that the connections to the jack are correct.

 

[Cederick]

Ok i'm no expert at pot values but it's the EMG pot that was included in a EMG set so it just can't go wrong.

And yeah I have triple checked... I even tested another quick connector, and another similar pot.

No success 

 

[AutoBat]

I discovered EMGs own wiring was incorrect for the X-series, but it also uses active tone pots. (I discovered after searching and finding another upset person that managed to fix it).
I have the quick connects, which (luckily) made changing the leads much easier.

Can we assume you have the older 81 with the traditional 3 leads like in your picture?
If not the newer style wiring is like so: http://www.emgpickups.com/media/productfile/H/_/H_0230-0106D.pdf

 

[stubhead]

If you can bridge across the pot and get a full signal, it's the pot, right? I think it might come out really, really loud so be carefull

 

[Re-Pete]

If you can bridge across the pot and get a full signal, it's the pot, right? I think it might come out really, really loud so be carefull

Yeah, process of elimination. Bypass the pot & see if the pickup works directly to jack.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Really sounds to me like the jack might be wired wrong.

 

[Cederick]

I first used a WD jack I had around, and that seems to be the problem.

I was dissasembling my other guitar which I have forgotten I actually put an EMG jack in, even tho it was a Super Distortion in it, I just didn't use one of the "cable holders" (hahaha)

So I put the EMG jack into the guitar and woala, it worked just like it should.

Strange! I wired them exactly the same. Is the WD jack different from the EMG jack? :tard:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Well, either the jacks are different, or you wired them differently. Glad you got it working!

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Maybe the WD jack is TS and the EMG TRS?  :dontknow:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Also, you get an F for French. "Woala" indeed.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Maybe it's a little T for bad Turkish ...  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Cederick]

Maybe the WD jack is TS and the EMG TRS?  :dontknow:

Nope, both stereo jacks!

Also, you get an F for French. "Woala" indeed.

I spell how I want it  :headbang1:

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I spell how I want it  :headbang1:

Well that's just sdlavjkuh.

 

[stubhead]

Strange! I wired them exactly the same. Is the WD jack different from the EMG jack?

That wouldn't surprise me one bit. I mean, somehow or another the pickup manufacturers have got it in their heads that every single pickup should have a different color-coding to the wires coming out, so you need to bust out one of the Rosetta-Stone translation documents and re-draw any wiring diagram you want to use. I mean, it's really swell and all for Seymour Duncan to post his nifty wiring diagram Select-o-matic, but does he really think it's going to make us all buy Seymours? DiMarzio now has another nifty take on the Selectomatic, too, maybe more fun than Duncans.
http://www.dimarzio.com/support/wiring-diagrams

Do they think that we can never try other brands because they've got a monopoly on the diagrams? I hate rich people.... I do have to redraw each time to keep the colors straight, I'm a semi-smart dude but trying to hold the color substitutions in your head while wiring is a flameout crash! kaboom! doom-laden direction. Now, Premier Guitar has adopted Duncan's drawings into their tech articles, with only a minor disclaimer to tell you that the drawing ISN'T GOING TO WORK with 97% of the pickups in the world. And, every time someone regurgitates the Duncan drawing for a "4-way tele" switch - Duncan's drawing is WRONG. The tabs in that drawing are backwards from the 4-way switches from: Oak Grisby, DiMarzio (natch) and... FENDER. If you want a "4-way tele" switch, it's likely you'll buy a FENDER, right?  That particular switch is ideal for wiring a humbucker PU with series. parallel, front and back coil selection - just make sure you don't follow the diagram and it'll work great!  :icon_scratch: Yumpin' Yiminy.

 

[Cederick]

Haha, same here. But as I have only installed one humbucker only guitars it hasn't been a big factor for me, all my cables are of completely random colors, so anybody who needs to take a look inside any guitar I have fixed up will have a huge headache (when I start wiring with more pickups and stuff hahaha)

 

[DslDwg]

Nothing special about an EMG supplied jack. Any stereo jack will do.

The purpose is to complete the DC electrical circuit once you plug in your guitar cord.

This is why it's a good idea to unplug once done playing. It will disconnect the electrical circuit and conserve your battery life.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Let's not obscure the rant with the fact that S&D actually supplies a pickup color code chart for several manufactures: http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=color_codes

 

[Re-Pete]

Just went to the EMG website...

Heads up folks, a lot of info seems to have been gutted from the site. Wiring info, links to their own forum....a lot missing or buried very deep (I couldn't find the usual array of wiring diagrams for example, but maybe it's still there somewhere !).  :tard:  :sad:

 

[Re-Pete]

Just went to the EMG website...

Heads up folks, a lot of info seems to have been gutted from the site. Wiring info, links to their own forum....a lot missing or buried very deep (I couldn't find the usual array of wiring diagrams for example, but maybe it's still there somewhere !).  :tard:  :sad:

I emailed EMG about this: OFFICIAL -they have canned their forum in their last website revamp.