I changed my wiring - now one pickup is much louder

[exalted]

I have a 2-humbucker Jazzmaster. It has one 250k/500k concentric pot, and a three-way gibson-style switch.

Before, I was using 500k volume, 250k tone, but I decided to try something new and wire it 500k neck volume, 250k bridge volume. (or maybe vice versa)

Since I did that, I noticed the bridge pickup is a LOT louder than the neck pickup. Is that due solely to the pot differences, or could I have made a mistake wiring somewhere/had a bad solder joint/etc?

Also, for the sake of my curiosity - I am soldering all grounds to a single pot; if two ground wires touch once at the beginning of the pot, and then are attached to the pot also, does that create a ground loop?

 

[line6man]

Also, for the sake of my curiosity - I am soldering all grounds to a single pot; if two ground wires touch once at the beginning of the pot, and then are attached to the pot also, does that create a ground loop?

Your guitar has only one ground at the output jack, and therefore it is impossible to get a ground loop!

Sorry, that is the millionth time i have said that.

 

[exalted]

Aren't you glad I didn't start a topic just for that question?  :icon_tongue:

 

[mayfly]

I have a 2-humbucker Jazzmaster. It has one 250k/500k concentric pot, and a three-way gibson-style switch.

Before, I was using 500k volume, 250k tone, but I decided to try something new and wire it 500k neck volume, 250k bridge volume. (or maybe vice versa)

Since I did that, I noticed the bridge pickup is a LOT louder than the neck pickup. Is that due solely to the pot differences, or could I have made a mistake wiring somewhere/had a bad solder joint/etc?

Depends on how you have the pots wired.  If you have them wired in the traditional "gibson dual pickup way", then the disparate impedance will have an effect on relative volume.

Also, for the sake of my curiosity - I am soldering all grounds to a single pot; if two ground wires touch once at the beginning of the pot, and then are attached to the pot also, does that create a ground loop?

Nope - this would not introduce a loop.  Well, maybe a very very very very tiny one - but nothing of consequence.   Remember, for a ground loop to be effective, there has to be a significant enough impedance difference between the two paths for there to be a voltage difference created.  The currents chasing eachother around caused by the voltage difference is what creates the hum associated with the loop.

 

[exalted]

Yes, it's basically how Gibson does it.

So it is the pot differences, then?

Is there a different way to achieve the same function?


I also might drill another hole and add room for a second knob. Either I'm starting to care less and less about the guitar, or I'm getting more and more confident. I'm not sure which.  :toothy12: