maikel
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Post by maikel on May 12, 2007 14:45:02 GMT -5
Hi All,
I am new here and found this forum due to a problem I have with my guitar.
I have borrowed my Gibson U2 to a friend. (the first and LAST time) He changed something with the wiring and forgot what he did. I have brought the guitar to a guitartech but he also couldn't fix the problem. Now the pick-ups hiss and don't work as they suppose to do. The setup is as follows. 1 vol. and 1 tone pot. HSS. On/off switch for each of three pickups, as well as a switch to ignore these three and just turn the humbucker on without the toneknob functioning. Humbucker has coil split, the vol. pot is a push/push knob to use the coiltap. Can anyone help me to restore the settings?
Thanks, Maikel
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Post by sumgai on May 12, 2007 15:37:20 GMT -5
maikel,
Hi, and welcome to the forums!
Sorry to say, I've never even heard of this model. I took a google for it, and with the single exception of a review on Harmony-Central, the first 6 pages were full of nothing but self-congratulatory promo pieces masquerading as news items. Not once did I see anything even vaguely technical in nature, not even on Gibson's site. (But that's to be expected.)
Good luck in your search.
sumgai
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 12, 2007 15:43:29 GMT -5
Hello Sumgai,. Thanks for the welcome. I could post a picture of the guitar. Any idea if someone can draw a diagram for me? I checked the guitarnuts website and there is this modification wich has toggle switches for the pickups..only they are on-off-on. Mine have 6 poles and are on-off. Regards, Maikel
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Post by sumgai on May 12, 2007 19:18:52 GMT -5
Maikel Returning the unit to the original stock wiring might be possible, but unless there is some collector value, or a sentimental reason for doing that, you might be better off by to re-wiring the axe to your specifications. After all, that is what we're all about here. ;D I'm sure by now you've read other recent threads on how to make an image viewable within your message, right? Even if it doesn't lead to a direct solution, I'm curious as to just what this thing looks like. HTH sumgai
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darguitar
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Post by darguitar on May 12, 2007 19:55:20 GMT -5
yeah, if you could post some photos of the control cavity, I'm sure one of us would be able to help. I don't imagine there being too much damage to fix!! Dar
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Post by wolf on May 13, 2007 0:27:28 GMT -5
At a website called "GuitarHangar" www.guitarhangar.com/component/page,shop.browse/option,com_virtuemart/Itemid,90/ I found a photo of the Gibson U2 The text describes it as follows: This is a rare Gibson U2 guitar and is is good condition, it has some finish checks on the headstock and on the body, the E string tuner has been replaced with a chrome one. This guitar features a Neck Through construction, Ebony fret board with 24 frets, Binding on front of body, Floyd Rose tremolo with a locking nut, Single coil pickup in the neck and middle, Humbucker pickup in the bridge, 3 on/off switches, volume and tone control, Black hardware. Maikel from the photo and the description, this seems like the guitar you have, right?
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Post by wolf on May 13, 2007 1:00:52 GMT -5
Well it seems the official name for that guitar is the Gibson W.R.C. made by a short-lived collaboration between Gibson and Wayne R Charvel. It seems only 200 were ever made. Maikel it seems you have something of a collectible there and it seems to be a much sought-after guitar. From what I understand, Gibson offers NO information on this guitar nor do they want to. I have no idea why. The neck going through the body would give it great sustain and the few reviews of this guitar have all been incredibly great. Here's a link you might find interesting, a website where someone is actually rebuilding one: www.learnguitarwithsteve.com/gibson.htmlIf you needed a wiring diagram, that would be the guy to talk to. Then again, if you want a wiring that is unique yet quite versatile, then right here is the place to be. (In My Humble Opinion of course)
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 13, 2007 1:55:30 GMT -5
Hi Guys,
thanks for all the help already.
First, the picure of the red one is an "old" type of U2. It lacks the "solo" switch. That switch put always the humbucker to "on" (and the tonepot "off"), whatever the position is of the other switches. And the trem is different too, I have a FLoyd rose on mine.
@ Wolf: The Gibson WRC was made in the same time. It looks much alike but it has a different headstock and is loaded with EMG's. The one from the link, the guy who is rebuilding it, that is a WRC. But he has the "soloswitch" . I definatly will mail him. ;D Thanks for that link.
@ Sumgai: well, I don't want to drill any holes in that guitar. I bought it brandnew 17 years ago and want it to be in it's original state. The original wiring was good for me, has all I needed. I played 13 years only on this axe. And because of the toggleswitches I could achieve settings wich you can't get with a 5-way switch. But some improvement is always ok. ;D I am thinking for some time to put some hotrails in this guitar. And I didn' t read yet how to post a picture here. But I will do that this evening.
Regards, Maikel
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 13, 2007 15:28:59 GMT -5
Here is a pic of my Gibson U2 Hmmm, can't get the picureof the guitar here. I must do something wrong.
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Post by wolf on May 13, 2007 15:48:13 GMT -5
Hi MaikelI decided trying to fix that link for you ... and succeeded NICE guitar. And it has 4 switches on it (as opposed to 3). I'm guessing the 4th switch is the solo switch?
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Post by JohnH on May 13, 2007 15:49:51 GMT -5
maikel - nice looking guitar!
If you can post some views of the control cavity, it will help figure out the switching. We need to see waht sort of switches they are, with what connections on them. If we can understand what switches are there, it willl be possible to redesign the wiring to make it work as it did, or possibly, find out what needs to be fixed on the current wiring. Several views from different angle help.
BTW if you put [ and ] around each of the IMG and /IMG tags, the photos should appear.
John
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 13, 2007 15:53:54 GMT -5
Hi Wolf,
thanks. What did I do wrong with the link?
And yes, the fourth switch is the "solo" switch. When you put that on the humbucker is on and the tone know is bypassed. Really great when you have both singlecoils on and need to switch to the humbucker for a solo. After the solo just put the switch of and you are back with the singlecoils. This guitar is from 1990.
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 13, 2007 16:17:14 GMT -5
Ok, here is the first pic. The others were blurred so I am making a new one. When I put brackets the whole link disappears and I see nothing. Another pic.
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Post by wolf on May 13, 2007 16:27:31 GMT -5
What was wrong with the link? As John H said, the link should have an [IMG] tag at the beginning and an [/IMG] tag at the end. The link in my posting reads: [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k230/gibsonu2/Afbeelding16009.jpg[/IMG] Your posting reads as: [img http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k230/gibsonu2/Afbeelding16009.jpg?t=1179088037 /img] Anyway, the first image tag [IMG] is missing the ] and the closing image tag [/IMG] is missing the [. Plus it seems that you added some extra information ?t=1179088037 at the end of that link.
Maybe you just have to learn your copying and pasting skills a little bit better. But all of us are always learning here. By the way, when you say the link disappears, are you using the preview button?
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 13, 2007 16:41:54 GMT -5
OK, there was a space between the and the link....that caused the problem. Stupid me..but I learned something. The switches are on/off switches, all four. When I asked the guitartech to fix it he ignored switch 4 and just connected the pickups to the on/off switches. I told him it was wrong and that I wanted the solo switch to restored. He tried several wirings and finally it seemd ok. But now, when I put the 2 s.coils to "on" they sound like if only 1 single coil is "on". And when I put 1 s.coil to "on" the sound is thin and sounds like I have the 2 single coils on. I lost the sounds of a regular strat, the first 3 sounds of the 5 way switch. And besides that the guitar produces lots of hum. That was first not the case...this was a quiet guitar. Again thx for all the help and patience. ;D Regards Maikel
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Post by wolf on May 13, 2007 17:06:28 GMT -5
maikelThe funny thing is that I was planning on adding to my own website, another page which would show the wiring for just such a switch. Anyway, it is probably not exactly what you needed, but at least it's a start:
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Post by michaelcbell on May 14, 2007 5:40:10 GMT -5
it sounds like your tech wired one of the single coil pups reversed, though I'm unable to see the pic from here (darn filters). I'll be able to help more once I've gotten home and can check out the pic more closely.
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 15, 2007 1:34:52 GMT -5
Hi Guys,
I will check this out thursday. Again thanks for the help.
Later Maikel
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 17, 2007 8:29:20 GMT -5
I will try to make a diagram how it's wired right now. Anyone can tell my why the yellow wire runs from the vol.pot to the switches and also to the soloswitch? (wich is the left one in the pictures) Because when the soloswitch is on the vol.pot should not work.
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Post by sumgai on May 17, 2007 14:28:53 GMT -5
maikel, Ahhh, a change in the design criteria. Previously you've said:
So, which is it that should be bypassed in solo, the tone, the volume, or both? ;D
sumgai
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 17, 2007 15:15:27 GMT -5
Hello Sumgai, sorry, my english is not perfect. But the tone is bypassed. Maikel
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Post by wolf on May 17, 2007 15:23:37 GMT -5
I would think that if it were a true bypass switch then the tone and volume should be bypassed.
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 17, 2007 15:45:25 GMT -5
Hi Wolf, I'm not sure whether it is a true bypass or not. That was the factory setting. For me it's not a must that the volume pot works with the solo switch. For a solo I always have the volume on " 10".
BTW, What does Exalt and Smite mean below the avatar?
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 17, 2007 16:24:50 GMT -5
Here is the wiringdiagram how everything is connected. I hope you guys understand this...I know nothing about drawing a diagram. Maikel
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Post by wolf on May 17, 2007 18:36:12 GMT -5
What's that round thing to the upper left of the volume control?
(I might try to redraw that diagram for you).
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Post by sumgai on May 17, 2007 19:26:47 GMT -5
wolf, That's his push-pull switch, as noted towards the end of his initial post. Also, the solo switch isn't designated as a bypass switch in part because it's not really bypassing anything, it's simply selecting an alternate signal path. Compare it to the Lead/Rhythm switch found on Jazzmasters and Jaguars, it's about the same effect, no? Using the solo switch to connect the HB directly to the output (no volume pot) would probably make wiring this thing easier, since maikel tends to crank it up to 10 anyways. sumgai
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Post by wolf on May 18, 2007 0:56:30 GMT -5
Okay, I redrew the diagram: I didn't show the switch grounding because it is not part of the actual circuit. Also I didn't label the switches because it's somewhat obvious what they do. If I did make a mistake or two just let me know. Isn't Guitar Nuts 2 a helpful place?
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maikel
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Post by maikel on May 18, 2007 2:44:24 GMT -5
Hi Wolf,
that looks great. This is excactly how the thing is wired. Now does anybody know what is wrong with the wiring that causes that my singlecoils together sound louder then when I have one on? And the "inbetween" sound is when I have one singlecoil on. I saw in the guitar that there is one small filament of the black wire (from the most right switch in the diagram) touches the middle pole of the right row from that switch. Is that a problem?
I remember that the guitartech told me he wired the guitar different because he said it gave less hum that way. I didn't remember before he changed it that it produced a lot of hum. So he came up with this after I told him I wanted the solowitch connected again. Also I removed yesterday a nice chunk of (loose) solder from the cavity......
Thanks guys for the help. I will be out of town for a few days so I can not reply. Catch you later. Maikel
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Post by michaelcbell on May 18, 2007 13:13:24 GMT -5
the little wire you speak of shouldn't be a problem, though removing it wouldn't be a problem either I'm not sure what's going on with your loudness issue, since wolf's diagram shows that all your pickups are wired in parallel, which should give you a slightly more 'jangly' but less loud sound when two are selected, unless your eq is set in some way to accentuate the frequencies parallel wiring likes better. Another thought - when you say "louder", do you mean the guitar's actual string sound, or the noise that goes along with it? If noise is what you're speaking of, then I'd be able to help a whole lot more.
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Post by JohnH on May 18, 2007 15:58:24 GMT -5
The diagram looks fine to me. Im not really clear on what the problem is specifically. From the photos, the two sc's look like they are wired in correct phase, and the humbucker is consistent with Gibson wire colours. If it is a noise issue, maybe it is some wire shield braid not connected - ie not part of the signal path. The Sc's look like they have a red and a white wire, within a braided shield?, which may be not connected.
John
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