defective 3pdt switch? (fixed)

[jeremyo83]

I am wiring a strat with the schematic below. In the process, I think I managed to break the 3pdt series switch. (ie: accidentally pulled/melted out one of the contacts and then pushed it back in again) Since I only had one of the switches, I decided to finish it anyways and see what happened. Needless to say, there is no sound from any of the positions at this point.

My question is, assuming that the 3pdt series switch is defective, should I still be able to get sounds out of the middle pickup? My brain says yes, but if so, then there is a problem somewhere else that I will have to find and remedy, and so I am hoping the answer is no.

Thanks for your help in advance.

[sumgai]

jeremy,

Your brain is correct, the mid pup should work no matter what position the 3PDT switch is in. For that matter, the neck pup should work, when the 3PDT switch is set to Parallel, and the Neck-on is flipped to 'on' - that bypasses the selector switch, so it should sound out all the time. Better start troubleshooting.......

Do be aware that you may have damaged more inside that switch than you can see from the outside. Since you have to replace it anyway, you might as well do that first, then see if anything else works.

After that, I recommend that you start at the output jack itself, and work your way through each component in the chain, one after another, in the same sequence as it is encounted in the schematic. If you skip around, you could easily miss something.

Next time, use a lower heat soldering iron. Some folks use a 25 or 30 watt iron with great success, and 40 watts is plenty, maybe even a bit too much.

HTH


sumgai

[jeremyo83]

I am quite certain the switch is completely broken. I have ordered another, but it will take a week or so to ship it. .. so a-troubleshooting I will go.

Starting at the output jack... This is the output jack that I am using (Switchcraft). I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture if I have the ground and lead correct, but I have the ground wired to the left lug, and the lead wired to the right lug. If you can tell if this is a mistake, let me know. If not, I'll be picking up a multimeter tomorrow... any tips on using it to identify a problem?

[sumgai]

jeremy,

You might start here, after you've taken a few "test" measurements with your new meter: Guitar Wiring Diagnosis

After that, you should have a much better idea of what part is at fault (or more than one, if such be the case).

Your interpretation of those two jack terminals is correct - left is ground, etc. And nice haul, Switchcraft is pretty much the Cadillac of jacks.

Good luck!



sumgai

[jeremyo83]

well, I had taken the guts out of the guitar, (and disconnected the jack to do so) in order to have another close look, and everything appeared to be in order.

so I started the diagnostic check.. and to my surprise, everything actually was in order. every knob and switch did exactly what it was supposed to - even the "broken" 3pdt switch.

so I wired the jack back up (the same way it had been, which was correct) and tested everything with a cord plugged in. again it was all fine and dandy.

so finally I plugged in to my amp. I have never been so happy to hear a slight hum from my equipment before. I still have yet to string it and set it up properly, but I am happy to know that everything is working, and very happy to know that I didn't even break my 3pdt switch.

I suppose I must have had a bad contact when I first wired the jack. anyways, thanks for your help. I'll post some pictures when I'm done with it.