SG wiring problem

[gshock78]

I have an sg standard that I bought used. One problem. When I select both pickups, the bridge pickup doesn't work. Every other operation is normal. The wiring also seems to be correct. Help!

Thanks.

[ltb]

Kind of strange since you say the bridge pickup works when You select bridge but it has to be in the 3 - way switch.
Suggest you have it checked out

[UnklMickey]

hi Gshock78,

welcome to GuitarNuts2.


on John Atchley's site (the Original guitarnuts site)



there is a section for factory wiring, and a page for Gibson wiring.



John has illustrated the switch quite well in his drawing:




let's use his drawing for teaching purposes here.

assume that left is toward the neck.

if the toggle switch is pushed toward the neck, the bottom of the lever pushes the leaves on the right side apart, disconnecting the bridge pickup.

(bridge is bottom pickup in the drawing)

on your switch, the inner leaf on the right side is not touching the outer leaf unless the toggle is all the way in the bridge position. (bottom of lever is to the left).

the leaf may be about to fail due to fatigue.

or it may have been accidentally bent when the guitar was apart.


you might be able to bend the inner leaf of the bridge portion of the switch gently, so that in does make contact when the switch is in the bridge or both position, but doesn't make contact when in the neck position.

or you may just find it easier to just replace the switch.

they cost about $10 ~ $15.

if you have soldered before, you could do it yourself.

if not, at least you now understand what your technician will be dealing with.


good luck


unk

[gshock78]

Thanks for the quick reply guys. I've tested the continuity of the switch and it is making contact in all positions. The SG is only an 04. You would think that the switch wouldn't be bad already. I'll replace the switch and see what happens. Thanks alot for the input!

The Shock

[UnklMickey]

gshock78 said:

... I've tested the continuity of the switch and it is making contact in all positions. ...

hmmm....

that makes it seem like there isn't a problem with the switch!

[sumgai]

gshock,

Check for a bad solder joint on the switch, I'd suspect a big glob that is shorting the bridge pup to ground when in the middle position, but when you flick the switch, the mechanical action of the leaf's movement effectively removes the short.

Also, is this thing under any kind of warranty? How's your relationship with your dealer? Did this just crop up, or has it been this way since Day One?

HTH


sumgai

[gshock78]

Hey guys. First of all I would like to thank you guys for the tech support. Got the problem. When I bought this guitar it had a new bridge pickup installed by a "professional". He wired the volume pots backwards. I wired them back to Gibson's specs and it worked fine. I should have seen that sooner. Thanks again guys.

The Shock

[servant]

Glad you got it fixed.

[SG Story]

Here's a problem we had with my son's 2002 Gibson SG Special:

When plugged in, it would intermittently cut in and out; wiggling the guitar cord at the jack would make and break a connection. Different cords did the same thing.

It WAS under warranty, but I figured What the Heck. I like tinkering with guitars and a Switchcraft jack is inexpensive. I bought one, installed it, and had the same problem!

Turned out that they had painted the inside of the control cavity with conductive shielding paint, and the hot of the jack was making contact with the shielding paint. I put a little bit of electrical tape along that part of the body and it has worked fine ever since.

[/SG Story]