need help ASAP!!!

[musicmakr47]

Hello all, new member here....I have a problem!!!! I have a Washburn that belongs to a friend and it has a terrible hum to it. (Someone changed one of the p/u's )
The configure is as follows....2 single coils, 1 hunbucker,(seymore duncans) also the h/b is a 3 wire deal not 4 like most I have dealt with, 1 tone, 1 vol., 1 5way switch. The wiring job is a mess(cold joints) ect. and I was asked to rewire it for him. I would like to know the proper wiring config. with english terminology please...I 'm a rookie...lol Also the switch if different than most....ie..the solder posts are 3 vert., 1 centr., 3 vert. resembling a die, can anyone please help ASAP I lent him one of mine till it's fixed but not happy to do that...lol
Thanks in advance!!!!

[Mini-Strat_Maine]

Okay, to start off, we should get some more info. Does it hum in all switch positions? Which pickup got changed? (And a whole bunch of other questions. )
I'd suggest running the checklists found at to help find out just where the problem originates. I think the "Strat Health Check" should work okay for that guitar, even though it's got a humbucker and a different control arrangement, but do the "Entire System" check first.

And to GN2.

[sumgai]

MM,

As M-S_M said, to these here forums. You've come to the right place for the kind of help you're seeking.

First, does the hum occur at all times, or is it worse with some pickup selections compared to others? If the latter, which switch selections seem to hum loudest?

And from your description of the HB's wiring:

..... the h/b is a 3 wire deal not 4 like most I have dealt with

I'd say that you have a case of both coils sharing a common ground wire, and the two hot wires are available for you to select either one, the other, or both coils. (However, you might be facing two pickup leads ( + and - ) with an extra ground wire to the frame/cover.) Arguably the first thing to do regarding this pickup is to ascertain that both coils are functional. Your post says that there are many problems with the guitar overall, but I should think that if you can tap on each coil with a screwdriver (while listening to an amp), there should be some switch selection that has both coils hooked up and working. No? Are there two selections that appear to do the same thing? Perhaps one of them is supposed to have both coils switched on.

If it's a case of humming all the time, tell your friend that the guitar will need to be shielded, and head over to the Guitarnuts site to learn more about that. Start at this page: . Once you've made sure that all the pickups are working correctly, and you've corrected all the cold solder joints, then you should be able to follow a standard wiring scheme to make all the pickups work.

Oh, wait, the switch in this guitar is unusual..... What you described is a 2P3T (double pole, three throw) with both common lugs tied together. Not very friendly if you want to do anything beyond the ordinary. Might I suggest that you get with your friend, and if you're going for an advanced switching scheme (such as are found on this site , then you should snatch a switch from these guys: Stewie Mac, Switches. Not only will your wiring mods be possible, and easier, but such a switch will probably be much more durable than the current item.

HTH!


sumgai

[musicmakr47]

To mini strat........ Thank you for your intrest to help! After much further investigation....I found that (1) the hum/b p/u was shot, (was used to begin with),(2) 2 positions on the 5 way switch were dead, (3) resistance on the pots were no where near specks. So, I disconnected the H/B from the loop, wired the neck and middle single coils to the sw positions that do work, rerouted wiring, and soldered them correctly. Now it works pretty good it still hums slightly once in a while but I found that by pushing on the sw lever the hum now stops. I will advise my friend that it's not worth replacing all the parts required to make it perfect.....( parts are more than the guitar....lol

[Mini-Strat_Maine]

musicmakr47 said:

I will advise my friend that it's not worth replacing all the parts required to make it perfect.....( parts are more than the guitar....lol

Glad to hear you got some of it sorted out.
though, I do think that with a little work, you could make it into a pretty good guitar, or at least something to be kept as a backup, or for keeping in an alternate tuning.
As Sumgai said, you can drop some parts into it that will be not just an exact replacement for but also an improvement over the stock parts. And with some of the mods found on the GN site or from the guys here, you could have something really good.
Plus, it's always better to practice mods on something that can't be made any worse and might be made better by whatever you do to it. Again, JMHO/YMMV, etc.

--
Doug C.

[musicmakr47]

I understand what you mean and it's not a total junker, the reason I said about parts being more than the axe is the fact that my friend was looking at installing hotter p/u's also thus the extra money. Stew-mac has a wiring kit for his exact set up for like $25 complete with wiring (shielded & unshielded), pots, switch, input jack, ect. and I have cavity shielding here. It's his call as far as what he wants and depends on how much he really likes this axe.