Tech messed up my wiring...

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Novae
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Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Novae » Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:30 am

Hey folks.

I recently ordered some Curtis Novak Lipstick Jaguar pickups and took it to a local guitar shop to get them installed. It didn't go quite smoothly. When i received the guitar, the neck pickup was touching the strings. I had to go home and remove the pickups and take this thick piece of foam off and cut a slimmer piece to put under there. They're still not perfectly in there, but they're there and pickup height is fine.

The big issue is that the bridge pickup works and sounds great, but when i switch to the neck pickup, it sounds like it's doing the rhythm circuit tone even in the lead circuit. If i engage the rhythm circuit, nothing changes but the rhythm circuit volume and tone controls work. So basically i have a neck pickup stuck in a rhythm circuit sound no matter where i engage the pickup. Both pickups on is literally the combination of a bright bridge pickup and a dark neck pickup tone. Lead circuit volume and tone work as they should.

Does anyone have an idea what could've gone wrong? I am not taking my guitars to that shop anymore. I'm finding a different guy to do the job or do it myself if i can't find anyone and the job seems doable DIY style.

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Larry Mal
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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:52 am

Novae wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:30 am


Does anyone have an idea what could've gone wrong? I am not taking my guitars to that shop anymore.
What went wrong is this guy sucks. We all make mistakes but the strings touching the pickup is just insult.
Back in those days, everyone knew that if you were talking about Destiny's Child, you were talking about Beyonce, LaTavia, LeToya, and Larry.

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Novae
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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Novae » Fri Jun 11, 2021 5:34 am

Larry Mal wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:52 am
Novae wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:30 am


Does anyone have an idea what could've gone wrong? I am not taking my guitars to that shop anymore.
What went wrong is this guy sucks. We all make mistakes but the strings touching the pickup is just insult.
Insult is an understatement. When i received the guitar, the neck pickup was sitting on the thick original foam and cables tucked underneath. He forcefully screwed the pickup in there so that the base of the pickup was literally bending downwards. I was scared the pickup was going to break. Even the casing itself was being pulled apart because he drilled extra mounting screw holes in the cavities and they were too far apart. Screws were in crooked.

I had to go home, take out the pickups and remove the foam and try a few of those holes to get the pickups in straight-ish and at a proper height. I am extremely hesitant to bring it back to him. I am scared that he'll mess my guitar up even more. I'm done with that shop.

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Larry Mal
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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Larry Mal » Fri Jun 11, 2021 6:57 am

I mean, why would you give someone back their guitar in a state that you know means they can't use the guitar?

It would be like if you went to get new tires put on and when you went to get your car all your wheels were just laying there with new tires on and your car was sitting on the dirt.

Even in 2021, it seems that some guitar techs really can't wrap their minds around the Jaguar, which is like seventy years old at this point.

My opinion is that while there are some very good guitar technicians out there, there's also a very, very high percentage of them that are people that are simply unsuitable for any other job of any kind.

Looks like you found one of those. I found plenty of them, and am only now starting to have some confidence in some again, otherwise I just bought some books, joined guitar forums and learned to so at least some of this stuff myself.
Last edited by Larry Mal on Fri Jun 11, 2021 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by timtam » Fri Jun 11, 2021 7:03 am

So it's a standard jag circuit - that worked fine before ? And the only thing changed were both pickups ?

And while the neck pickup always sounds somewhat like the rhythm circuit, the rhythm circuit controls only work when the rhythm circuit is actually engaged ?

If so, my first thought would be something wrong with the neck pickup or the way it is connected to the rhythm/lead switch. As you can see below, that pickup only connects to the rhythm/lead switch and ground. If absolutely nothing else was changed, and the bridge pickup is fine, that's where I would be looking first - at the connection of the neck pickup to the switch and to ground. If that doesn't turn up anything obvious, the next step would be connecting the neck pickup directly to the output jack/guitar cable, so you can verify that it sounds OK, on its own. Given the drama underneath it, it may not.

Image
"I just knew I wanted to make a sound that was the complete opposite of a Les Paul, and that’s pretty much a Jaguar." Rowland S. Howard.

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Novae
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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Novae » Fri Jun 11, 2021 8:43 am

timtam wrote:
Fri Jun 11, 2021 7:03 am
So it's a standard jag circuit - that worked fine before ? And the only thing changed were both pickups ?

And while the neck pickup always sounds somewhat like the rhythm circuit, the rhythm circuit controls only work when the rhythm circuit is actually engaged ?

If so, my first thought would be something wrong with the neck pickup or the way it is connected to the rhythm/lead switch. As you can see below, that pickup only connects to the rhythm/lead switch and ground. If absolutely nothing else was changed, and the bridge pickup is fine, that's where I would be looking first - at the connection of the neck pickup to the switch and to ground. If that doesn't turn up anything obvious, the next step would be connecting the neck pickup directly to the output jack/guitar cable, so you can verify that it sounds OK, on its own. Given the drama underneath it, it may not.

Image
Yes, the rhythm circuit controls work only when the circuit is engaged and only the lead circuit controls work when rhythm circuit is not engaged. The guitar had bone stock electronics until yesterday.

I spent a lot of money on the pickups, shipping and toll fees and if one pickup is bust i have no idea what i'm going to do. I will email the shop and ask for a refund since this job was not worth paying for at this point. I have my eye on an actual luthier in my location who might be the one to make it right for me. I'll write down notes on what you've said here and save that diagram too. Thanks.

I just want my Jaguar to work like it's supposed to with these new pickups :'(

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by noisepunk » Fri Jun 11, 2021 2:46 pm

in the mean time, buy a halfway decent soldering iron and start teaching yourself how to make clean connections, because that's garbage. i decided before it ever even came up that i'd teach myself how to do this stuff (and it isn't hard, it just takes practice), but after that i'd never let another tech touch my guitar again.

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by jorri » Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:04 am

Its easier for some i guess because maybe my school and family teaching me to solder and fix things can be unusual in the mid 2000s. ...but no i dont see much reason for techs. Ive made a mistake or two but it looks like techs make more if i aggregate all the stories of poor work. Especially setups i mean owning the feeler guages and reading the official Fender setup guide works too, maybe surprisingly, at least as starting points.

But it sounds like its hooked up wrong, but given that the pots give the rhythm circuit its sound, i am unsure why then the rhythm pots only work with the rhythm switch on, or do they not?
I guess there could be some specific error where its possible but seems unlikely. E.g. somehow its hookup up on pins 1 and 3 through the tone pot? Somehow he added an accidental resistor?
Anyway spotting the difference to the wiring diagram might help.
OR for some reason the pickup just lacks treble, enough for no discernable difference once the filter is removed.

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by ChrisDesign » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:00 pm

Demand a refund for a poor job. Find a better tech.
"I own a '66 Jaguar. That's the guitar I polish, and baby - I refuse to let anyone touch it when I jump into the crowd." - Kurt Cobain

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by JVG » Sun Jun 13, 2021 4:19 pm

That sucks, and is a sadly common story.

I will echo noisepunk’s suggestion: get yourself a soldering iron and learn to do basic wiring. I did this (as have many on this forum) and it has saved me heaps of money and tech trauma. You may be surprised how much stuff you can do after just a little bit of practice :)

Anyway, i realise this may not help your current issue, so i wish you the best for getting it resolved.

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Novae
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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Novae » Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:58 am

Thank you for the replies and info everyone. I've contacted an actual luthier who also does guitar electronics etc. and explained the situation to him. He was very reassuring. High hopes for this one. In the future i will start just investing in the tools and trying it myself. I've always been unsure buying a set of nut files or a soldering iron but always though "Eh, it's just once every year or two that i need some work like this done."

I posted about the guitar here when i first got it and i'm planning on doing a 1 year ownership update once this drama is over. I have a strong bond with this instrument and i hate not having it in 100% working condition.

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by ChrisDesign » Mon Jun 14, 2021 6:36 am

Novae wrote:
Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:58 am
Thank you for the replies and info everyone. I've contacted an actual luthier who also does guitar electronics etc. and explained the situation to him. He was very reassuring. High hopes for this one. In the future i will start just investing in the tools and trying it myself. I've always been unsure buying a set of nut files or a soldering iron but always though "Eh, it's just once every year or two that i need some work like this done."

I posted about the guitar here when i first got it and i'm planning on doing a 1 year ownership update once this drama is over. I have a strong bond with this instrument and i hate not having it in 100% working condition.
Great to hear. There is no shame in using a guitar tech. Start with basic soldering and work your way up. I build simple electronics for my guitars (bypass filters? That make my HH jazzmaster sound perfect for me. But I still use a tech for nut and fret work!
"I own a '66 Jaguar. That's the guitar I polish, and baby - I refuse to let anyone touch it when I jump into the crowd." - Kurt Cobain

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Jaguar018 » Tue Jun 15, 2021 6:30 am

I fully respect and appreciate the DIY people on guitar forums. I can do basic maintenance, but I'm pretty much a 'set it and forget' person when it comes to guitar stuff. It's great if you have the time, space, and equipment to work on your hobby. I avoid soldering-type work because I am sort of afraid of myself and the potential of going down the rabbit hole of DIY pedals.

Totally agree with Larry re: techs that still don't understand Jaguars. It's like time stopped for them in 1987 or something. ::)

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by bjornsynneby » Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:29 pm

Haha! I would like to say that you are stuck in 1987 if you understand Jaguars. The wiring of Jaguars is pure magic!

You say that the rythm controls work when the rythm circuit is engaged and the lead controls work when the lead circuit is engaged BUT have you tried if the rythm controls work when the lead circuit is engaged? Or if the lead controls work if the rythm circuit is engaged? If you have I don’t think there is anything wrong with the wiring and you can investigate the neck pickup as Timtam says. If the two circuits work simoultaneously you can continue reading below. ;D

Image

The ”tech” person might have caused the mid [3,4] (neck pickup, output jack) positions of the rythm switch short so it also connects with [1,2] when it is switched to connect [3,4] with [5,6]. This way both circuits are connected and the neck pickup sounds the same in both positions.

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Re: Tech messed up my wiring...

Post by Novae » Wed Jul 14, 2021 11:23 am

bjornsynneby wrote:
Mon Jun 21, 2021 12:29 pm
Haha! I would like to say that you are stuck in 1987 if you understand Jaguars. The wiring of Jaguars is pure magic!

You say that the rythm controls work when the rythm circuit is engaged and the lead controls work when the lead circuit is engaged BUT have you tried if the rythm controls work when the lead circuit is engaged? Or if the lead controls work if the rythm circuit is engaged? If you have I don’t think there is anything wrong with the wiring and you can investigate the neck pickup as Timtam says. If the two circuits work simoultaneously you can continue reading below. ;D

Image

The ”tech” person might have caused the mid [3,4] (neck pickup, output jack) positions of the rythm switch short so it also connects with [1,2] when it is switched to connect [3,4] with [5,6]. This way both circuits are connected and the neck pickup sounds the same in both positions.
The circuits only work when engaged, not at the same time. I'm still figuring this out since the neck pickup still sounds too dark and rhythm circuit has no or very little change on tone. The bridge pickup died when i got home and played for an hour with it today. Probably soldering issue at the pickup itself since it sounded beautiful and healthy until it... died... I got some sound again by gently pushing/moving the pickup around though but remains dead or VERY quiet. I can't believe it's still not working. The neck pickup was also reading at 2.27k!! It's supposed to be around 3.4k. This was measured directly at the pickup by the luthier who last worked on it.

Curtis has responded to my emails and we're continuing to troubleshoot. Might end up having to get a replacement/fixed pickup. Those shipping costs + toll fees are going to sting if it comes to that...

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