[SOLVED] EMG Solderless Installation

[Svea]

Alright. This was my first pickup installation. I usually drop it off at the store to have pickups switched. But since this was solderless and had fairly comprehensive diagrams I gave it a shot myself.

installation> It was easy, thats for sure. But I made some errors. I didn't pay attention to the reversed connectors and had sound after all but none of the volume/tone controls would change anything. Cool.

reversing the connectors> Control knobs are working! BUT.. heres where I am stuck. When touching the metal part of the toggle switch the guitar will be humming (almost screaming at this point). When touching the output jack the guitar gets more quiet. When the toggle switch is in middle position neither pickup works.

I went through all the diagrams but it all looks correct! @_@

What did I do wrong? >_____<

Edit: These are EMG-X series

 

[captcoolaid]

Can we get some shots of the control cavity. Also is it grounded properly.

 

[Svea]

Ill take some photos right away!

I don't know if it's grounded correctly, according to the little manual that came with the pickups it says they don't need to be grounded because they are internally?

Picture in a minute!

 

[WildeStarr]

I went through all the diagrams but it all looks correct! @_@

What did I do wrong? >_____<

Yea, we need to see pics. The EMG solderlees can be a bit tricky when you do it the first time!

 

[Svea]

 

[WildeStarr]

Svea:
I am the EMG guy here, so I would like to help you... but its tough to tell whats going on in those pics! I would double check everything again.

 

[Svea]

Can I maybe try to take more specific pictures? Because I have unplugged and replugged everything so many times and even had my oh-so-technical wife take a look at it (seriously, she's good at these things!)

 

[WildeStarr]

Can I maybe try to take more specific pictures? Because I have unplugged and replugged everything so many times and even had my oh-so-technical wife take a look at it (seriously, she's good at these things!)

OK, I see a problem..... you should not have the red wire coming off the pot. those only come from the pickups to the red buss!

 

[Svea]

I'll unplug those and see what happens! In the diagrams they are connected though, I'll let you know how it goes in a few, thanks

 

[Svea]

By doing that I have no sound from the pickups whatsoever! :x

 

[MrRhoads]

did you by any chance connect the power(battery) to the tone pots?
it´s only the x-series which has it that way if i´m not misstaken?

or did you connect thoose red wires from the pickup switch to the volume pots?

Good luck and let Wildestarr decide if my post is any good before you listen to me

 

[Svea]

Well slap me with a fish, I forgot to mention it indeed IS the X-series I'm working with here, sorry!!

 

[WildeStarr]

I'll unplug those and see what happens! In the diagrams they are connected though, I'll let you know how it goes in a few, thanks

OK, for the X series using the active tone pot, the red wire does come off the pot. You might want to go the the EMG site, they have an extensive wiring diagram collection.

http://www.emgpickups.com/search/wiring

 

[MrRhoads]

Well slap me with a fish, I forgot to mention it indeed IS the X-series I'm working with here, sorry!!

no problem,
i only found diagram for the Zakk Wylde set but it´s not the X-series, couldn´t found thoose
anyway once you get it sorted please do a demo of them

You´re from Sweden i guess?
I am

 

[Svea]

no problem,
i only found diagram for the Zakk Wylde set but it´s not the X-series, couldn´t found thoose
anyway once you get it sorted please do a demo of them

You´re from Sweden i guess?
I am

I sure will! And yes, I am Swedish Moved to the US for a woman haha

 

[Svea]

Well I looked and read through the diagrams and I am just as clueless as I was before reading them. All cables are hooked up as on the last diagram in this pdf:

http://www.emgpickups.com/content/wiringdiagrams/HX_0230-0110D.pdf

 

[WildeStarr]

Check the wiring on the BUSS, left side and look carefully

bottom to top should be:
White, red, green, black



Black is the ground that goes to the black part on top

White, red, green should go the green part on the bottom

from the pic, it looks like you might not have this right. It looks to me like you have the black and green wires in the black top part.

 

[Svea]

White, red and green are all in the green part and the black cable in the black part.

 

[lifele55]

Never installed an EMG but if you're getting no where and it's all solderless, I say remove everything and start from scratch again. Go slow. It could even be a faulty wire and not your skills..

 

[WildeStarr]

White, red and green are all in the green part and the black cable in the black part.

OK, its just hard to tell by the pics that you posted. Might want to take the advice from lifele55 and take it all apart and start over. If that does not work, you can also post over at the EMG Forum and see what they have to say.

EMG User Forum &bull; Index page


PS: Make sure the pickup wire harness is attached correctly on the back of the pickup! The small arrow needs to be on the side away from the pickup. Make sure your battery is good. Make sure you don't have the hot and ground reversed on the input jack.