What did I do? Bad pickup install.

[Leumas]

Ok, I'll try and keep this as to the point as possible.

Mexican strat, HSS

Replaced neck single coil with a Duncan Little 59. De-soldered the old pickup, new wire to switch and to the ground on the back of the volume pot. The old neck pickup and the middle pickup were grounded together on the back of the pot slightly away from the bridge pickup and other grounds. Reconnected neck and middle to the same spot. That's the only messing about I did.

Now the bridge still functions fine, but the neck and middle pickups both give a much lower output and sound like the tone control is rolled all the way off. It's possible that the new neck pickup is faulty because it's an old one I had laying around, but would it be possible to have the new one take out the existing pickup with it by being grounded together? It's also strange to me that the tone knobs don't do squat now for those pickups, but still functions normally for the bridge.

Anyhow, any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[BadPenguin]

Ok, if the tones aren't working, something is wired wrong.
here is a typical strat wiring: https://guitarelectronics.com/strat-style-guitar-wiring-diagram/
And here is one diagram with 2 hums and a single. Doesn't have a 2nd tone control, but you can marry the two diagrams. https://guitarelectronics.com/wdu-hsh5l11-01/

 

[ARandall]

Need pics for the best response, but if both pickups and whatever they are attached to are now playing up then you've most likely got a soldering QC fail (or multiples) going on.

 

[CB91710]

The new pickup can't actually damage the other one, so no need to worry about that.
Bad new pickup, or bad connection.
The Duncan may (not sure) be out of phase with the Fender pickups.

 

[ErictheRed]

When you say neck and middle pickups both give a low volume, do they do that when selected individually or only when playing together? If they sound fine individually you have a phasing problem. If they always sound bad it's something else.

I also don't understand what "new wire to switch and to ground..." means. Did you replace an old wire? You just added a new wire? From where to where? Did you put a new wire in that connects the switch to ground? What switch and what terminal? You really need to be more clear and precise for people to be able to help.

 

[Dilver]

If you’re able to solder well, find the right wiring diagram, rip it all out and start from scratch. If you’re not able to solder well, maybe you cooked a pot or a cap?

 

[Lungo]

That guitar has one VOL and two TONE controls? And it sounds like you grounded the single coils to the middle control tone knob?

If that’s true then my guess is you overheated the pot or had some solder run to something where it doesn’t belong.

 

[TaterNuts]

Mistake #1: Strat.

 

[CB91710]

That guitar has one VOL and two TONE controls? And it sounds like you grounded the single coils to the middle control tone knob?

If that’s true then my guess is you overheated the pot or had some solder run to something where it doesn’t belong.

Standard Strat wiring.
Normally, all 7 of the grounds are soldered to the volume pot (3 pickups, output jack, body shield, tone pots, and tremolo claw).
If the volume pot is an S1 or a CTS style push-pull/push-push where there's not a lot of area, then it is not uncommon for the grounds to be moved to the middle tone pot.

It can get even more complex when you add in coil splitting on humbuckers...

 

[Lungo]

@Leumas did you ever get this sorted out?

 

[joe_cpwe]

To start, reverse the wires on the Duncan pickup

Second, since it's a Strat, get used to testing the pickups by tapping on them with a screwdriver because putting the pickguard back, and taking back out for wiring is a major PITA compared to guitars with rear cavities...like a Les Paul.

 

[Leumas]

@Leumas did you ever get this sorted out?

No, but I haven’t tried yet either. I’m debating whether or not I want to order a hot rail for the neck or cut the pick guard and just install another full size humbucker I have laying around. I did not solder to the tone pot, I soldered back to the volume pot.

Like I said I have a feeling that Duncan is toast.

 

[Leumas]

To start, reverse the wires on the Duncan pickup

Second, since it's a Strat, get used to testing the pickups by tapping on them with a screwdriver because putting the pickguard back, and taking back out for wiring is a major PITA compared to guitars with rear cavities...like a Les Paul.

Oh don’t I know it!

To be fair I did do the tap test with a screwdriver which produced what I THOUGHT was an even output, but when plugged in and played all the tone was choked out of the new neck bucker and the existing middle single coil.