No Sound or Low Volume You may be happy with the sound of the guitar but you suddenly experience a partial or complete loss of sound. The steps to troubleshoot this problem are as follows: 1). Isolate which pickup has a problem by using the selector switch. 2). Desolder the pickup's hot lead from the tag of the potentiometer. 3). Using a multimeter check the continuity of the pickup by attaching one lead to the hot lead and the other to the braided earth shield of the pickup lead. If there is no continuity then there is a broken circuit somewhere in the pickup and it will need to be repaired or replaced. 4). Again using the multimeter check the DC resistance by attaching one lead to the hot lead and the other to the braided earth shield of the pickup lead. 5). As a guide, a Strat or Tele pickup should have a DC resistance of greater than 6K Ohms and a humbucker should have a DC resistance of greater than 7.5K Ohms. For precise resistance values check out our Specifications section. 6). If you get a very low reading then there is a short circuit somewhere in the pickup and it should be rewound or replaced. New Humbucking Pickup Sounds Thin 2 CONDUCTOR PICKUP With a 2 conductor pickup the first thing to do is check the resistance of the pickup as per the instructions above. If the pickup sounds thin with two pickups switched on together it is possible that the pickups are out of phase. The easiest way to correct this with a humbucker is to flip over the magnet in one pickup. This is done by removing the cover (if there is one one), removing the adjustable polepieces, unscrewing the bobbin screws on the underside of the pickup baseplate and then gently withdrawing the magnet before turning it through 180 degrees and reinserting it. Tighten the bobbin screws, reinsert the adjustable polepieces and reattach the cover (if there is one). 4 CONDUCTOR PICKUP Many pickups are only available in a 4-conductor package even if you intend to use it in a conventional configuration. You therefore need to attach the end of one coil to the start of the other (see our colour codes section in Circuit Diagrams). It is vital that this junction is properly insulated otherwise there is a good chance that the joint will touch a component in the control cavity which will short out one of the coils and result in a thin weak sound. New Pickup is Noisy Sometimes when you've installed your new pickup its a lot noisier than the previous pickup. This usually means that the pickup is badly earthed. On a humbucker if you touch the height adjustment screw and the noise intensifies then this indicates a poor earth. This could be a complete absence of ground solder (as seen recently on a brand new US made guitar!) or a 'cold' solder joint where the joint has not satisfactorily formed as a result of inadequate heat. This problem is solved by redoing the solder joint. Guitar Parts Shop Forum We've just added a forum facility to Guitar Parts Shop where you can post questions and get answers from other members. It's only just started and the more people use it the more effective it will become. Click here to visit the Guitar Parts Shop forum