emg pickups not working

Bass. · #1 02-02-2007, 02:19 PM

Ok so i got this squier II with emg's dropped in it.. and they Only work when i touch the prongs from the input ( i dont know the exact name for the ''prongs'' but the cable touches them when inserted)

ONLY works when i touch them. And emg's (as ive read) dont require being grounded by the bridge since they are internally ground?

thanks

xyllion · #2 02-02-2007, 02:56 PM

EMGs have a built-in preamp. They have a 3 wire connection. One wire is power, another wire is ground, and a another wire is the audio output from the pickup. The input jack acts as an on/off switch. The battery ground is connected to the rest of the grounds only when the cable is inserted.

Bass. · #3 02-02-2007, 03:10 PM

what does that mean though? how can it help me fix this problem?

i looked at everything and they all seem to be connected what should i do?

xyllion · #4 02-02-2007, 03:45 PM

If it works when a cable is plugged in, what is the problem? If not, take it to a technician because you need somebody to look at that knows what they are looking at.

joeyl · #5 02-02-2007, 06:14 PM

so it only works when you plug in the cable and touch the jack's contact. Are you sure you have a good cable, and that you followed the wiring diagram properly?
tell us more about it.

Bass. · #6 02-04-2007, 12:00 AM

well i didnt wire anything up. it came with the EMG's. And it only works when: the pickguard is off and i touch the prongs. Otherwise no sound what so ever.

Has this ever happened is there somewhere i should go for more complete answers?

BillyB_from_LZ · #7 02-04-2007, 12:14 AM

We're trying to understand your question. Once that happens, the answers can be offered.

Are your pickups active EMGs? (not EMG Hz or EMG Select)

When you say "touch the prongs" do you mean that you have to push on the outside of the connector on the bottom of the pickup?

Can you post a picture of the part that you have to touch?

Bass. · #8 02-04-2007, 10:22 AM

http://images.google.com/images?q=tb.../03/44_1_b.JPG

the metal ''prong'' that is at the top right. you know? it's the metal piece that touches the cables tip when it's plugged in.

Im not sure of the pickup type( I bought it off of ebay and the guy i got it from is TRIPPIN out that i would dare complain about such a great deal). It does, however, need a 9 volt to power the pickups if that's any help.

xyllion · #9 02-04-2007, 12:19 PM

Sounds like you have a worn out jack. The correct thing to do is replace it with a better quality one, but the quick fix is to just bend the prong in a little bit.

BillyB_from_LZ · #10 02-04-2007, 01:14 PM

If it's like the one in the photo, simply bend the contact for the tip (aka the prong) inward a little bit (as xyllion mentioned). While you're at it, take a pencil eraser and polish the part of the prong that contacts the plug on your cable. That will help improve conductivity a bit by removing some oxidation.

Please let us know if that helps.

Passinwind · #11 02-04-2007, 02:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillyB_from_LZ

If it's like the one in the photo,

That looks like a mono jack, no?

BillyB_from_LZ · #12 02-04-2007, 07:37 PM

Good point...but I don't know that we've established that they're active EMGs yet (rather than Hz or Selects).

Hey Bass.: Does your bass need a battery? Are there two prongs on the jack or just one?

Bass. · #13 02-04-2007, 07:55 PM

the pickups need a battery. but the bass itself is passive! (one vol, one tone)

and yes that jack in the picture is not my jack, i looked it up on google because i do not have a camera. The jack i have has TWO ''prongs'', or contacts? (is that their real name?) .. and it has one Black wire coming from the negative on the battery which then connects to the jack (no solder)...... it's permanent

xyllion · #14 02-04-2007, 08:50 PM

Bend the prongs inward and it should work again.

Bass. · #15 02-04-2007, 10:30 PM

i bent them inward..
i erased them...
and still they only work when i touch Both of them ( i previously thought that it woudl work with me touching only one) if i touch one i get the no ground kind of static and if i touch the other nothing....

but i forgot to mention that only the pickup for the G and the D is having the problem. The E and A pickup seems to work ok

should i just throw in new ones?

Bass. · #16 02-05-2007, 06:57 AM

buy new pickups?

xyllion · #17 02-05-2007, 08:04 AM

Sounds like a bad solder connection. Take the bass to a local technician and have them take a look at it. You aren't going to be able to handle this yourself.

elros · #18 02-05-2007, 09:18 AM

Is the ground wire hooked up? It should be connected to the jack ring .

Bass. · #19 02-05-2007, 11:25 AM

yea everything is wired up.
i looked at a wire diagram from emg and it appears to be set up right

does anyone know; can i just order a jack from emg?

xyllion · #20 02-05-2007, 11:31 AM

You can buy a jack from nearly any music shop in the area, but unless you know what you are doing, it won't do you any good. Honestly, if you can't diagnose this problem then you don't have the knowledge required to fix it. Take the instrument to a music shop and have a technician fix it for you. It should be a quick fix.