J-Retro Deluxe: which wire to which lug?

[JimmyTheSaint]

I'm not an electronics expert. The instructions included with my new J-Retro Deluxe, which are the same as at the manufacturer's web site at http://www.east-uk.com/jrhome.htm are ambiguous to me. I'm trying to install into a Fender American Deluxe Jazz. I believe I have figured out what all I need to do, except I can't determine what lug gets what wire.

Looking at the J-Retro Deluxe's bell plate edge-on at the top of the bell with the knobs on top, I see two rows of three lugs each. I conclude from the docs that the top row is the neck pickup. So that's:

top (neck): 1 2 3
bottom (bridge): 1 2 3

So the six lugs are top-1, top-2, top-3, bottom-1, bottom-2, bottom-3. My leads are: neck-hot, neck-ground, bridge-hot, bridge-ground. Can someone specify which lug matches up with each lead?

[John East]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheSaint

I'm not an electronics expert. The instructions included with my new J-Retro Deluxe, which are the same as at the manufacturer's web site at http://www.east-uk.com/jrhome.htm are ambiguous to me. I'm trying to install into a Fender American Deluxe Jazz. I believe I have figured out what all I need to do, except I can't determine what lug gets what wire.

Looking at the J-Retro Deluxe's bell plate edge-on at the top of the bell with the knobs on top, I see two rows of three lugs each. I conclude from the docs that the top row is the neck pickup. So that's:

top (neck): 1 2 3
bottom (bridge): 1 2 3

So the six lugs are top-1, top-2, top-3, bottom-1, bottom-2, bottom-3. My leads are: neck-hot, neck-ground, bridge-hot, bridge-ground. Can someone specify which lug matches up with each lead?

I can help you on this, but I'm not sure where you're getting six input connections on the pre. There are 4, which match the number of wires.

* In the diagram, there are two pairs of wires, a black and a white for each pickup input.

* Upper pair for neck pickup and lower pair for bridge.

(Please take a closer look at your pre to confirm)

If you're still stuck, pm me so we can take care of things, maybe I could call you to talk you through it?

John

[JimmyTheSaint]

Originally Posted by John East

I can help you on this, but I'm not sure where you're getting six input connections on the pre. There are 4, which match the number of wires.
John

You're not going to believe this, but your login id and location look just like the manufacturer's!

FYI, the diagram included, entitled "Installing the J-RETRO 01" is not a diagram of a Deluxe, so that doesn't boost an amateur installer's confidence.

The diagram shows an upper pair and a lower pair of soldered connections which I would assume correspond to the lugs I need to attach my leads to. Both pairs are oriented vertically. On my unit, there are two sets of three horizontally oriented lugs as in this photo:

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3...odeluxemd8.jpg

lug top-1 has a black wire attached that goes into a gray plastic part below it. A red wire goes into the other end of that gray plastic part.
lug top-2 has a brown wire
lug top-3 is empty

lug bottom-1 has a wire attached going directly into the gray plastic part right below it
lug bottom-2 has an orange wire attached
lug bottm-3 is empty

The side view of my unit is at:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5...deluxe2rt6.jpg

It shows two pairs of vertically oriented solder spots, but at the opposite end of what's shown in the "Installing the J-RETRO 01" instructions. The top connection has a brown wire, the next has a red wire, the next has an orange wire, and the bottom has no wire.

So you see, the Deluxe unit differs significantly from the diagram of the non-deluxe unit described in the provided installation instructions.

The brown lead goes to lug top-2
The orange lead goes to lug bottom-2
The red lead appears to go into the two gray plastic parts, out of which come wires that go to lugs top-1 and bottom-1. I'd conclude that this is ground, but making ground red isn't user friendly. I'd then conclude that the brown lead is neck-hot and the orange lead is bridge-hot. Using brown for hot isn't user friendly.

[John East]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheSaint

You're not going to believe this, but your login id and location look just like the manufacturer's!

FYI, the diagram included, entitled "Installing the J-RETRO 01" is not a diagram of a Deluxe, so that doesn't boost an amateur installer's confidence.

The diagram shows an upper pair and a lower pair of soldered connections which I would assume correspond to the lugs I need to attach my leads to. Both pairs are oriented vertically. On my unit, there are two sets of three horizontally oriented lugs as in this photo:

http://img219.imageshack.us/img219/3...odeluxemd8.jpg

lug top-1 has a black wire attached that goes into a gray plastic part below it. A red wire goes into the other end of that gray plastic part.
lug top-2 has a brown wire
lug top-3 is empty

lug bottom-1 has a wire attached going directly into the gray plastic part right below it
lug bottom-2 has an orange wire attached
lug bottm-3 is empty

The side view of my unit is at:
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/5...deluxe2rt6.jpg

It shows two pairs of vertically oriented solder spots, but at the opposite end of what's shown in the "Installing the J-RETRO 01" instructions. The top connection has a brown wire, the next has a red wire, the next has an orange wire, and the bottom has no wire.

So you see, the Deluxe unit differs significantly from the diagram of the non-deluxe unit described in the provided installation instructions.

The brown lead goes to lug top-2
The orange lead goes to lug bottom-2
The red lead appears to go into the two gray plastic parts, out of which come wires that go to lugs top-1 and bottom-1. I'd conclude that this is ground, but making ground red isn't user friendly. I'd then conclude that the brown lead is neck-hot and the orange lead is bridge-hot. Using brown for hot isn't user friendly.

(Look just like the manufacturer's! )

* Your first pic shows the passive tone pot which does have 6 lugs but you don't attach your pickups there.

* As you say:

It shows two pairs of vertically oriented solder spots, but at the opposite end of what's shown in the "Installing the J-RETRO 01" instructions.

If you turn it over, it will match the diagram, and you'll see 4 pins to attach the pickups to. You're viewing the pre from the wrong side, that's all. Looking at the component side, you'll see the input pins just to the left of volume/blend stack pot, which is a green block about 3/8" square. The two blue gain trim preset adjusters are just below it.

FYI, the diagram included, entitled "Installing the J-RETRO 01" is not a diagram of a Deluxe, so that doesn't boost an amateur installer's confidence.

Having oriented the pre to match the diagram you should see that the input wiring matches. If the unit is new, you should also another sheet entitled "RETRO 01 Wiring & Gain Adjustment", which illustrates the input connections too. It might clearer to look at that.

If you don't have all the diagrams they're on my website or I can email PDFs to you.

John

[JimmyTheSaint]

OK, thanks, I see I was driving on the wrong side of the road.

I hooked it up as specified, with one exception: my active Jazz ties all its grounds to one place, so I used a wire coming out of that one place and attached it to the cold pin of the bridge pickup, leaving neck-cold empty. Another ground lead also goes to the input jack.

The result is that passive mode works (I also verified the bridge only switch), but only when there's no battery installed. Active mode never works. By not working I mean dead silence. Battery is good, I double checked all connections. Any clue as to the error?

[John East]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheSaint

OK, thanks, I see I was driving on the wrong side of the road.

I hooked it up as specified, with one exception: my active Jazz ties all its grounds to one place, so I used a wire coming out of that one place and attached it to the cold pin of the bridge pickup, leaving neck-cold empty. Another ground lead also goes to the input jack.

The result is that passive mode works (I also verified the bridge only switch), but only when there's no battery installed. Active mode never works. By not working I mean dead silence. Battery is good, I double checked all connections. Any clue as to the error?

* The unit is designed, ideally, to have each pickup connected to its own pair of pins.

* As supplied new, there is a black ground wire from the jack, to connect any other grounds, such as the bridge.

** (Wired as you have it should still work.)

* It should work in passive with and without the battery.

* As supplied new, with a Switchcraft jack and battery clip wired to the unit, it should just function as is.


- Have you re-wired the jack or connected the retro wires to the jack already in the bass?

[JimmyTheSaint]

I also tried attaching the ground to the other ground pin. My next move might be to go through the trouble of separating the two pickup grounds and attaching them separately, but if either of the two configs I just tried should have worked, then the problem still needs to be traced.

I removed the stock jack entirely and am using the entire J-Retro assembly. I didn't rewire the jack. I attached the black ground wire from the J-Retro jack to a lead from the collection of ground wires inside the Jazz.

I note that the black wire from the battery does not attach to the inner ring of the Switchcraft jack, where the ground attaches to. I might have thought the battery's black wire was ground and so would connect to the inner ring.

Given that passive mode quits as soon as a battery's installed, what error might that be a symptom of?

[John East]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheSaint

I also tried attaching the ground to the other ground pin. My next move might be to go through the trouble of separating the two pickup grounds and attaching them separately, but if either of the two configs I just tried should have worked, then the problem still needs to be traced.

I removed the stock jack entirely and am using the entire J-Retro assembly. I didn't rewire the jack. I attached the black ground wire from the J-Retro jack to a lead from the collection of ground wires inside the Jazz.

I note that the black wire from the battery does not attach to the inner ring of the Switchcraft jack, where the ground attaches to. I might have thought the battery's black wire was ground and so would connect to the inner ring.

Given that passive mode quits as soon as a battery's installed, what error might that be a symptom of?

Looking straight ahead at the jack, with the thread down and the tags towards you:

* The black battery wire should be connected, on its own, to the LH tag.

* Green wire from the pre and black ground wire, to the middle tag.

* Orange wire to the RH tag.

So it's a brand new unit?

As for what's happening when the battery is connected, that's hard to say. It's probably something obvious when you see it, these things tend to be.

Is there any chance the jack could short when it's in place. Try removing the jack socket from the bass and plug the jack into it while it's free just on the wires.

I'm trying to understand what might cause the problem you're experiencing, but nothing springs to mind immediately.

Anything else you can add, which might be a clue?

[JimmyTheSaint]

Thanks for helping. I've PM'ed you more info.

[JimmyTheSaint]

Followup: thanks to John East's help via private messaging, I got the J-Retro up and running very quickly several weeks ago. I have now bought a U-Retro to install in another bass.

[John East]

Originally Posted by JimmyTheSaint

Followup: thanks to John East's help via private messaging, I got the J-Retro up and running very quickly several weeks ago. I have now bought a U-Retro to install in another bass.

Very good!

John