1975 Precison tone pot acts strange

[Mutzel]

I just bought a 1975 P. The tone pot doesn´t work properly, fully closed the sound is there with all treble, when I open it up it gets softer in volume. ?

The pots and all soldering are original so I´m asking what this could be before I start working on it... Thanks!

 

[BaileyMan]

I'm sure others will chime in with more authority, but it sounds like it may need be rewired, resoldered, maybe new tone capacitor. Should be an easy fix. I'm guessing that it would be helpful if you could post pics of the wiring.

 

[Mutzel]

Sure, here´s a pic of the wiring.

 

[mcontour]

Looks to me like the hot lead from the pickup is attached to the wrong location. It should be tied to the lead on the volume pot that is closest to you in the photo.

Also....does the tone pot have a connection to ground? Can't tell from the picture.

 

[byacey]

It looks like the only ground for the tone control is through the case / bushing and the foil tape on the cover. I wouldn't rely on that foil tape.

 

[sissy kathy]

As @mcontour said that pickup hot wire pot is connected improperly. Move the white coming from the pickup to the outer tab of the vol pot with the white wire that is there now (so you have 2 white wires there) and connect the cap to the tab you just took the pickup wire from (looks like it might be there now.) You would benefit from a proper ground as @byacey suggests.

Right now you have the pickup signal feeding that outside tab on the tone, it then feeds through the pot to the other white wire and then to the vol pot. You don't want the entire signal feeding through that pot. You only want the treble signal you are trying to cut going through there, so you short the two white wires together (on the outer lug at the vol.) When you attach the cap to the other lug the pot and cap act as a gate to send the highs to ground.

 

[Mutzel]

Thanks guys! I only moved the white PU lead to the vol. pot and that´s it.

The tone pot´s mass is connected with the foil only, but it works. Typical Fender 70s cost cut getting away with it stuff.

 

[96tbird]

Never a bad idea to add a ground wire from the jack to the pots when under the hood of a Fender.