Help! Why doesn't my bass work??

[CBAnaesthesia]

Hey there,
I've been building a bass for the past little while, and finally got to doing the electronics. I've got a Precision neck pickup and a Musicman-style bridge pickup, both by Wilkinson. I did a little research and found that the Precision is color coded the same as a Fender (white hot, black ground) and the Musicman is the same code as a Duncan (black to switch, red and white to each other, and yellow ground). I wanted these wired to a 3-way DPDT switch, a master volume, and a tone pot. I got it all hooked up how I THOUGHT was right.... and nothing but hum. Can someone please tell me what's wrong with how I have it wired? Thanks.

 

[PilbaraBass]

that looks ok...should work if you did what you wrote...

however, you do realise that if you bought an on/off/on 3-way then the middle position is OFF (no sound)

the way it's wired, however, if you used an on/on/on 3-way (hard to find, but available), then the middle position should be both pickups in parallel...

EDIT: actually, had a second look...while everything I said is true...the volume pickup should be wired so that the wire to the tone pot and the wire to the switch are switched

like this:

left lug --->tone pot middle lug (tone pot wiper)
middle lug (wiper) ----> switch common
right lug ---> ground

 

[Sir Edward V]

For the most part, DPDT switches aren't 3-way, which is why they are called DPDT (dual pole, dual throw) you would need to get one of those 3 way switched they use in, say, les paul guitars

but if you had a DPDT, then theoritically it should work, in one mode it would be one pickup, then the other

check your wiring

 

[Baleen]

Since the wiring looks basically correct, I would start by connecting the pickups directly and solely to the output jack to confirm their functionality, and then add back in the other components one at a time until you find what's wrong. Good luck.

 

[markdavid]

Maybe a case of needing to shield the pups

 

[Searcy]

They are humbucking pickups. There's not much chance that the problem is caused by the pickup shielding. I get this same question about 3 times a month from new builders. 90% of the time the output jack is wired backwards. Many folks don't know that they can be wired backwards but if your getting more noise then signal this is likely the cause. I would start there. Make sure your jack is wired like this.