Most efficient way to test if a pickup is properly installed?

[PNC7]

I'm pretty new to electronics and am working on a P Bass where I installed a Seymour Duncan QP and have a lot of buzzing when treble is turned up, so I'm trying to narrow down the problem (planning on swapping it and trying with another bass if my connections look fine). Is there an accurate way I can test it without reattaching the pick guard and screwing everything in? When I plug in before everything is reattached and secure, I get a variety of buzzing and silence when I touch the pots, or if the pots touch the walls of the cavity, etc. But I'd hate to waste the time reattaching everything over and over and then finding my problem is still there, only to have to unscrew everything again. Any tips or is that just the way it has to be? Thanks!

 

[Zoobiedood]

If you are getting a lot of buzzing, my guess is that there is a cold solder joint to ground somewhere. Make sure all the parts are grounded that should be grounded, and you have the jack wired properly- I've actually done this, and it causes a lot of buzzing. Also try the bass in different rooms in your place, to eliminate any kind of electrical interference from wiring.

 

[PNC7]

If you are getting a lot of buzzing, my guess is that there is a cold solder joint to ground somewhere. Make sure all the parts are grounded that should be grounded, and you have the jack wired properly- I've actually done this, and it causes a lot of buzzing. Also try the bass in different rooms in your place, to eliminate any kind of electrical interference from wiring.

Is there a good way to test the bass without fully screwing everything back in? Or is that the only way to really know how it's gonna sound?

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I use a tuning fork. Tap it on the edge of the workbench and hold it close over the pickup. The pickup thinks it's a string, and you should get a nice clear A out of the output jack. That's how I test harnesses before they go into the bass, making sure the volume and tone controls work.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I'm pretty new to electronics and am working on a P Bass where I installed a Seymour Duncan QP and have a lot of buzzing when treble is turned up, so I'm trying to narrow down the problem (planning on swapping it and trying with another bass if my connections look fine). Is there an accurate way I can test it without reattaching the pick guard and screwing everything in? When I plug in before everything is reattached and secure, I get a variety of buzzing and silence when I touch the pots, or if the pots touch the walls of the cavity, etc. But I'd hate to waste the time reattaching everything over and over and then finding my problem is still there, only to have to unscrew everything again. Any tips or is that just the way it has to be? Thanks!

Put some electrical tape around the pots to prevent any contact with the shielding. If the bass is working fine other than a hum that stops when you touch the pots/strings/bridge, your bass just needs some shielding. If the hum only stops when you touch the pots and nothing else, it is likely a grounding issue with the pots.

 

[Zoobiedood]

The tuning fork thing works, but so does tapping on the pickups with a screwdriver (lightly). However, you won't hear the tone of the pickups that way. You can, however, test if the pickup is working and hear if there is any background noise when you crank it up. Otherwise, you gotta put it all back together and play it.