• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

P Bass wiring Hell

J

J33pman

Nov 13, 2007
6
0
Albany, NY
nusence.org
#1
I have a Squier P bass that I bought not long ago. And I rewired it last night to update the old wiring and put in new pots and now it doesn't work. I used the wiring diagram from Seymour Duncan for my SPB-3 pickups. But upon further research i found two different wiring diagrams from duncan. I'm not sure which one I need to use .


This is how I am wired now ( the first diagram)
http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/basslines/501030-100.pdf


and this is the other diagram I found from Duncan

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I also don't know if i put the pickups back together correctly, they should be wired in series right?


thanks in advance,

Bill
 
#4
I've have given up wiring pots since I found Rothstein Guitars. I just got a JX5 prewired assembly with the rotary switch which sounds great. Even the individual pickups played by themselves sound better through his assembly. Looking to build a precision and plan to use his wired series-parallel P assembly with the mid scoop upgrade. At first I thought his assembly was pricy. But after installing and playing it, I can't wait to try the P assembly in my next project.

http://www.guitar-mod.com/rg_prewired.html
 
#5
How can they be the same, they show the capacitor wired into different locations, and the positive side of the pickup linked to a different spot as well,
also shows the pickups themselves wired differently (I don't know if this makes a difference)
am i wrong here?

never the less i will double check all connections
 
#6
J33pman said:
How can they be the same, they show the capacitor wired into different locations, and the positive side of the pickup linked to a different spot as well, also shows the pickups themselves wired differently (I don't know if this makes a difference)
am i wrong here?

never the less i will double check all connections
Click to expand...

They are essentially the same. The tone control is wired up slightly differently on one. use this one.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/images/products/basslines/501030-100.pdf

A P bass is the most basic of wirings. Just check your wires carefully, or take it to a repairman.
 
#8
If you think the wiring plans are different from one another on those sites you might not really understand how they work. It would be a good thing if you put a picture of your wiring then we could see what you've done wrong.

P.S.

In a p-bass since there is only one pick-up it doesn't matter wich wire you use positive or negative.

As for tha capacitor place on the second pot: A pot is just a variable resistance, it won't change anything wheter you solder the cap to one prong or the other, as long as you use the same 2 prongs as on the wiring schematics.

edit:

You've written that the pick-ups themselves are wired differently, I hope for you that you did not separate the two halves of the pick-up, the small wires of the coils inside each pickups are soldered in the same solder joints as the big wire that joins the two halves of the pick-ups if you unsoldered anything directly at the pick up there is a chance you screwed something...

As I said post pictures of YOUR wiring, there is certainly something you did wrong at one point or the other,
 
#10
JustOpenYourMind said:
You've written that the pick-ups themselves are wired differently, I hope for you that you did not separate the two halves of the pick-up, the small wires of the coils inside each pickups are soldered in the same solder joints as the big wire that joins the two halves of the pick-ups if you unsoldered anything directly at the pick up there is a chance you screwed something...
Click to expand...

I did resolder the wires on the pickups themselves - it had been done before with old wire and i wanted to update it. I did not know that the coil wires were on the same solder joints - I will check this tonight or tomorrow when i get a chance - If its no good I'll post my wiring pics.
 
#12
What you could do is remove the plastic cover around the pick-ups you'd be left with the coils of wire around the magnets.

After that, check every solder joint on the pick-up there should be two by halves of the pick ups, in each joint you should have the big wire coming through the hole in the solder joint and a very small, usually red about the size of a hair, wire from the coil thats is caught in solder.

Before when changing pick-ups I unsoldered directly at the pick-ups as I found it to be easier since you don't have to remove th pickguard. But once when doing that I broke the wire coming from the coil and just never was able to resolder it.

Those wire are very fragile and coated in varnish, so if this happened to you good luck resoldering it.

Bottom line, P-bass pick-ups come with wires and are already soldered together, you should never unsolder the wires directly at the pick-ups or separate them.
 
#13
Before when changing pick-ups I unsoldered directly at the pick-ups as I found it to be easier since you don't have to remove th pickguard. But once when doing that I broke the wire coming from the coil and just never was able to resolder it.

Those wire are very fragile and coated in varnish, so if this happened to you good luck resoldering it.

Bottom line, P-bass pick-ups come with wires and are already soldered together, you should never unsolder the wires directly at the pick-ups or separate them.
Click to expand...

I got back into it last night after taking a few days off from it. It would appear that the coil wire came off from my soldering heat. I spent some time trying to solder it but apparently I am not making a good connection. I guess we can't always learn things the easy way. This one is gonna cost me about $60 or so for a new set of Duncan SPB-3's

Thank you for your help.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back