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The active pickup on my Sire V7 just died

Afi Scruggs

Afi Scruggs

Guest
Jun 3, 2016
15
9
#1
A year to the day almost from the purchase. It gave out with a large pop. I change batteries but I get nothing. Anyone else had this problem? Any suggestions, other to find a good luthier? Yes, I've contacted Sire. Thanks for all help and suggestions.
 
#2
Blast. Out of warranty? It's not all that hard to replace a pickup if you've got basic soldering skills, and I believe the Sires use the standard sizes. There are lots of great aftermarket pickups, though a stock replacement from Sire will likely be cheaper than the good aftermarket pickups. Oh, and the pickups are passive, the preamp is the active part (otherwise, the passive mode wouldn't work without the battery). So that makes it an easier replacement job. If you're up for trying it, lots of folks here to offer advice.
 
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#3
Also they can be repaired (sounds like it shorted somewhere and may need rewinding), but that's likely to cost more than a replacement.
 
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#5
I'm certainly not an expert but that never stopped me from offering advice before...

As bholder states, the pickups are passive, the preamp is active. It's possible the pickup is bad but probably something else. Loud pop makes me think something shorted. Could be in the jack. Could be something metal rubbed something on a preamp or pot pcb.

Does the other pickup work?
 
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#6
bholder said:
Blast. Out of warranty? It's not all that hard to replace a pickup if you've got basic soldering skills, and I believe the Sires use the standard sizes. There are lots of great aftermarket pickups, though a stock replacement from Sire will likely be cheaper than the good aftermarket pickups. Oh, and the pickups are passive, the preamp is the active part (otherwise, the passive mode wouldn't work without the battery). So that makes it an easier replacement job. If you're up for trying it, lots of folks here to offer advice.
Click to expand...
Thank goodness! I'm not out of warranty yet!
 
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#7
nutdog said:
I'm certainly not an expert but that never stopped me from offering advice before...

As bholder states, the pickups are passive, the preamp is active. It's possible the pickup is bad but probably something else. Loud pop makes me think something shorted. Could be in the jack. Could be something metal rubbed something on a preamp or pot pcb.

Does the other pickup work?
Click to expand...
Yes. it does. It works fine.
 
#10
Sounds more and more like a short in the pickup. Well, Sire seems to have a pretty good track record on warranty service (my impression, haven't needed it myself), though it may take a while. As long as you contacted them before it was out, you should be ok, they normally send the replacement part for free.
 
#13
If it's still under warranty, I wouldn't touch it... if it's out of warranty, look under the hood... When something goes bad at work, the 'pop' is usually followed by arcing, smoke, foul electronics smell... Keep us in the loop, Afi and good luck!
 
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#14
You don't have to worry about me touching it, LOL. I have no soldering skills whatsoever. There wasn't a smell or anything that would suggest a short. I'll keep you all posted when Sire gets back to me. Cause I will call if I don't hear from them. And once again, thanks to all of you for jumping and giving me great advice.
 
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