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Wiring Help - Bartolini NTBT

DigthemLows

DigthemLows

Oct 10, 2003
1,632
1,541
53
Sacramento CA
#1
Re: My first build thread down a ways.....

I got it all set up and there's no sound......just a loud hum and all the pots/jack/everything are amplified except the pickups (if I touch them it clicks through the amp). I'm searching everywhere to figure out where i'm wrong. I'm grounding to a slug in the cavity instead of to the bridge, could this be it? I've tried changing the wires around on the input jack and then in changes to a pulsing hum. The pots are Treble, Bass, Volume, and blend to two pickups. Man what a thrill killer to plug in my first build and have no sound.

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#2
Id try the pups direct to the jack just to make sure they are ok, then test each pot out. I had a similar problem once and it ended up being the blend pot.
 
#6
it looks to me that you don't have the blend pot wired properly, the pickups main leads should be on the center contacts and you have to jump the left term. on the top pot to the right term. on the bottom pot if you are looking at it from the top with the terminals facing away from you. look at the diagram.
 
#8
Forget about the "slug" and connect the ground direct to the sleeve part of the jack (where your black wire coming of the preamp is connected). Try this before you start checking the pickups.

If you still need to check the pickups you connect the live wire coming of the p/up to the tip and ground wire to the sleeve part of your jack.
 
#10
Yes, sleeve to the ground and then connect the slug to the ground on the jack to close the circuit. As it is now your circuit is broken and it sounds as if you've only connected the hot wire coming of your pickups and left the ground disconnected.
 
#11
emils said:
Yes, sleeve to the ground and then connect the slug to the ground on the jack to close the circuit. As it is now your circuit is broken and it sounds as if you've only connected the hot wire coming of your pickups and left the ground disconnected.
Click to expand...

That was exactly the problem. I didn't have the outer sleeve grounded to anything..........I did that and I have a beautiful sounding bass with no hum!!!
 

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