The Electra Forums

pics later, but what did I do wrong here....


I'm getting no sound at all from anything....

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Right now, I don't see it. Are your grounds all connected? If not, you'd get nothing - needs to be ran to the output jack. Also, make sure if shielded that none of your pots are shorted to the shielding, also the string/bridge ground are easy to forget (just things I have done before).

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Thorny

I found one bad solder joint, but I think my error was in the grounding. I'm using an aluminum pick guard and assumed some grounding there...

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Oooooh, yes; please show!!

The pickups have output, yes?? Diagram looks OK to me at first glance, too, so can only assume a dodgy earth or solder joint?

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"... and on the eighth day, God created New Zealanders.

Because even the Australians need heroes."

okay, some may remember this one from Ebay a couple years ago. it had been hacked and cut many times previously. there was a hold cut clear through the control mount face, probably trimming where a control had busted out.

anyway, this was to just be a cheapo budget build to have around in case my son every wanted to give it a try... no go there....

anyway, I picked up a set of no name HBs off eBay. the earlier pics show it with the provided rings which did not fit. it now has a set of flat rings off an Ibanez (perfect fit, though glossy instead of matte, like the original rings (like the center PU ring)

The center PU/ring is original.

got a replacement trem off eBay, and all other electronics from GuitarElectronics.

I decided to just clear the control cavity area all the way through and make a pickguard mount plate. since I'm a lazy ass and didn't want to remove the pups and trem it was a hack job with a saw and chisel, in true junkyard fashion. One issue this revealed was that the angle on the front edge of the body is over top the cavity a bit, so I had to make the guard to have a bend in it to try and cover a little bit.

so anyway, here's where it sits now. will probably get back to the wiring today....

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

loose connection fixed, all grounded up properly, and still nothing....

edit... ahhh.... back in a minute... I believe I found the problem...

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

looks like several problems. I didn't have the correct finishes ties together on the HBs. fixed that, but there seems to be a problem with vol pots. I get sound if I go direct....

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

if I go direct, and have vol pot at 10, I get nothing, but back it off, and I get signal....

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Other things to "make your day" to check out - silly mistakes that we all have made if we have done enough of these. If it is a stupid mistake, I probably have done it at least once and probably many more times than that!

1) check for bad connections (again)
2) check your grounds (again), should all run to a point on the back of one of the pots, and connect them all together as well as the output jack ground, pickup grounds, bridge ground.
3) check for bad components, pots, switches (can do with a meter)
4) make sure pots are not wired backwards - where hot lug and ground lug are switched, with switches
5) make certain no shorts where wire goes through a terminal and touches something else (grounds out)
6) sometimes you can have a fresh set of eyes look at it and they will see a problem you have been overlooking repeatedly (oh yeah, have I done that).

Bring it here and I will let you look at the problem I am having with this '94 fender "The Twin" amp that I have been trying to find for a month! I am thinking of calling a "young priest and an old priest" to exorcise this thing!

I had another amp I built and I looked it over and over and could not find the problem, and gave up and put it on the side of my bench. After having every person that came to my shop ask me about it for a year or so, I dug it out again and dusted it off. I immediately found a missing ground. Sometimes it takes a fresh set of eyes, your own or someone elses. You can be blind to a problem staring at you in the face. With that fender above, it isn't mine, and if I don't dig in and find it I fear I will ruin some goodwill with the customer.

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Thorny

well, I think I just found the culprit. I disconnected the tone pot, and now it's working. however, the volume pots sort of have a cumulative effect...in order to get max volume from the bridge pup, I have to have the other 2 vols maxed. if the neck vol is set to zero, nothing comes through at all.

I'm thinking 3 tones, 1 vol, instead of how I have it set...

thoughts?

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

Yep, kinda what I was thinking, more like the original wiring in that way - makes for simpler wiring with a single volume pot and individual tone pots (or blend pots, or whatever you decide). if you put tone controls though, put them the pickups before the switch or hanging off the switch otherwise you'll get that accumulative effect thing again (but with the tones).

I actually had a note typed up to tell you to put the volume for the middle pickup before the switch turning it on and off (that is how it is for the other two humbuckers). That way they won't react to each other unless they are on together (like a Les Paul).

Good deal! Glad you got it figured out.

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Thorny

I moved the volume before turn on for center like you suggested, and replaced the cap with another new one, and all works now! Thanks!

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My Electra Pages
I have too many projects!

awesome!

Also, black magic marker (or charcoal/graphite color if you can find one) can be used on those chips that are visible around the bridge area. No, it won't look perfect, but it will look a lot better than very white spots of exposed wood. From a few feet away no one will notice. Kind of like touch up paint but with a marker. Easier of black, red, and blue guitars where you have colors that can get pretty close.

If you want to get fancy you can fill in with super glue on top and level it out, and use fine sand paper and rubbing compounds to buff out. Way more trouble than what you might want to do for something like this, but it can work pretty well. It isn't about making it look perfect, it is about making it look a little better. It takes a LOT of time and effort though to do the super glue, sanding and buffing thing - so I only reserve that for guitars that are quite nice except for a ding or two. I have been able to make some spots almost disappear.

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Thorny

For a magic marker, the best I've found is BIC "Tuxedo Black". The Sharpie's leave a faintly purple black, whereas the Tuxedo Black is just straight ahead all black! Trust me, it works a treat.

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"GREAT Googiley moogilie Jack...jumpin jehosephat, hot dang and all".
- jdwhealton

You are absolutely right, sharpie's DO leave a purple-ish hue to them. So I will look that up. Excellent point.

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Thorny