Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: jalevinemd on January 02, 2009, 11:22:28 PM
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I just noticed that on Big Stubby, the bridge pickup sounds more like I'd expect the neck to and vice versa. I don't know why I never noticed this before. Anyone else experience something similar? I think I did a trim pot adjustment awhile back for a touch added gain to the neck. I don't know why this would account for the tonal differences, though. There's no gain discrepancy between the two. It's almost as if the controls are wired to the wrong pickup. I love the sounds I get...it's just a bit disorienting.
Thoughts?
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Click on the pickups with a metal screwdriver (very gently) and that will tell you which one is on for each switch position. Some instruments do set up the switches backwards from the way I'd want.
Edwin
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A neat little alternative to clicking with a screwdriver is to hold a vibrating tuning fork over the pickup. You'll get a VERY obvious signal and no chance of scratching the pickup covers.
Bill, tgo
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Thanks...I'm going to pick up a tuning fork this week. Guess it really doesn't make a difference if the pickups are wired opposite so long as I remember which switch is for which pickup...right?
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Jonathan:
It's very easy to swap pickups in the Alembic circuit as the pickups are plug-in rather than soldered. So IF yours are switched AND you'd rather have them the other way, it's basically a simple 10 minute procedure. No anesthesia required! lol
Bill, tgo
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Simply unplug the the pickups from their preamp connections and switch them. Preamps are on the filter pots. Check the Skylark control cavity in the FAQ section for a quick view. Very easy to fix if they have been mixed up.
T
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As Bill just said...
T
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And grasp the housing, not the wires.
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Check.
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Check is good. I also take cash.
hehehehe
Bill, tgo
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Oy!
If the snow stops, I'm going to pick up the tuning fork today.
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Existential question time... Does it matter which pickup is doing what as long as you're getting the tones you want?
If you wish the controls were swapped, just swap them and don't worry about what goes with what.
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Finally picked up the tuning fork. I sat there for a bit, like a dumb-ass, holding the thing over the pickup waiting for something magical to happen. Then I realized I had to strike the tuning fork first!
Long story short...the pickups are backwards.
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Chicken-and-egg situation perhaps, but I would suggest that it's the wiring that is backwards, not the pickups.
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Or it could be that the pickups are properly placed, but the guitar is facing the wrong way!
Bill, tgo
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Your belly would be in the way, so that's a mute point. ;-)
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Now, what if I want to adjust the pre-amp or selector switch trim pots? Would they be the opposite of the wiring diagrams?
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Your report is only about the switch operation. We need to learn more.
Turn both pickups on with the switches.
With the tuning form over the bridge pickup, does the proper volume control and the frequency control affect the bridge pickup? This will tell
us if the pickups are plugged into the proper preamp/filter.
Here's a roadmap of what I think the controls should be doing:
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/60365.jpg)
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This is how they actually are...
(http://club.alembic.com/Images/394/60381.jpg)
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Just reverse the pickup plugs and everything will be great and match my should be map. You can do this yourself in a few minutes like Bill said. Follow Dave's advice as well - don't yank the wires, use the housings on the connectors. Needle node pliers will work well if you can't get your mitts in there.