Wiring problem???

[Big Fat Sammy]

Here's the deal...I play a Tele, with the two standard pickups...

The height of the pickups are fairly the same, the bridge PU is slightly louder when playing through an amp, but thats no prob.

But whenever I plug it in direct to the board, the bridge pickup (and middle position) is MUCH louder, and the neck PU is really thin sounding and not nearly as loud.

Anyone know why this is?

[ELVIS]

Something is wrong with your neck pickup...

[Big Fat Sammy]

Why does it sound right through the amp though?

And could it be the neck PU connection to the selector switch?

[ELVIS]

Could be, but through a board or the clean channel of an amp, the neck pickup should be slightly louder than the neck pickup...

If you have an ohm meter, measure the resistance of each pickup...

[Big Fat Sammy]

Its totally different through the board than the clean channel of the amp... thats whats weird about it.

Through the amp the bridge is only slightly louder...but what you are saying is that the neck should be louder anyway? Even with both PU at the same height?

[ELVIS]

Yeah, the neck pickup should be slightly louder with alot more bass and low end...

[BrownSound1]

Be sure all of the EQ is set flat (no boost or cut) on the board and on the amp. On the amp put everything at 12 o'clock.

I don't know that the neck pickup is really supposed to be louder...but you'll have a more full range of frequencies with it in that position. This will make it "appear" to be louder, when in fact it really isn't...sort of like a loudness switch on a stereo.

[Big Fat Sammy]

I understand the neck has a wider range...I use the neck PU for ALL the clean tones and most of the disto ones.

Tomorrow I will try running it direct through my board w/ the eq flat to see what happens...but I'm sure it will be the same, because I recall the same problem when recording direct to the PC.

I bet the reason that it doesn't sound like that much of a difference through the amp is because of like you said the wider range... and also EQing the amp solely for the neck PU may have something to do with it.

[Nitro Express]

On a standard Telecaster the neck pickup is smaller with less windings than the bridge pickup; therefore, it's magnetic field and output are probably less.

Remember an amplifier puts that smaller pickup signal through a series of amplification stages and shapes the sound. Pickups will sound different through different amplifiers due to the difference in circutry.

The sound board might not be shaping the sound or boosting the signal the same. You might use a pre amp like a DOD 250 peddle or try tweaking the EQ.

Guitars are funny things. Some will sound good through one rig and shitty through another. My advice is use what sounds the best and just accept the guitars voodoo. You can drive yourself crazy asking "why?". LOL!

[Diamondjimi]

I would try reducing the height of the louder pickup. Play the guitar in a few different scenarios (louder volume toggling between clean and dirty channels.)switching between pickups and adjust accordingly.
Although, dropping a pickups height too much will make the pickup suseptable to extranios noises because of the lack of string signal.....

[Hardrock69]

Originally posted by ELVIS
Could be, but through a board or the clean channel of an amp, the neck pickup should be slightly louder than the neck pickup...




Oh..I see.....the neck pickup should be louder than the neck pickup...

It is clear as mud now...

;)

:D