Chabenda
Thanks Alan,
I took my multi-meter home and got to work. There is continuity between the pole pieces, earth and positive. It looks like the windings have shorted. I'm not complaining, I got it second hand back in the '80's and as I stated earlier, the climatic conditions here are quite harsh so it has been sweated on profusely. Certainly something for me to bear in mind as I am quite lackadaisical when it comes to cleaning it after the gig!
My next challenge is to replace it. I am going to get another SD pickup for my Jazzmaster at the same time. What I am considering doing is paying in the US by Debit card and having a courier collect them and send them here. The courier charges will probably exceed the value of the parts but fortunately I can afford it (my kids are finally earning their own salaries!).
Just by the way, I have a couple of generic Telecaster bridges (6 saddle) lying around if anyone needs them. They're a little bit relicced but free to a good home. I can transport FOC to JHB or Cape Town.
Cheers,
Chabenda
AlanRatcliffe
It's a fairly common problem for guys who sweat a lot or play in venues/climates that make 'em sweat. Some pickup builders lacquer their polepieces to help protect against/slow down rusting.
But yeah - ordering from overseas is fairly common for those who don't have access to local distribution. Otherwise I can put you in touch with someone here in SA (or as I said before, even organise you one myself and send it to you). Your call.
Chabenda
I have a Cool Rail coming from a forum member to replace the late Quarter Pounder. I'm excited!!
One question though - The QP was a reverse wound pick up that I connected the other way around - white wire to earth and black to switch. It worked very well in "Series" (?) with my front and middle pickups. I am using an original, but rewired, three way switch using the volume control for the neck and bridge pick ups, the first tone control as a volume control for the middle pick up, the second as a master tone and the three way switch configured like an SG/LP.
Would the reverse polarity pick up connected ar*e about face have made any discernible difference to the sound?? - in particular when combined with the front or middle pick up. Will my new/2nd hand pick up, assuming it is normal polarity and connected normally, work in the same manner (accepting that it is a different model)???
???
AlanRatcliffe
OK. So you basically had your QP out of phase with the other two pickups as RW (reverse wound) is also RP (reverse polarity - magnet), so the output is not usually out of phase with other pickups) unless you swap the polarity by swapping the hot and cold outputs - as you did.
With the Cool Rails, to do the same you would wire the red and white together and tape them off (unless you are going to use a coil cut too). Then black (Hot) would go to the back of the pot (ground), while the green (cold) would go to the switch (output). If you don't like the result, swap the black and green.
BTW, unless you have some pretty fancy switching, your two pickups together sounds on a strat are always in parallel, not series.
Chabenda
Thanks Alan, I recall from the distant past that wiring the black to earth and the white to the switch had an awful effect on the sound, hence my wiring it the other way around (and wrongly assuming that Seymour Duncan wire colour coding was back to front). If I had had a normal polarity pick up and wired it conventionally, would it have given me the same sound as the reverse polarity, reverse magnet pick up wired 'backwards'? In particular when used in conjunction with serial connected, normal polarity neck and middle pick ups.
Thank you for the parallel clarification.
???
AlanRatcliffe
Ears are the best way to go with these things - if it sounds right to you, it is.
...now a dim recess of my brain is stirring and telling me the polarity of the rails might be reversed to the normal single coils - to make them the same phase as humbuckers (which are traditionally reversed in relation to Fender pickups). I know DiMarzio does this with their rails-type pups (but not with their stacked noiseless single-coils).
So yeah, ears should be the ultimate arbiter. I'd still start with the way your other SD was wired though, and see what happens...
Chabenda
I am assuming that the Cool Rail will be have standard polarity wiring and so will connect it accordingly. I can hardly wait - my Telecaster doesn't sound so great through the Cube.
Chabenda
Right, my second hand SD Cool Rail from Cde. Marksmusic arrived and has been fitted. The wiring was a lot easier to understand this time around thanks to the internet and some very clear instructions from the Seymour Duncan site - especially regarding reversing the connections for a Fender Strat. It wasn't that easy when I fitted the Quarter Pounder back in the '90s.
The sound is obviously different, I think that I preferred the old Quarter Pounder but have not had a chance to test it in a 'band' setting yet - I get to do that tonight! A 4 to 5 hour extravaganza of C&W backing tracks ☹ Free beer and burgers though! Hell yeah!
I am quite impressed with its interaction with the other pickups but on its own it sounds weird, definitely 'bucker. I'm looking forward to cranking through a loud pedal!
Later ek se.
Chabenda
Well, it's not what I'm looking for. It's great for lead but too thick and dead for the rhythm sound that I want. Chicken picking comes out sounding muddy. The Quarter Pounder still had a fair single coil sound. If I was playing heavier music and plenty of harder lead it would be perfect. I know that there is the option of the coil tap but that will involve changing a pot or adding a switch and the result will be neither fish nor fowl. Nah, it's a new Quarter Pounder that I need!
