• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

This is odd.

Vics53

Active member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
149
Wanted to check the pickup readings on a few guitars with my multimeter. Got readings on both pickups on my LP just fine. Tried the same on my Epiphone SG, got a reading on the bridge pickup but I can't get a reading on the neck pickup. Rechecked the LP, no problem. Rechecked the SG and got the same result. Plugged the SG in an amp and both pickups work just fine. Rechecked the neck pickup with the mulimeter and no reading. Had a cord into the guitars jack and had the meter probes at the other end of the cord. Red to tip, black to sleeve.

I checked some spare pickups and got readings just fine. Back to the Epi neck pickup and nothing. But again, it works fine through an amp.

What's up with this?
 

Hamerfan

Active member
Joined
Dec 20, 2004
Messages
791
As long as you neck pickups works, no problem. You can reflow all connection including the grounds.
 

gibson-r8

Active member
Joined
Jul 15, 2004
Messages
574
Volume control on that pickup turned up When you tried it?

sometimes the magic works sometimes it doesnt…
 

PaulD

Active member
Joined
Jun 25, 2007
Messages
673
It is possible that a pickup can have a broken wire somewhere in the coil and still output a signal. The 2 separate parts of the coil act as a capacitor which can pass an AC signal but will not pass any DC current (this is what a capacitor does) . When you measure with a multimeter you are measuring DC resistance so if the coil were broken you would get no reading. This will almost certainly have some effect on the sound with the pickup typically sounding thinner an weaker than it would normally.
 

Vics53

Active member
Joined
Jan 21, 2021
Messages
149
It is possible that a pickup can have a broken wire somewhere in the coil and still output a signal. The 2 separate parts of the coil act as a capacitor which can pass an AC signal but will not pass any DC current (this is what a capacitor does) . When you measure with a multimeter you are measuring DC resistance so if the coil were broken you would get no reading. This will almost certainly have some effect on the sound with the pickup typically sounding thinner an weaker than it would normally.
Thanks for the info as I wasn't aware of that. But I can tell you the neck pickup on this guitar is anything but thin and weak. It's a dark, boomey pickup. This guitar is the Epiphone SG Pro which has the push/pull pots for splitting the coils. All works fine on the guitar 98% of the time. I say 98% because on occasion I have problems with the 3 way toggle switch. I'll move from say, the bridge to the neck (or vice versa) and there's no sound. Have to do a quick back and forth on the toggle and then its fine. (Budget guitar, cheap parts! But it plays great!) I kept this in mind when I was checking the pickups with my multimeter. But before to long I'm going to get new pickups and a new wiring harness for this guitar. I'm leaning towards Lindy Fralin's Pure PAF's and an Emerson harness because I've heard good things about both.
 
Top