LTD EC-1000 wiring issue

Steven M.Steven M.
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    Steven M.

    So my volume pot for the bridge pickup isn't producing any distortion, even with the amp volume turned all the way up I only get a little sound.  What caused this: I was rewiring the white wire coming from the channel selector that attaches to the bridge volume pot.  I cut this wire without realizing that it was a wire inside a wire. So, I carefully stripped the inner and outer wires separately and reattached them EXACTLY where they were before I cut the wire.  Now, I have this issue where I get barely any sound.  Weirdly enough, before I did all this my neck pickup was not producing any sound at all, that channel was completely dead.  Now, it works but only when you strike the strings hard (like you have to jolt that neck pickup awake).  I did not touch anything besides the bridge volume pot.  In the soldering process, I burnt the black wire connecting the two volume pickups a little, but not down to bare wire, so I'm not sure if that has an affect.  Attached are two pictures, one of everything and one of just the bridge volume pot.  Very confused and would appreciate help, thanks!  

     

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    Pushead
    Pushead wrote



    Eek.

    The original problem is the switch in the guitar. Re-soldering the connections to the switch usually solves the issue (for a while, anyway). ESP/LTD has had this issue for years. Especially when combined with EMG pickups, for some reason.

    Now to the current situation; it looks like even with your repaired wiring, you didn't leave enough of the plastic coating around the inner wire (pickup lead/hot signal) and it's making contact with the outer wiring (ground/Earth) which is shorting out the signal. Look at how the same white wire connects to the neck pot, and make it look like that.

    You'd also benefit from removing the part of the wire that was connected to the pot before you cut it. It's just that it can cause more grounding issues than you need.

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      Steven M.
      Steven M. wrote

      Thanks for replying. I think there is enough wire between the inner and outer hot wire, (they aren't touching at all I checked) I attached a closer picture of it. When you say resolder the wires to the switch, which switch are you talking about?

       

       

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        Pushead
        Pushead wrote



        This is probably ok, but in general, you'd like to have as little of the lead exposed as possible to reduce the noise/interference in the signal and also the chance for it to come into contact with the ground.

        The switch I'm speaking of is the pickup selector switch.

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          Steven M.
          Steven M. wrote

          Ok. so I finally received the new wiring for the bridge pickup and installed it (the issue wound up being that I pulled the quick connect out of the pickup to try and get more slack for the coax wire because I cut it too short!! So I wound up with not enough wire). I have sound back in the pickup and everything is wired up correct.  However, when I touch the pickup I get a loud, consistent buzz as well as when I touch the channel selector.  With the selector, I think I know the issue.  I re-soldered it as you suggested (this was before I discovered the issue was the pickup wire got disconnected) and accidentally burnt the orange-ish tabs separating each channel a little bit (I'm not sure what these tabs are called or what material they are) -- could this cause it to buzz? But with the pickup, I am not sure why it would be buzzing, the sound coming out is just as it was before, and only when I physically touch the pickup (and channel selector) do I get a buzz -- could it be a grounding issue? Maybe I have to clean up the soldering I did better?.  Other than that, both are tight and the rest of the electrical connections are good.  Thanks for your help!

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            Pushead
            Pushead wrote

            It sounds like a grounding issue, but usually touching the pickup makes the buzz go away, not the other way around. I'd double check all the connections and make sure the connection on the pickup itself is correct (not upside down.)

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