Pickup (or selector) problem

[TequilaSunrise]

Lately I've been having some problems with my Epiphone SG which is about 7 months old. Sometimes when I am playing using the bridge pickup, the sound suddenly goes off completely, like I'm playing it unplugged. When I switch to neck, the sound comes back and when I switch back to bridge, sometimes the sound comes back, sometime it doesn't. I've tried some ways to 'remedy' it like opening the backcover to clean the pickup selector (which I think is the problem), shaking the guitar when the sound goes off, everything but it still comes back!

Anyone else have had this problem and found a way to fix it??

 

[HarrisonYeo]

could be loose wiring.

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

if its really the 3 way toggle switch giving the problem, temporary measure like cleaning it (with contact cleaner) will only solve the problem for a while

To prevent the hassle of kept having to clean the thingy, just get a new 3 way toggle switch and find a geetar tech to rewire the thing for you. The stock epi electronic parts usually one of the most common complain for its failure after a while

 

[RyanZ]

It could be wiring problem. Open up the plate to see the condition of the bridge pickup soldering. My last encounter was I did not solder properly which caused the wires not to be in contact with the pickup selector. If you have a soldering iron and soldering skills, you can DIY. Otherwise bring your guitar to someone like Mike (Standard Value) to solve your problem

 

[AzNjT]

Wiring and/or Toggle switch.

m pretty sure pickups are fine.

 

[TequilaSunrise]

Thanks for the help guys, I'll open up the plate to check the soldering again and update you guys, hopefully I can get this thing fixed cause its sooooo annoying!

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

if you have a multimeter, use it to check for continuity between solder points. It will be easier to pinpoint where the problem lies..

 

[PatheinRaindropMoe]

oh, if wanna check your pickup whether is it working, you can try the following for fast check

the epi stock pickup shud have 2 wires coming out from it, one ground, one hot(positive/signal). Take an instrument cable, chop off the plug on one end, exposed the wire, you will have a ground and a positive, connect the cable ground to the pickup wire ground and the cable positive wire to the pickup positive wire.

Once done, plug this cable(the other end with the plug) into the amp. If the pickup is working, you shud hear amplified sound as you use anything metallic to tap on the pickup.

disclaimer:heh, the above wont caused pain or injuries if done wrongly. But if not sure whats going on, best not to try. I shall not be held responsible for any damage.

 

[aero_91]

my epi lp ultra also had this problem.i found out that the wire connecting to the volume pot for the treble pickup is not in contact at all.i got quite pissed so i just switched the pickups to SDs.if you got it from sweelee, i think u can send it back and they will fix it for you, provided u still have your receipt with you.sweelee provides 1 year warranty on such stuff

 

[TequilaSunrise]

Haha, I'm not so confident of my electric wiring skills so I think I'll give that step a miss =) I did think of changing the pickups to SDs too, but I think I'll send it to sweelee sometime soon to get the pickup selector fixed first, hoho. Hopefully that will solve the problem

 

[relinquish69]

imho you should get an electronics overhaul if you are using epiphone guitars. their electronics tend to spoil very quickly. it is a very common problem in epiphone guitars, especially the toggle switch. to save time and money, I would recommend changing those pots and switches to higher quality CTS pots or similiar.

 

[bryan1234]

hi all.. i have the same prob just 2 days after i bought my epi les paul. i changed the pu selector to gotoh but problem still came back. so now i need some humble advice weather should i rewire it or rewire and change the pots?