single coil sound from my humbucker

[dashizzler]

The stock 490r neck pickup on my SG sounds like a single coil sometimes. I'm guessing it's grounding out somewhere. Just where is the question. Everything in the electronics cavity is ok, but before I go ripping everything out I thought I would ask you guys. So, any thoughts? It's a 2 conductor wire from the pup. Do you think the mesh is touching something it shouldn't?

 

[Wycked Lester]

. Do you think the mesh is touching something it shouldn't?

no, or it would totally short out. Being a 2 conductor pup, the coils are wired together internaly so it must be a bad connection within the pickup.

Here is an easy way to tell whats up,...next time it sounds that way take a piece of metal,...screwdriver, allen wrench,....and tap on the pickup pole pieces to see if both coils are working ....or which one isn't.

 

[RiverRatt]

The only Gibson humbucker I've had that happen to was a T-Top in a 1970's LP Custom. I didn't like the gold covers and pulled them off and broke the wire on one of the coils of the bridge pickup. I got the same single-coil sound you're describing. You might have a broken wire that's still making intermittent contact. If you have a DMM, check the resistance on the pickup that's giving you problems. If you get an open reading or a reading that's way outside the 7K to 10K range, you're probably going to have to replace the pickup.

 

[dashizzler]

Thanks guys, that's what I thougt. That's fine, I was looking for an excuse to change that pickup anyway.