Low Output Issue With EMG equipped ESP/LTD:

Inspector #20

Ambassador of Tone
Fallen Star
Country flag
On our lead guitarist's ESP EC-1000, it is factory equipped with what appears to be EMG 81/85 combination. The wiring appears unmolested. The battery box was replaced and the battery reads 9.25VDC. Now, I know that EMG's require a 25.0Ω potentiometer - Twenty Five Ohm and not Two Hundred & Fifty. So, I decide to take readings and make sure everything is properly connected.

The guitar has a Bridge Volume, Neck Volume and a Master Tone Control. Each pot is arranged in similar fashion. Looking at the volume pots, the far right lug on both is soldered to ground. The tone pot has all three lugs unsoldered.

I took readings between the ungrounded lug on each volume pot and the center lug (wiper) and wrote them down.

Bridge Volume: 16.8Ω @ Full CCW (Yes, that right, CCW) and at Full CW the reading was zero

Neck Volume: 17.4Ω @ Full CCW (Yes, that right, CCW) and at full CW the reading was zero

Tone Pot: 24.8Ω @ full CW and at full CCW it reads zero.

Tone pot has a Ceramic disc cap soldered to wiper and ground marked '104M'

So, everything looks in order and nothing looks to have been re-soldered.

All the controls on the guitar work normally, in that when you turn the volume up, the volume goes up, etc., but the output is very low (across all there pickups) and it produces very low gain, as if the volumes are rolled off to about halfway on a guitar with passives.

Thoughts????
 
Fixed...

After replacing the battery box, I continued to see very high resistance readings on the wiring coming from the input jack. I found a connection that was corroded and at first glance, one could not see the fracture in the solder. I cleaned this and re-soldered. Everything is working correctly now...
 
Fixed...

After replacing the battery box, I continued to see very high resistance readings on the wiring coming from the input jack. I found a connection that was corroded and at first glance, one could not see the fracture in the solder. I cleaned this and re-soldered. Everything is working correctly now...

I fixed a computer monitor that way once. Found a cracked solder joint and fixed it by just reflowing the solder.

I also fixed a Peavey Transtube 212 the same way. Found a cracked solder joint on one of the effects loop jacks and just reflowed the solder to fix.

I'd tell you, "Good job!" but I don't want it to go to your head!
 
I fixed a computer monitor that way once. Found a cracked solder joint and fixed it by just reflowing the solder.

I also fixed a Peavey Transtube 212 the same way. Found a cracked solder joint on one of the effects loop jacks and just reflowed the solder to fix.

I'd tell you, "Good job!" but I don't want it to go to your head!

I'm just happy to have it ready for our 8 hour practice session tomorrow!!!!

20190719_091001.jpg
 
Back
Top