Testing Guitar Electronics - testing pots, capacitors and the continuity test
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- čas přidán 25. 04. 2017
- In this video I break out the multimeter and capacitance reader to show you how to test guitar electronics that are readily available on the market BEFORE you install them in your guitar. Also shown is how to test/troubleshoot a completed SG/Les Paul harness so you know whether or not everything works before you re-string your guitar.
The guitar electronics we stock are from the "go-to" brands in the industry and are used by countless techs, luthiers and guitarists worldwide.
Quality electronics really make a difference and can turn a good guitar into a great one.
Given that it is an electric guitar, it goes without saying that electronics play a major part in it's overall tone and performance.
I also cover the awareness required when buying NOS or "vintage" capacitors on eBay (or from anywhere) and how capacitor values drift over time.
To see our range of quality guitar electronics:
sixstringsupplies.co.uk/colle...
Video tutorials: • Guitar & Bass Wiring T... - Jak na to + styl
You are the best for all you give us in your videos excellent work.
Thank you for making this video. Helped alot!!
Great video on how to test guitar wiring and pre wired examples look perfect
Thank you for the tutorial. Great video
Excellent tutorial .. 🤘
Good video, learned a lot.
Very helpful. Thanks.
Bravo sir. Very good information for me!
Glad to hear it. Cheers
Great video, thank you.
Most well presented tutorial on youtube
The ceramic cap has a Z tolerance code. That's the least precise type of cap. Quite suitable for non-crush applications, but not for filter circuits. This which means its value will be from -20% to +80% of the label, which translates to 0.04 uF to 0.09 uF. So, 0.044 is within the tolerance. There are tighter tolerance codes such as J which is +/-5%, which is likely what you expected to see.
Thanks for the video, exactly what I was looking for. Electronics practically applied to guitarts. The problem I'm facing, is in my Squire Jazz Bass, the resistance between the pot bodies and the ground of the plug is about 50Ohms. And I'm wondering if that might be a bit too high and cause humming. I see on your 50s Style Les Paul, you've connected one big ground wire to all pots. I think I'll do the same to see if that fixes the humming.
Little note on 'The continuity test' symbol on your DMM. The little WiFi logo is a sound wave logo. The beeping will tell you if the connection is right/continues. Or more specific, for my Fluke 17B+, it will beep when the resistance is lower than 70 Ohms. (But when a ground path from Picup to plug is about 70 Ohms, isn't that too high?)
The symbol above it, is not a symbol for continuity, but a diode. You can use this mode to test diodes. The value on the display will show you the (forward) voltage drop of the diode under test in mV.
So glad I found this channel, but this video in particular. My question is in regards to testing the capacitors within the circuit. When I attach the red alligator clip to the capacitor on the tone lug and touch the black lead to the volume pot, I get a reading of .03., which is far lower than the capacitor value. This happens on bridge and neck pots. The only difference between the harness in the video and the harness I'm testing is the input jack isn't soldered in. Could this be the reason for my issue? I'm using the same meter for capacitor testing you are.
I've confirmed the harness is grounded with a multimeter.
Seems everyone is using audio pots but if the last part of the turn acts like an on/off pot. Wouldn't a linear pot be better to have an increasing volume that is well, linear and doesn't act like an on/off pot.
Great video.
This is a very helfpul video, how about doing a video on how you check the guitar pickups, thanks.
thanks, yes will definitely be doing one in the future
are you familiar with the freeway six position switch?
I'm just now learning how to use the multimeter. I have a project where a push/pull pot went bad so I decided to rewire the whole guitar. With the multimeter I checked all four pots and I get either OL or 0.0. Surely all four pots aren't bad? The other 3 worked fine before.
I noticed that might increases until mid way and then it falls back down as I keep turning... Any ideas why this is happening? FYI I am testing it while everything is still connected in the circuitry!
I’m a recent subscriber and I find your videos very informative and clear. Here is a massive noon question. Why did you switch to a different multimeter to test the capacitors? Do I need two multimeters - one for pots / continuity and another for caps? As you can see, the whole world of electronics is largely alien to me.
Welcome! Simply because my multi-meter does not have capability to read capacitance. So one is the multi meter and the other is a capacitance meter. Some multi-meters have capacitance meters built in, but generally they don't.
" " Vintage style " " haha thanks for the good information
Does it affect if you holding / touching the tip of the tester while checking in?
One guy checkes my guitar and it seems only 1 value
Sorry for the nooby question, but when you say 'I set it to 2000 Ohms' I see a 'k' in front of the ohm symbol on your multimeter, so that actually means 2000 kilo Ohms, right?
Curious, you accepted a tolerance for the pots but didn’t on the caps? I mean they have built in tolerances as well. even resistors. In fact you can get resistors with tighter tolerance based on the material used.
Got a Bourns push pull coil split volume pot on the neck pickup of a Les Paul and when I turn it to zero sound still comes though how do i tell if its a bad pot vs a bad solder to ground?
Noob question...can someone please tell me what material the bits of grounding wire are made of? Much appreciated
Good
I'm experiencing tone fluctuation, sometimes it sounds like it's on the neck pickup when it's not.
Are copper shaft pots, better than brass and aluminum?
I tried this on pots in a guitar, didnt work, so then tried on some old pots and a brand new one, and still didnt get any reading. I tested a two wire pickup and that worked fine, so i dont think its my meter. Any ideas? Cheers.
Hi! Can you test caps the same way if they are still wired in the guitar?
Yeah I know right? I thought the same thing
Im not sure what these guys are thinking, they all do this. The reason why I am watchng this video is cos my guitar isnt working right. Low output.
All my pots and switches and pickups...are in my guitar! lol
Good video. I have a Gibson R7 and the pots read at 480k which is well over its 10% and i still find a lot the humbuckers i have tried (alnico 2) are too bright for this guitar. I now play an alnico V pickup but should i look to change the pots and if so, how can i guarantee that the 500k pot i order will read within the 10% range?
Hi thanks a lot. 480k is well within spec of a 500k pot. Most 500k pots are made to a 20% range because the human ear can not detect the audible difference. However, there are pots made to a 10% tolerance, including the ones we stock. Thanks again
@@SixStringSupplies: Ok, thank you for that. What about 550k pots, do you suggest those for my R7 with heavier pickups? What can i expect to hear between a 550k and a 500k pot? Do you carry 550k pots?
Hi no we don’t carry 550k pots. There is little audible difference with a 550k pot, they are made to ensure the pot value never measures in below 500k.
Dang, and here I thought I had learned a lot of stuff lately installing a couple new pickups and hes calling Lug 1 and Lug 3 Input and Output unless I heard him wrong.
I am to understand 1 is input, 2 is output and 3 is ground. Where am I screwing up?
Can you use a multimeter to test caps?
A good subject but where is the circuit? How did you determine the value of resistors, capacitors and potentiometers?
he literally did that in the video
Hey man i had a question. I rewired my lespaul harness like 50s wiring. Pickups are not connected only. The neck volume pot doesnt shows any reading when checking it. Rather all 3 other pots show reading. Is it normal? Or something wrong?
probably burnt it with too much heat , i think that's why my 2 tone pots aren't working
i think my switch died, im not sure how to test for that, its ether that or the output, could be the pickups but i dont think thats it cause they would have had to fail the exact same time which is just weird i dont know man i might have to take it to a gtr tech this time, i hate wiring switches all the ones I've done are completely different from each other and from diagrams ill have to sacrifice changing strings just to fix it
Hey the key to vintage tone believe it or not is using ceramic disc caps! Cheap but will last.hey thats not drift really that +/- 10% on that ceramic disc.
What I wanted to.Know was. What setting on the meter.for testing tone caps.
capacitance reading - but very few multi meters have this. You might need to get a capacitance reading meter (as the one is this video)
the symbol just above the speaker or you called a wifi symbol is a diode test symbol
Great video, very informative. I'm a bit of a novice, so silly question. I have a multimeter similar to yours. I'm testing a 500K Ohm pot, and my meter is reading 0.48 (meter set to 20M in Ohms, like yours). Is this reading the same as 480K? Thank you.
Yes
i' m also a novice and just bought a multi- meter today - all kinds of grief because i got confused on the ohm settings - the only "20" is 20 K [ that I see ] which is too low for a 250 K pot
- try the highest setting and work your way down the settings to get the Decimal where you want it - I also read a warning about "discharging ANY capacitor" - not sure how ? use ground wire clip 1st maybe [ on each of the capacitor leads ? ] - may be vids on YT ? good luck
Set your meter to 2000k
Should I have Continuity from ground to the string/ bridge
yes
Do you put heat shrink sleeves on your capacitor arms?
Coyote Foxtrot yes always...when it’s in a circuit.
Six String Supplies thanks for the quick reply. Here's a random question: Do you have an Ovation Magnum bass wiring diagram?
Can you ship to USA?
Hi, yes.
Wait, you don’t like pots that go under 500 even though the industry standard is a 10% variance
I need to get the right meter....my multi meter does not have this capacity
I got mine on eBay a few years ago, probably about £15/$20. It is ok...the better needs changing a bit to regularly for my liking but it does the job. Thanks for watching
Harbor Freight. I got the red one that is least expensive and it works great.
Why are you talking with quotation marks?
So I was sitting on the floor oddly enough doing what he's doing to an criminally cheap guitar.( from ebay,) buy a cheap axe later on get some slightly better electronics. I was thinking a north Englander he sounds like that homely woman beating yoko screwing churl. I was afraid to look. Now the UK has a lot to see if you're a world history fan. Great musicians as long as they're imitating us. This fellow knows his bones. Sure it's cold up near Liverpool. I went there as a group member for the cash. Mostly though for the fat girls. Tall huge giraffes
Is it ok, when you test continuity with a multimeter, getting a beep when touching the shield cover on the pickgard and the tone or volumen controls
?
If it’s the top of the pot, yes that’s normal. If it’s the lugs of the pots, the no not ok! Thanks 🙏 for watching