oii_is_life Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hi guys, i recently bought an Epiphone Bullseye and the bridge pick up (emg 81) just started to die out, the 85 has way more output and sounds a lot better than the 81 now. I thought that maybe the p/u was dead but then i switched the p/u's (now its 81 in the neck and 85 in the bridge) and the 85 in bridge still has a low output. I checked the solder points in the control cavity and they're all in tact. Same thing with the toggle. This is really bothering me because im more of a bridge position player due to the higher output of pinch harmonics and I really dont like using the neck that often, haha. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hi guys, i recently bought an Epiphone Bullseye and the bridge pick up (emg 81) just started to die out, the 85 has way more output and sounds a lot better than the 81 now. I thought that maybe the p/u was dead but then i switched the p/u's (now its 81 in the neck and 85 in the bridge) and the 85 in bridge still has a low output. I checked the solder points in the control cavity and they're all in tact. Same thing with the toggle. This is really bothering me because im more of a bridge position player due to the higher output of pinch harmonics and I really dont like using the neck that often, haha. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Welcome to the forum. If the pickup is OK then it must be either the signal not getting through because of a bad connection, or it's getting some leaking to ground. The first thing to check would be the pickup selector switch. Try giving the contacts a clean with switch cleaner and run a piece of paper through the closed contacts. Even if solder joints look OK they can still be 'cold', that is, not good on the inside. You can try removing the old solder from each joint with a solder sucker and re-solder with fresh. Check if the signal is getting to ground somehow with a close visual inspection of all connections. Even a strand of an earth lead touching a hot can do what you describe. The pots themselves can fail, as can the capacitors but this is rare. You'll need a multimeter to test these but they're not expensive and are essential to have if you're planning on doing any more work on electrics yourself. Is the control cavity shielded, and is there any possibility of the pot lugs or wiring coming into contact with the shield. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oii_is_life Posted May 26, 2014 Author Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hey thanks for your reply, i actually cleaned the bridge p/u's pots with 70% isopropyl alcohol and that gave it a better boost. Thanks for helping man, i really appreciate it. I got this guitar not even 2 weeks back brand freakin new and i couldnt believe this happened. Again i really appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Marlowe Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hey thanks for your reply, i actually cleaned the bridge p/u's pots with 70% isopropyl alcohol and that gave it a better boost. Thanks for helping man, i really appreciate it. I got this guitar not even 2 weeks back brand freakin new and i couldnt believe this happened. Again i really appreciate it. I'd consider replacing the pots then, or sending it back, one or the other. You can get decent quality pots that are drop in replacements from stewmac for <$10 each. Or you can go on mylespaul forum and lookup the guys who make entire replacement wiring harnesses and just replace the whole thing. OTOH maybe that pot will work fine for a long time. But my experience tells me that a pot acting up like that is trouble in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vomer Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hey thanks for your reply, i actually cleaned the bridge p/u's pots with 70% isopropyl alcohol and that gave it a better boost. Thanks for helping man, i really appreciate it. I got this guitar not even 2 weeks back brand freakin new and i couldnt believe this happened. Again i really appreciate it. You're welcome. And perhaps I should have said, clean the pots......... But that's a bit unusual in a new guitar. Maybe some dust from the manufacturing process left in the cavity, or a dodgy pot. If it goes again, I wouldn't mess about, just change the pot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Zeplin Posted May 26, 2014 Share Posted May 26, 2014 Hi guys, i recently bought an Epiphone Bullseye and the bridge pick up (emg 81) just started to die out, the 85 has way more output and sounds a lot better than the 81 now. I thought that maybe the p/u was dead but then i switched the p/u's (now its 81 in the neck and 85 in the bridge) and the 85 in bridge still has a low output. I checked the solder points in the control cavity and they're all in tact. Same thing with the toggle. This is really bothering me because im more of a bridge position player due to the higher output of pinch harmonics and I really dont like using the neck that often, haha. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Dead or dying battery, perhaps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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