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Ok. . . .how to tell which wire is hot and which is ground?
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 5:13 pm
by gunslinger_burrito
On random pickups, how can I tell which is which? I have
:a fender Blacktop HB with a white and black wire
:an old tele middle position pickup with yellow and pinkish
:a stacked bass humbucker with some random shit going on
thanks
Re: Ok. . . .how to tell which wire is hot and which is grou
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 6:15 pm
by Achtane
For that kinda junk I just grab an unconnected jack, plug it into an amp, and hold each pickup wire to each part of the jack. Then tap on the pickup with a magnetic screwdriver or something, it'll either make sound that way or it will after the wires are reversed
Re: Ok. . . .how to tell which wire is hot and which is grou
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 10:59 pm
by MEC
With your multimeter set to test for continuity the hot wire shouldn't have any continuity with the metal parts of the pickup.
The ground should have continuity with something (legs, pole pieces, back plate etc.).
Re: Ok. . . .how to tell which wire is hot and which is grou
Posted: Tue Sep 10, 2013 12:54 am
by gunslinger_burrito
MEC wrote:With your multimeter set to test for continuity the hot wire shouldn't have any continuity with the metal parts of the pickup.
The ground should have continuity with something (legs, pole pieces, back plate etc.).
Cool, thanks! That's a way better explanation than I found by googling so far.