Pickup Wiring

[Howard Warehand]

Good Morning All
I'm building another lap steel and have got to the wiring of the single pickup. It is new but its origin is unknown and I want to wire direct to a jack socket output ( No vol control).
My problem is that it has three wires , One Red, One Blue and a Braided wire which seems to be the cable screen. Can one of you tech boys tell me which positions these wires are attached to the jack socket terminals. I should know this but I want to make sure so any advice would be most welcome.
Howard

[Dom Franco]

1. Temporarily twist the blue wire together with the shield, and touch the red to the tip of a guitar chord (pluged into an amp at low volume) touch the blue/ground to the shaft of the guitar plug...
Tap the pickup or place it next to guitar strings?

2. Repeat the above switching the red/blue positions
Which way is the loudest with less hum?

The 3rd possibility is blue and red together to tip and braided shield to ground...

That should tell you. (I am guessing the red is hot and the blue is shield)
Dom

[Stephen Cowell]

If you don't have an ohms meter Don's method will get you there... if you do have one, just check the ohms between the three wires. If it has exposed pole pieces check them against the wires too. If the braid is already connected to one wire connect it to the same wire, otherwise just pick one and connect them... that'll be your ground.

[Howard Warehand]

Thanks to you both for the information it has solved the problem!!!!
With the help of a meter and your info I was able to establish that the Red and Blue were coil ends and the braided lead was not connected to either of the "signal" wires but was found to be soldered to the brass base plate. I basically ignored what was hot etc and tried Doms method and ended up with: Red and Screen to plug shaft and Blue to plug Tip.
This gives.a bright and clean note with hardly any hum and plenty of oooomph!
I would rate this as another triumph for the forum .
Many thanks , I am most grateful .
H.