Emmons D-10 tone control & pickup ?

[John Moss]

I have just aquired an Emmons D-10 and I am having a strange happening with the tone control and pickup selector.
Here it is: When I am using the E-9th only without the tone control switch engaged all is right with the world. When I switch the tone control on and use the tone knob I get a real tinny thin sound on half counter clock and almost no sound and thin on full counter clock wise. When I go full clockwise the sound seems to normal up.
Next if I put the pickup selector in the center for both necks at once the C6th neck is fine but the E-9th neck goes thin and tinny with or without the tone control engaged. The tone control work as it should on the C-6th neck.
The gentleman I got the guitar from just changed the E-9th pickup to a Lawrence and put the stock back in for me when I bought the steel. It all seems wired fine. I just wonder if the pickup some how is reversed wired on the E-9th. My friend said he never uses the tone control and it has him puzzled.
Any help will be appreciated,
John

[Jerry Roller]

John, I am not an electrical guru but I would suspect the neck control switch is bad or maybe got a bit of solder dropped into it when the pickup change took place. Since the E9 pickup works fine straight thru and the C6 works good switched either way it seems to narrow down to the contacts in the switch that connects the E9 pickup in the center position. I think when the control is completely on treble clockwise all the signal is sent straight thru and not thru the condenser into the ground so it is probably a problem on th lug that the condenser is connected to. It's time for Jay Ganz or Ken Fox to come to the rescue.
Jerry<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Jerry Roller on 24 November 2003 at 07:29 PM.]</p></FONT>

[Ricky Davis]

John it sounds to me like the E9 pickup is not grounded to the switch properly.
The white(Hot) Wire from the pickup should run to the switch and the Black(Ground) wire should run to the Tone pot...
There also should be a solder joint(blob) on The bottom of the switch plate...>and from the same prong of the tone pot that the ground wire runs to..there should be either an extra wire runing to a solder(ground) spot on the Switch or I believe the original Emmons pickups had a extra ground sheilding mesh that you can wad up and solder it to a spot on the bottom of the switch??..Than a wire from that ground spot on the tone pot is ran back to the ground of your input jack> ALL this will ground your guitar properly and ground/join the tone pot and switch properly.
Here's how to check...>
You said the C6th pickup works properly with the tone pot cut in or out right??
Well don't worry about the hot wires(the white or red ones are Hot) cause they sound like they are ran properly on both pickups....>but look at what the black(ground) wire goes/does from the C6 pickup...>see where it goes and what the extra ground sheilding Wad is doing and do the E9 ground the same way..
If I could see it; I can tell you in a second...>but just from your explaination; that is what I think is going wrong in there.
And if you can explain exactly where the wires from JUST the e9 pickup are going and what they are soldered to and if there is a ground solder spot on the switch or not; I can help you more.
Ricky

[John Moss]

Hey Thanks Jerry and Ricky,
I will look even closer today for it.
It is a LaGrange II. I looked at the ground mesh wire and it seems to be soldered well to the others just above the tone pot where they all come together. I will really take a good look today and give my findings.
Thanks Fellows,
John