The Steel Guitar Forum

I just bought the subject D8 guitar and after stringing it up and cleaning pots, knife switch contact etc the neck closest to me is quieter than the far neck. The near neck also lacks the low end warmth of the far next. I’ve adjusted PU height the same for both necks. Any ideas how to troubleshoot this?
Thanks, Dennis [img]https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/u ... jpg[/img]

Was it okay before you cleaned the pots & switch? If so, then I would check that some gunk didn't get washed into the switch contacts.
Also, put an ohm meter on the output jack and measure the resistance of the pickups in each switch position.
It shouldn't be too hard to figure it out.

I too have a '56 Stringmaster - a T8. I learned that the pickups sometimes go bad due to various factors which I don't remember. In that case, when you switch on that neck it will sound weaker. If you have a multimeter, check the resistance of each neck:

- With the blend control at full "bridge" position you
should see 7.5 - 8k ohms.
- When you move the blend control to full "neck" it
should read 13 - 14k ohms.

If you get a very high reading, the pickup needs a rewind. One of my bridge pickups was reading 135k so I sent it to Nick Fryer in Cincinnati. He did a great job and it came back perfectly matched with the other original pickups.

If you're not familiar with how to check the pickups here's a photo of how to clip you multimeter to your guitar cable:



Lastly, there is a ground wire stapled to the wood of each neck under the control plate. The neck is grounded when the control plate is screwed down and makes contact with the staple. Make sure the plate is making good contact with the staple. Sometimes the staple digs itself too far down into the wood to make good contact. I ended up driving a new staple in on all three necks.

I have a 1960 Dual 6 and have the same problem and was told there is a difference between necks when in center position. It seems ok neck to neck though. My 2 cents

Carl

KEEP STEELIN

Carl McLaughlin wrote:I have a 1960 Dual 6 and have the same problem and was told there is a difference between necks when in center position. It seems ok neck to neck though. My 2 cents

On most multi neck steels (definitely on Fenders) there is a slight difference between necks because of the wiring circuit but it is slight (it appears like there is a big difference in this case). Also when more than one neck is on, the volume on those necks is noticeably lower.

Also, the furthest neck is always the weakest (in this case it is the closest).

So I'd say this issue needs to be looked at as described by others on this thread. Worst case, pickup(s) might have to be rewound.

How are the blend pots set? The bridge pickup is always full on. The blend pot controls only the neck pickup. When it is full on the pickups act as a humbucker.

Since you just bought it, maybe you don't know that the control for blending the two pickups on each neck is a knob under the bridge cover - the cover just flips up to access it. Make sure both necks are set the same way before you do anything else!

Ok finally got back to checking my newly acquired Stringmaster. The volume imbalance was there before I cleaned pots and knife switch. The blend controls both work and here are my resistance readings:
15K ohms near neck with blend full on (CW)
7.5K near neck w/blend off

14K ohm far neck with blend full on
8.2 far neck with blend full off

Thanks for your spec readings Tim. So, it appears these are functioning within reason and I also checked each pickup plate to ground on jack to ensure the stapled ground is connecting. They were both good as far as ground continuity.

Maybe it’s ok as it’s playable but still lacks a little volume and warmth especially on the near neck. If anyone has other ideas I’m open to input.

I should add that my reference steel is a Clinesmith aluminum eight string with blade pickup and 24-1/2 scale. Maybe this short scale Fender (22-1/2) will not ever stack up to the Clinesmith.

Dennis Waltman wrote:So, it appears these are functioning within reason and I also checked each pickup plate to ground on jack to ensure the stapled ground is connecting. They were both good as far as ground continuity.

Maybe it’s ok as it’s playable but still lacks a little volume and warmth especially on the near neck. If anyone has other ideas I’m open to input.

Have you adjusted the pickup height? Obviously, the closer they are to the strings, the louder they will be.

Another possibility - and this is a long shot - you aren't using acoustic guitar strings on the near neck are you? They don't have the same magnetic properties as proper electric strings and are quieter. I did this myself once, just grabbing some strings from a box of spares to make up a set and the plain ones were acoustic strings.

I just had the same problem with my triple neck. I had the pickups on the first neck (the one closest to me) rewound. Turns out it was just soldering connections that had come loose.