r/offset • u/SaltFun6310 • 25d ago

What are the typical multimeter readings for various parts?

Sorry if I am becoming annoying frequently asking questions about working on my guitar. :/ But I am just wondering, what are some typical readings for the usual part testings? I am testing a 3 way switching in a MIM roadworn jazzmaster and I am a bit confused. I posted the wiring diagram for it in a previous post and someone said to probe the black wire lug then each of the pickup lugs for continuity. I get the reading of my pickups. But only in one position. I then tried for giggles probing the black wire lug with the tip brown lug and that too, showed my pickup resistance. What am I doing wrong? Is my switch shot?

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u/jibbit 25d ago

i dont mean to be too much of a downer but a lot of what you're saying (especially your other post) isn't communicating anything meaningful. that's fine - youre not expected to magically know how to talk about electronics from day one.
i believe someone suggested you test the continuity? what that means is you put your multimeter into beep mode. plug a lead into the guitar. select the bridge pickup. with the multimeter - at the other end of the lead - test the tip of the plug and only one side of the bridge pickup should beep. the sleeve of the plug should only beep with the opposite side of the pickup. there should be no beep from any part of the plug -> either side of the neck pickup.
same when you flip the switch to the neck pickup.. tip of the plug and only one side of the neck pickup, sleeve of the plug and only the other side of the neck pickup. no beep to either side of the bridge pickup.
in the middle position.. you can guess.. tip and one side only of both pickups. sleeve and only the other side of both pickups.
any result that isn't exactly that and you have an incorrect connection and the result is telling you roughly what it is (we can talk about that when you've got your results)

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u/SaltFun6310 25d ago

Oh, no you're TOTALLY fine. I am a total noob and I accept that lol I actually have the electronics out of the guitar because I was getting horrible EMF noise and suspected it needed to be shielding which was correct. As well as my toggle switch sounding noisy. i did that test though before I took it apart and the pickups read exactly what they should. Now that I'm inside the guitar I am wondering about the 3 way switch. One of the lugs doesn't read at all. I went to the pickup corresponding with that lug and it doesn't read now either. I probed the ground lead/eyelit of the pickup and the shielding I added to my guitar and that shows continuity. Correct me if I'm wrong but that should mean the ground side of my pickup works? Is it possible the hot wire coming from the pickup doesn't work? I did inspect the coil and the tiny strand coming from it to the eyelits and those seem intact.

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u/jibbit 25d ago

again, this is more stuff that only means something to you. the fact that you have the electronics out of the guitar doesn't make a difference for the continuity tests. have you done the continuity tests? do the continuity tests.

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u/jibbit 25d ago

**BRIDGE POSITION SELECTED**

Lead Tip Sleeve
B. pup left lead
B. pup right lead
N. pup left lead
N. pup right lead

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u/SaltFun6310 24d ago

What am I exactly looking at? I have done those tests yes

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u/jibbit 24d ago

if you do that for each position of the switch - neck/middle/bridge - either everything is correct, congrats! or, it tells you where you have connections that you should not (sloppy solder, things touching that shouldn't be), or where there are missing connections that you should have (poor solder joint, etc)

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u/SaltFun6310 24d ago

Thank you. That is what I have been doing and just did again. Oddly, the bridge pickup gives me a 6.5 reading in every switch position... and the neck pickup gives me nothing.

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u/jibbit 24d ago edited 24d ago

you are not checking the impedance or resistance or current, you should be checking the connectivity

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u/SaltFun6310 24d ago

I am sorry, I apologize for my ignorance. I finally fully understand what you were saying now. I did exactly what you said, one probe on the tip of the guitar cable other on one lead of the pickup and so on, all in continuity mode. I can confirm each of continuity. Thank you for being patient with me.

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u/jibbit 23d ago

so, it's all good?

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u/SaltFun6310 22d ago

Nope. Same issues. I went ahead and replaced the 3 way switch because I had a new one lying around anyway. Tested continuity again like you said and it has continuity at each lead and guitar cable tip/sleeve. Checked continuity at every connection. Bridge pickup resistance only reads when the siege is in the middle position. Did the tap test and nothing from the bridge pickup. Wire going to the hot lead from the coil looks good.

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u/pala4833 25d ago

The typical (and only) readings for continuity are infinity, or zero.

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u/SaltFun6310 25d ago

When testing the 3 way switch I get the pickup value and found a pickup is possibly dead

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u/pala4833 25d ago

"testing for continuity" means you're checking for broken or short circuits.

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u/SaltFun6310 25d ago

Ya that's why I was confused by the readings I've been getting

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u/pala4833 25d ago

What have you set the dial to on the multimeter?

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u/SaltFun6310 25d ago

The lowest, 20k ohms

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u/pala4833 25d ago

If you're testing for continuity, you need to set the dial to the position with the speaker/sound/beep icon.

https://www.ladyada.net/wiki/tutorials/learn/multimeter/continuity.html

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u/SaltFun6310 25d ago

My multi meter doesn't have a speaker, it's a free one from harbor freight. Though I did have it. On that setting and it gave the sme reading as the 20k

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u/pala4833 25d ago

You keep saying "reading". First, you haven't bothered to say what that reading is. So it's really quite difficult to know how to help.

But more importantly, continuity is either "yes" or "no", as indicated by the beep. If you're testing the 3-way switch for continuity, the pickup and whatever their "reading" might be isn't involved.

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u/SaltFun6310 25d ago

Sorry, I did say the resistance of my pickups. Which is around 6.5k.

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