Help! Luke3 5 way switch issue

[MaKri]

Hi Folks!

I am a proud owner of a Luke 3, and it's an amazing guitar. I bought it in June 2014 and is a premium dealer (Guitar Center) model with mahogney body and beatiful rosewood neck. I think it is called blue burst and it has a flamed maple top . However, one thing that bothers me. The sound from position 4 ( neck and middle pick up together) sounds really bad. The sound is nazalt , icy and thin without bottom. It sound perfectly in position 5 (neck) and 3 (middle) so I don´t think it is a pick up issue. I have watched some of the sound tests on You Tube and it sounds different from my guitar . There's something wrong . Does anybody know if there are electric diagram to get hold of? maby it´s something wrong with the 5 way switch. There are some resistors connected to this switch. Size/value? Does anyone have any ideas ? I have not changed anything so it´s all stock.

Thanks
Magnus

 

[DrKev]

Welcome to the forum, Magnus!

You should bring the guitar back to your dealer or contact EBMM customer service directly. See links in my signature below.

 

[mystixboi1]

Did you try adjusting the taper knob inside the control cavity?

 

[MaKri]

Thanks DrKev. I will certainly contact MM customer service. I live in Sweden and I don´t want to send the guitar to US for repair.

Mystixboi1, I have assumed that they are for adjusting power for the 15 db boost circuit. I´m i wrong? Is it for the tone control as well?

/Magnus

 

[mystixboi1]

One is for the boost but another's for the volume and positions two and four. You can still try to see if it changes your tone in any way

 

[69tele]

Maybe the battery us flat and needs changing?

 

[MaKri]

Thanks for your replies .

I have tried to adjust the taper knobs and I have come to the conclusion that the right is for db boost and the left is the volume control for position 2-5. This does not affect the tone but just the volume. What sounds bad still sounds just as bad but higher.

I changed the battery pack many times so it's not the problem .

I will post some audio samples soon.

/Magnus

 

[beej]

"Nasal" to me sound like it's out of phase. As Kev said, I would contact MM customer service and see what they say. If it's a wiring issue, they may be able to help you by seeing a picture. Also the kind of thing a good tech should be able to sort out.

 

[MaKri]

Thanks beej.

I have sendt an email with sound clips and pics to MM customer service now and waiting for a replay.

If a pick up is out of phase, what exactly does that mean? Are thay working against each other? The volyme are quite lower in this position.

/Magnus

 

[beej]

The short version ... basically when you sum together two signals that are 'out of phase', they subtract, leaving anything that's different between the two. In this case you're left with a nasally, honky sound (think some Brian May solos ... he uses this a lot). You'd also have a volume drop.

If that's the culprit, could be the pickups are incorrectly wired up, which is an easy fix.

 

[MaKri]

Now the problem is solved . It was as beej wrote , neck and middle pick up was out of phase .

Customer support sent me an electric diagram and everything seemed to be OK in the control cavity. I disconnect the cables from the neck pick up and switched places with green and red cable at the 5-way switch and volyme pot. Everything is now perfect . It must have been something wrong with the neck pick up However, it is noteworthy that they didn´t note this at the quality and final inspection process before shipment of the guitar from the EBMM factory.

Thanks for all support at this forum!

/Magnus

 

[beej]

Hey, glad that worked out!