How do I test a p bass pickup with a multimeter?

[Geek99]

Obviously black wire black lead, red wire white lead but which dial settings ? I know Henries aren’t on the dial. Resistance I assume but which range ? 
 

thank you 

[PaulThePlug]

Resistance... should be 8k ish to 10k ish Standard Wind.

Edited March 14, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[KiOgon]

Most meters will have a 100K range, that'll do but best if you can read each coil, 10K range will give a more accurate reading. 

[Geek99]

Full disclosure 

I don’t have an amp right now and I’m using a zoom pedal to hear the bass I’m building

strings arriving Monday but I want to test each part 

can I use a meter to check the whole thing from the jack socket ? 
 

thanks for your help both 

[PaulThePlug]

Yep. Continuity between tip and sleeve on the jack..

Depending how it is wired...

Will Read the Pickup Resistance, with the Vol pot in parallel, with the Tone pot across that... but as long as not reading Open Curcuit 

Edited March 14, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[Geek99]

What should reduce if I turn each pot to zero? Excuse my ignorance 

[tauzero]

48 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

What should reduce if I turn each pot to zero? Excuse my ignorance 

 

The volume or the treble.

 

More helpfully, as you turn the volume pot down, the resistance between tip and sleeve will drop. Turning the tone pot will make no difference, that only affects AC and determines how much treble is shunted to ground.

[Geek99]

I thought the pup was broken as I was just getting “1” on my meter but I tried the 20k ohm range and was getting 20.2k across both each was around 10.4 individually

 

is that normal ?   It’s a Seymour Duncan baselines model 

[PaulThePlug]

20k... That sounds Mighty-Meaty... 10k Each! HOT!

 

Is that just the pickup, or at the jack with the V n T wired?

Edited March 15, 2024 by PaulThePlug

[Geek99]

Just the pickups at the wire 

 

for some reason I couldn’t get the connectivity tester to read across both coils but resistance did 

[Geek99]

Strings arrive tomorrow or Monday but for sone reason the body doesn’t seem to have an earth wire to bridge 

[Count Bassy]

1 hour ago, Geek99 said:

Just the pickups at the wire 

 

for some reason I couldn’t get the connectivity tester to read across both coils but resistance did 

To most continuiyty testers R20K will register as an open circuit!

[Geek99]

Meaning it won’t beep?

[Count Bassy]

11 hours ago, Geek99 said:

Meaning it won’t beep?

Exactly that. A continuity tester is normally used to test connections of a nominal Zero Ohms.

[itu]

If you use very small DC voltage range, you can find phase:

Connect the pickup and hit (touch) it with a screwdriver. If the voltage goes to + side, the pickup is in phase. And vice versa.

[TimR]

Changed my mind.

Edited March 17, 2024 by TimR

[ezbass]

On 14/03/2024 at 22:53, PaulThePlug said:

Resistance... should be 8k ish to 10k ish Standard Wind.

I love a Fluke meter. I had one when I was field engineer and I was spending someone else’s money, great bit of kit. Now I have something sad from Maplin’s, does the job, but it isn’t brilliant (rather like Maplin’s).

[PaulThePlug]

Mine was a leaving present ;-)... Well, it came with me when i left

[Geek99]

The pup is just buzzing with white wire to tip of the jack and earth to sleeve 

 

any ideas ?

[Dad3353]

25 minutes ago, Geek99 said:

The pup is just buzzing with white wire to tip of the jack and earth to sleeve 

 

any ideas ?

 

Sorry (maybe it's me; it's late...); how is the p/u connected to the jack plug..? Is it soldered..? Can you post a photo of your connection..? 'Buzzing' will occur if the amp is turned up with no decent connection to its source (the p/u...). The p/u should be soldered to the jack socket, and a screened lead plugged in to the socket, then to the amp. Does it still 'buzz' when connected like that..? 

[Geek99]

Broken middle wire, now fixed 

 

it does indeed have 21k ohm resistance