Les Paul neck pickup doesn't work

[apaclin]

The neck pickup stopped working in my Gibson Gold Top Les Paul Tribute, when it's on, it just produces buzz, the middle position works. It's seems though like it's a connection problem, after some switches of a switch it used to work, sometimes it worked when I tilted the guitar. I opened the cavity behind the switch, it looks normal, the wires are connected, opened the cavity behind the pickup – it's also connected and everything is connected in the cavity behind the knobs. What could be the problem and how can it be fixed?

[Drew Stephenson]

Is the cavity lined with conductive material to reduce RFI? If so, something could be shorting on that.

[Martin Walker]

This sounds like you've got the most frustrating sort of problem - an intermittent connection!

Assuming this to be the case, yes it can hopefully be fixed.

1. If it's something that's visible like Drew's suggestion of an occasional short on the conductive lining inside the cavity you could try temporarily placing a bit of a polythene bag inside the cavity and then screwing everything back in. If the problem disappears then a bit of tape in the most appropriate place might be a more permanent solution.

2. You mention that moving one of the switches used to cure the problem, so a quick squirt of contact cleaner in them might help. If this temporarily cures the problem I'd be inclined to replace the switch.

3. Otherwise, the general technique tends to be wiggling each cable/connection inside the guitar in turn to see if you can get the fault to happen consistently, then replace that cable/component.

Good luck tracking it down!

Martin

[Wonks]

The pickup first goes to the volume pot before going to the switch, so there’s a chance the volume pot is faulty. It’s either that or the switch itself.

[resistorman]

I had a problem where a sharp piece of excess wire left on a pot's connection eventually worked its way through the insulation of another wire. Took a lot to find this out!

[apaclin]

Weirdly now it works no matter how much I switch the switch. So probably the guitar was just scared that I looked into it.

[resistorman]

Weirdly now it works no matter how much I switch the switch. So probably the guitar was just scared that I looked into it.

Happens more often than not it seems...

[Drew Stephenson]

A cry for attention perhaps.

[Martin Walker]

Weirdly now it works no matter how much I switch the switch. So probably the guitar was just scared that I looked into it.

That's good news, but suggests that a dirty contact was possibly the problem, and that opening up the cavity and moving things around a bit did the trick.

Let's hope the problem doesn't return!