Installed Fasttrack 2

Ibateur · #1 12-14-2003, 05:22 PM

Guys,

Just installed the Fast Track 2 pickup I purchased off of vaijem777. I noticed that whenever I select the middle, the volume isn't as loud as I expected. That's not a problem though, just thought it would be louder.

What I did though was I disconnected (unsoldered) the bridge white wire, basically thinking that that would remove the split on the bridge/mid pickup. What I think I have now is both the bridge and mid pups in full humbucker mode when I select that position.

My feeling though is that when I select the bridge pup, it seems to hum more now.

Did I do something wrong here?

Thanks

CrossingStar · #2 12-14-2003, 10:12 PM

I think you did. To remove the splitting you should change the switch because Ibanez switch do only what they were designed to do in stock form. You can't rewire them to do something else. For the FT2 to be in full humbucking mode when it's by itself you have to have all of the wires connected somewhere.

Ibateur · #3 12-15-2003, 06:05 AM

As far as I understood, the white wire was the coil split and if you removed it, the pup would just never split, regardless of the switch position.

Jem7RB MK · #4 12-15-2003, 11:31 AM

I think to UNsplit the humbucker,You'll need to have white and black soldered together (but just tape off the end,don't solder to anything)

This keeps both coild active,For what it's worth it may not be the white and black possibly the red and white ?

My UV and RG's are all wired thusly ...

Ground - ground (vol pot)
White - ground (vol pot)
Red and Green to switch neck/bridge pos
Black to switch neck/bridge pos

This is how my UV was wired,And it sounded differant to my rg's,As a test i wired them likewise and to my ears makes a differance (wether it does or not i am unsure)

Anyhoo,i travel off topic ... Red and white soldered together and taped off

Rob (i'm sure many people know more than me)

Ibateur · #5 12-15-2003, 11:42 AM

Thanks Rob, but I think your answer answers a future question of mine.

Now that I read your post I notice that my post was pretty much unclear.

What I did was on the Fasttrack2 (which I put in the mid position), I kept black and white together, red to hot and green and bare to ground. Sounds okay, not as loud as I would've expected.

But, the white wire of the V7 (bridge - two wire only) I unsoldered from the switch. This way, when I have the switch at pos 4? I have the mid humbucking and the bridge humbucking, right?

If I should connect the white wire to where the v7 red is, let me know please.

frankfalbo · #6 12-15-2003, 12:38 PM

No, don't do that. And you don't need a new switch either. Your operation should have been successful, but maybe the white wire is touching something ground or hot so it's shorting one coil. Make sure its taped off, and then check to see what coils are on per each position.

Ibateur · #7 12-16-2003, 02:13 AM

OK, the white was touching something else. I taped that off, and cut off and taped the coil split on the V8 as well.

I'm happier.

Thanks

Ibateur · #8 12-21-2003, 03:56 PM

Sorry to be kicking this dead horse.

I am just wondering if my Fast Track 2 is really just "that loud". Between a V7 and the V8, this pup is still noticeably lower in volume. I've raised it closer to the strings up to the point that my pick was hitting it (just to check the volume) and lowered the neck pup, but no dice, switching from one V pickup to this one still gives me that feeling of "less".

I like the sound of the pup, but I need to know if it should be louder or not. If not, then I will think first of getting a neck pup before a bridge pup.

So, please, if you have a fast track 2, let me know if I should expect it to be louder or not.