possible for a single coil to go completely dead?

[swordofjoshua]

is it possible for a single coil pickup to completely go dead? i understand the pickup can go microphonic if the wax seal cracks, however i have a single coil from a 79 strat that simply stopped putting out ANY sort of sound whatsoever. thought it may be result of short in lead wires, however wanted to understand if it is possible for the magnet to simply stop working altogether before i check the lead.

[Earthrug]

Well if you dont get a reading on a meter then there is probobly some kind of internal problem with the coil. The magnetic pickup poles can get rusty from moister over time. The rust in turn can damage the copper coil (corrodes it, causing breakage)thus killing the pickup.

[TonyT1000]

It sure is. The late Jerry Garcia complained that his pickups would fail every year or two.

The coil wire used in pickups is very fine (typically 42-43 AWG) and the solder terminations are also very fragile. Any corrosion (from sweat, salty air, etc.) can cause the terminations to fail. It is easy enough to test this with a multimeter. If it tests open (no resistance), then it is broken. It can usually be repaired by a pickup manufacturer or an experienced tech.