PK has a great point...get a multimeter. It is one of the most useful tools in the box. Among other uses, it helps to check if a pickup is good or broken, to check for ground, continuity, and such. As for the lipstick pickup, again, its been said here already, but the likely are two wires with a colored sheath...black and white, and the third will be bare and likely braided. Black is positive, white negative, and braided shield wire is negative too. The braided "shields" the signal of the single coil from outside electrical interference, to help make it quieter (reduces what is know as the "60Hz cycle hum"). Single coil pups are notorious for that phenomenon. A multimeter would allow you to confirm all this, and are cheap (about $10-15 at any local hardware store. Cheers.
Andy Jach > Scott aka Farmer TedOctober 27, 2014 at 3:27pm
fyi a lipstick pickup is just a single coil in a tube. It should have two wires coming off it. Solder one to one connector on the jack, and the other to the other :)
If you have a multimeter check the wires for continuity with the cover, if one has this then make that one the ground connection (the outer one on the jack)
robert jones > The Phrygian KidOctober 27, 2014 at 3:40am
"just a single coil in a tube"...Tha's close to sacrilege, my ' 64 Danelectro lipsticks are pure eargasm! :-)
Andy Jach > robert jonesOctober 27, 2014 at 4:37am
There are three wires coming from it ,and this makes it just a little confusing,as for more than one coil each to his own eh
robert jones > Andy JachOctober 27, 2014 at 6:25am
I suggested a search in the first reply because the question was lacking in detail, can't tell what your set up plan is without a good description or image. You can see what's in front of you, we can't. :-)
As far as the lipstick goes it's like TPK said it's a single coil; 3 wire out is shield, hot, and ground.
Now are you using one pickup, multiple pickups, wiring it straight to the jack, connecting a tone circuit, etc.
Two singles wired through a 3-way switch so the mid position is humbucking is a nice arrangement.
All that taken into account if you supply the necessary info somebody on this site can give you an answer to just about any build or playing question.
Andy Jach > robert jonesOctober 27, 2014 at 3:25pm
Thanks for your imput can get on with things nicely now
Well one ought be visibly different from the other two, maybe braided? That'll be the shielding, and hopefully will have the continuity to the cover that I was talking about. So wire it just as I said for the other two but joining in this shield wire with whichever one you connect to the outer (sleeve ) connector on the jack. This is useful in case you had more than one of them, you can flip their phase and still shield them.
'Just a single coil..' was in no way any sort of commentary on my opinion of the usefulness of single coil pickups, I was talking in terms of circuitry and implementation. Robert knows this, he's just being cute cos he likes to pick fights with me :)
Ps if you're at all familiar with my stuff, it's all singles, I've only ever made 3 or 4 buckers total...
Andy Jach > The Phrygian KidOctober 27, 2014 at 3:29pm
Without knowing what kind of set up you intend I would have to say enter "wiring lipstick pickups" in your favorite search engine and then use whichever of the diagrams matches your rig.
Replies
PK has a great point...get a multimeter. It is one of the most useful tools in the box. Among other uses, it helps to check if a pickup is good or broken, to check for ground, continuity, and such. As for the lipstick pickup, again, its been said here already, but the likely are two wires with a colored sheath...black and white, and the third will be bare and likely braided. Black is positive, white negative, and braided shield wire is negative too. The braided "shields" the signal of the single coil from outside electrical interference, to help make it quieter (reduces what is know as the "60Hz cycle hum"). Single coil pups are notorious for that phenomenon. A multimeter would allow you to confirm all this, and are cheap (about $10-15 at any local hardware store. Cheers.
If you have a multimeter check the wires for continuity with the cover, if one has this then make that one the ground connection (the outer one on the jack)
"just a single coil in a tube"...Tha's close to sacrilege, my ' 64 Danelectro lipsticks are pure eargasm! :-)
I suggested a search in the first reply because the question was lacking in detail, can't tell what your set up plan is without a good description or image. You can see what's in front of you, we can't. :-)
As far as the lipstick goes it's like TPK said it's a single coil; 3 wire out is shield, hot, and ground.
Now are you using one pickup, multiple pickups, wiring it straight to the jack, connecting a tone circuit, etc.
Two singles wired through a 3-way switch so the mid position is humbucking is a nice arrangement.
All that taken into account if you supply the necessary info somebody on this site can give you an answer to just about any build or playing question.
'Just a single coil..' was in no way any sort of commentary on my opinion of the usefulness of single coil pickups, I was talking in terms of circuitry and implementation. Robert knows this, he's just being cute cos he likes to pick fights with me :)
Ps if you're at all familiar with my stuff, it's all singles, I've only ever made 3 or 4 buckers total...
Without knowing what kind of set up you intend I would have to say enter "wiring lipstick pickups" in your favorite search engine and then use whichever of the diagrams matches your rig.