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 Post subject: VLP-550 pick up selector
PostPosted: Tue 28 May 2019 03:37 AM 
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Hi all,
I recently picked up a very nice VLP-550. I've figured out all the knobs and switches, but the pick up selector isn't working correctly.

On the 'rhythm' setting, the neck pick up works. All good so far.

On the 'treble' setting, the bridge pick up works. Still good.

One the middle setting, only the bridge pick up works, when both should work.

I've checked the wiring and it all looks factory.

I pulled apart the pick up selector switch and it all looks OK. There is the U shaped terminal connected to the white wire which is like a common power wire. I move the spring contact away on one side, and one pick up works. I move the spring contact away on the other side, and the other pick up works. This is how it should work.

However, in the middle, only one pick up works. Very odd. Any ideas??

I've got continuity from the white wire on the jack up to the selector switch and back down both the red and green wires to the volume pots. It just doesn't make any sense why I only get one in the middle?

Any help greatly appreciated.


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PostPosted: Tue 28 May 2019 03:49 PM 
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Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
Oxidation on the contact points is the likely culprit. Try a liberal dose of electrical contact cleaner, then...work it like a monkey in a Mango tree! :wink:

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PostPosted: Tue 28 May 2019 08:22 PM 
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:lol: Thanks Barry. I was thinking the same thing as nothing else is obvious, so I have already used contact cleaner and pulled paper through the terminals. Still not working.

It's just odd. Open either side of the switch and the other pickup works as it should. They both work fine separately, but only one works when both contacts are closed. :loon:


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PostPosted: Wed 29 May 2019 11:15 AM 
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I'm not sure that pulling paper through the contact area is a good idea. The cleaner itself should neutralize the oxidation without assistance.

It is designed to evaporate on its own, and does not need paper which might actually absorb it before it has a chance to work!

Rapidly toggling a switch or a pot after spraying should be all that is needed to spread the liquid where it's needed. Forcing anything between the contact points can only serve to push them apart and possibly make things worse.

If corrosion is not the problem it sounds like one of the springs has lost its tension and there is no easy way to restore that without potentially making things worse. I had a similar problem on a Westone model. Replacing the switch was cheap and easy. Problem fixed.

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PostPosted: Wed 05 Jun 2019 04:38 PM 
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I had the switch replaced but it ended up there was nothing wrong with it. Both the neck and bridge pick ups work in the centre position. The strange operation is due to the way the volume knobs have been wired up.

In the centre position, both volume knobs operate independantly. So you have to change the volume using both knobs together. You can bias the pick ups by having one turned more than the other. That takes a bit too much brain power and dexterity while you're playing.

When the bridge pick up volume is rolled right off, you can still get sound from the neck pick up using the neck pick up volume knob.

However, when the neck pick up volume is rolled right off, you can't get anything by rolling on the bridge pick up volume. That is the weird part of the operation.

I'd prefer a single volume knob controlling the pick ups regardless of which position the pick up selector is in.


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PostPosted: Wed 05 Jun 2019 05:13 PM 
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Location: St. Catharines, Ontario Canada
The traditional Gibson LP volume pots are wired in a similar (non-intuitive) way. You might want to check out that configuration to see if that's what in fact is going on with yours. It may be that the previous owner may have been tinkering and buggered it up? :dunno:

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