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help with a 60s ES345

JPP-1

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Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
1,336
I have an ES345 that is wired like an ES335. It seemed to be working fine but now there is a staticy fizz sound after the note decays when the selector switch is in the middle position (both pickups) I also thought I the pickups were out of phase but now they sound in-phase. Additionally the treble pickup doesn't seen to have the bite it once had and the tone knob for the treble pickup rolls both volume and tone down. The rhythm pickup sounds perfect and the tone knob works perfectly.

Any suggestions as to what may be the culprit? Cold solder joint, bad pot or selector switch? I appreciate any guidance at this point.
 

MeHereNow

Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2009
Messages
677
Check the capacitor of the tonepot.
It's bypassed somehow or is just dead.
 

JPP-1

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Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
1,336
Check the capacitor of the tonepot.
It's bypassed somehow or is just dead.

Thanks heremenow,

I will check that but I’ll probably have to take out everything through the bridge pickup.

I measured resistance of the pickups plugging in a guitar cable and measuring ohms at the cable end and it was 7.10 for the neck pup and varying to around 48 for the bridge. I think an open coil would read in the 200s and a shorted coil around 3. Idk if that info provides any basis to narrow it down. I’m hoping it’s just the capacitor as that would be easiest to fix.
 

latestarter

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Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
4,173
Go through the circuit...cold be cold/poor solder. Run a little folded over 220 grit sandpaper in the selector switch terminals too (the little tabs that select the pickup)...sometime they can get crap on them....
 

JPP-1

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Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
1,336
Go through the circuit...cold be cold/poor solder. Run a little folded over 220 grit sandpaper in the selector switch terminals too (the little tabs that select the pickup)...sometime they can get crap on them....

Thanks late starter
 

JPP-1

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 11, 2006
Messages
1,336
Sounds like a dirty switch.

Thanks Mark,

I was always wary of ES guitars for the difficult in switching electronics and pickups but these pat # pups sounded so good I figured I ain’t ever changing them. I’m hoping it’s the pickup selector switch, I will start there.
 

TM1

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Joined
Jun 27, 2003
Messages
8,349
Spray the switch contacts with Deoxit D-5 contact restorer and spray the pots. That should take care of a multitude of issues.
 
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