G&L Tribute Rampage - Low input and noise, pickup problem ?

[rampage3166]

Hi everyone,

I got a lovely black G&L tribute Rampage in black, which I love, but I'm having 2 major issues with this guitar and I don't want to give up on it.

First problem is that it seems I have a problem with either the pickup or wiring, because I have a very low volume input compared to my other guitars (Epi lespaul, strats, jazzmaster..), I also have an issue when plugged to an audio interface (Focusrite scarlett 2i2), where the guitar has a big humming noise and pretty low output.( I don't have any of these problem with my other guitars).

I first opened the cavity and to me it seems the solder joints are in good shape, however I'm curious about this wiring as it is completely different from the USA made Rampage ( see pictures, first is mine, second is from another member of the forum of a USA rampage)

I noticed there is no capacitor on the pot, is that normal ?

I have a Seymour Duncan JB on my lespaul which I want to swap with the one in the rampage anyway, but I would like to know if the problem is the wiring of the pickup itself ?





Second problem unrelated to electronics, is the Kahler tremolo on this guitar. It won't return to correct pitch when I use it, it either detunes the guitar 1/2 step down, or too high. I had the tremolo springs changed by a luthier with the correct ones from whammy parts, but the problem is still there. It is a very frustrating issue as the tremolo is almost unasable..

Thank you

[Craig]

Assuming you bought the guitar new from a G&L dealer, you should contact them and have them handle it under warranty.
See: SUPPORT.

Regarding the Kahler tremolo, see: Current Factory setup for G&L guitars with vibrato bridges.
You will find a link to Kahler's website for maintenance and setup information.

Hope this helps.

[rampage3166]

Assuming you bought the guitar new from a G&L dealer, you should contact them and have them handle it under warranty.
See: SUPPORT.

Regarding the Kahler tremolo, see: Current Factory setup for G&L guitars with vibrato bridges.
You will find a link to Kahler's website for maintenance and setup information.

Hope this helps.

Hello, thank you very much for your reply.

I bought the guitar new indeed, but from an online dealer out of my country. I inquired about the problem but did not heard back from them. Concerning the tremolo, I have to find someone competent with kahlers to set it up for me, as I'm not confident enough to deal with it.

For the pickup, does the wiring seems right to you ? If anyone has an asian made rampage and could take a look to tell me, that would be very helpful.
Would I need to add a capacitor if I put a seymour duncan JB in it ?

[Tooslowhand]

I assume from the photo that the humbucking pickup has separately wound coils and that the green and white wires twisted together are supposed to connect the end of one coil's windings to the start of the other. Some things I noticed or you could check are:

1. If those twisted wires are not soldered, they should be.
2. The twisted wires should be covered with shrink wrap or electrical tape to avoid shorting. The black paint in that cavity could be conductive shielding paint and if the twisted wires are touching it that can effect output.
3. You will notice that the picture of the USA Rampage only shows two wires for the humbucker. It internally has the coils wired together in the proper configuration. The humbucker in your guitar has four leads so the coils must be connected externally. Different pickup manufacturers vary in their use of wire colors for their humbuckers. I don't know what the colors represent for your pickup but if it is wired incorrectly such that the coils are wired in parallel or one is shorted out the pickup will have less output.

I would start by checking / correcting items 1 and 2 above, then try to determine if there is an issue with the wiring as described in 3.

Since the Rampage has only a volume control, capacitors aren't strictly required in the circuit. The USA circuit shows a capacitor which provides some sort of filtering which your Tribute model does not have.

[rampage3166]

I assume from the photo that the humbucking pickup has separately wound coils and that the green and white wires twisted together are supposed to connect the end of one coil's windings to the start of the other. Some things I noticed or you could check are:

1. If those twisted wires are not soldered, they should be.
2. The twisted wires should be covered with shrink wrap or electrical tape to avoid shorting. The black paint in that cavity could be conductive shielding paint and if the twisted wires are touching it that can effect output.
3. You will notice that the picture of the USA Rampage only shows two wires for the humbucker. It internally has the coils wired together in the proper configuration. The humbucker in your guitar has four leads so the coils must be connected externally. Different pickup manufacturers vary in their use of wire colors for their humbuckers. I don't know what the colors represent for your pickup but if it is wired incorrectly such that the coils are wired in parallel or one is shorted out the pickup will have less output.

I would start by checking / correcting items 1 and 2 above, then try to determine if there is an issue with the wiring as described in 3.

Since the Rampage has only a volume control, capacitors aren't strictly required in the circuit. The USA circuit shows a capacitor which provides some sort of filtering which your Tribute model does not have.

Well that's embarassing...

It was indeed those twisted green and white wires getting in contact with the paint that caused the problem. (which is conductive..), so problem solved.

I now have to figure out if the seymour duncan sh-4 jb has the same wiring to swap it with the stock one.

Thank you very much for your help !

[Tooslowhand]

I believe the JB is a 4 wire split coil pickup. You might consider using a Seymour Duncan Triple Shot trim ring. It has little switches that allow you to select series or parallel humbucking or either coil as a single coil. No modifications are required to the guitar and it gives you a bunch of tone options