How do I use my new multimeter to diagnose a wiring problem?

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Just got a new multimeter and have a BC Rich Superbitch that has a wiring issue. What setting do you recommend using on the multimeter and any other tips you can give me would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
John E.

[Axegrinder87]

I'm gonna assume you suspect a bad/faulty wire. In which case, set the meter to continuity, touch one lead to one end of each wire, and the other on the other. It'll beep if there's continuity. If your meter doesn't have that function, then simply set it to ohms, lowest setting. A good connection will have 0, or close to it.

[tonemonster]

and if that dont work, just put some feathers under your belt smoke some cat hair and roll some chicken bones on the floor. that should figure it out.

OK OK ! just joking. seriously now, what is the issue? is the guitar buzzing? no sound at all? what is it doing?

[Twitch]

I'm gonna assume you suspect a bad/faulty wire. In which case, set the meter to continuity, touch one lead to one end of each wire, and the other on the other. It'll beep if there's continuity. If your meter doesn't have that function, then simply set it to ohms, lowest setting. A good connection will have 0, or close to it.

Youll also want to remember that there are some places that SHOULD NOT have continuity. It will help to know what the symptoms are so we could recommend what and where to test.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

There is a short in one of the millions of circuits in this thing. It's got preamps and phase switches, and rotary whatevers. I don't understand why any guitarist would need all this stuff but one of my clients wants me to fix his wiring issue and I've never done anything more than a 2 hum, 2 vol, 2 tone, JP wiring and that was tough. He says it shorts out on him so. I haven't tried troubleshooting it yet but I wanted to know what setting to start with on my meter.

[Twitch]

Well a short would indicate continuity between + and -. So if it is indeed a short, Id put one lead on a good ground point and start touching every + connection with the other probe. If you get a beep, theres your short. Chances are though, most people use the term "short" in reference to intermittent loses of output. Chances are, in this case, its just a loose/bad connection somewhere. In that case, plug in and start touching and or wiggling stuff until you find the one thats causing the problem.

[murkat]

plug it in, see what works, what does not.
Google is your friend, just type in "bc rich bich schematic" and all and beyond comes avail to you.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

The beep feature is awesome when you have your hands full and want to keep your eyes on your work. Some DMMs have a "speaker" button you will need to press for the beep to work.

[Axegrinder87]

I hate to sound like an asshole, but if you need to ask how to use a meter, perhaps you shouldn't be doing this professionally.

[TomGunn]

:idea:

[Twitch]

I hate to sound like an asshole, but if you need to ask how to use a meter, perhaps you shouldn't be doing this professionally.

I think hes doing it more as a favor. I didnt read the words shop, business, pay, professional, store etc. anywhere in the post.

[Nimitz]

but one of my clients wants me to fix his wiring issue

Client: Customer or client, a recipient of goods or services in return for monetary or other valuable considerations

[sully]

I hate to sound like an asshole, but if you need to ask how to use a meter, perhaps you shouldn't be doing this professionally.

Wow, that's helpful. If you don't mean to sound that way, take care not to, right?

[toejam]

I hate to sound like an asshole

Too late...

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Yes, This is a favor for a friend who is a client. I do Guitar setups and pickup replacements for my friends in bands around the Raleigh, NC area. I realized a long time ago that all the guitar techs in town didn't put the time into a proper setup and were charging way too much. After years and years of playing live and figuring out how to make these damn things play better, other guitarist would try my guitars and want theirs to play as good as mine. Many would ask me who sets them up for me and I'd always tell them "you're looking at him". Eventually some of them started asking if I would set up their guitars for them, and so it began. Until now, I have never had the need in the past to use a multimeter so I never bought one. If there was an issue with my pickup wiring I could easily find it just by plugging in and playing. But my friend brings me his Custom Bitch and says "There is a short in there somewhere but I don't know where." If he wasn't a friend of mine I'd send him to someone else. But I figured this would be a good excuse to get a multimeter and expand my horizons.