Metropoulos Forum

I recently installled a set of Wcr Bet Set pickups in my 2005 LP standard. Awesome sounding pickups. I also installed one of their pot and cap upgrade kits. The tone works better than ever, but the volume can't be right. When turning the volume down, it works more like rolling off your tone control and then cuts out pretty abruptly. There is some volume decrease, but the tone roll off is incredible, not in a good way. Trying to work your volume to clean up is impossible. Volume full up, the tone is gold. Anyone have any experience with this?

Yup. Incorrect soldering (loose ground) or you got your wired crossed.

I'm assuming your using 50's wiring. Do you need a diagram of the 50's wiring? Or a pic?

The 60's wiring worked badly for rolling off the volume and cleaning up, by the way, unless you got a treble bleed kit.

A wiring diagram would be great, but I think I have it correct. I'll redo my grounds and make sure thats not the problem. BTW, yes, I am using 50's wiring.

Here's what I have:


What do I need to switch?

You've got some extra wires I can't trace. Here's what I have for you.




After zooming in on your pic at original size, I'd resolder that ground lug on the tone pots. Sometimes the solder makes a decent enough connection, but I found that actually bending it back to touch the pot without solder, then soldering it in place is better.

Not sure what the extra wires in your cavity are, but they aren't in the diagram I have. Are they to ground the plate, or a coil tap?

Southbay Ampworks wrote: Not sure what the extra wires in your cavity are, but they aren't in the diagram I have. Are they to ground the plate, or a coil tap?

Heck if I know! Thats they way it was wired originally, so thats the way I put it back. I'll try re-soldering the grounds, but they have continiuty.

Ok what are the "cool" value of those caps again?? Tone caps, etc...

I saw .047uf, .022uf, .01uf, as low as .0022, .0033uf some with resistors some not etc!!

Sommary please!! thx!!

5150loveeddie wrote:Ok what are the "cool" value of those caps again?? Tone caps, etc...

I saw .047uf, .022uf, .01uf, as low as .0022, .0033uf some with resistors some not etc!!

Sommary please!! thx!!

I'll measure them when I get a chance and get back to you. I did finally get it wired up where everything seems to work correctly. I had to rewire it differently than it came from WCR. It still doesn't quite make sense, but it works I guess. But I can't help but think, "what if it's still not right? It could sound even better!"

WCR Wiring is completely different than modern or 50's style wiring.Modern style for the Bet set for me worked better when you completely rolled off the tone on the neck pickup for the woman tone or in the Warren Haynes style tone,when I had it 50's style it had zero in the way of balls or even clarity which I know sounds strange and opposite but it has to do with those particular pickups,they are a great pickup choice.

cfljames wrote:WCR Wiring is completely different than modern or 50's style wiring.Modern style for the Bet set for me worked better when you completely rolled off the tone on the neck pickup for the woman tone or in the Warren Haynes style tone,when I had it 50's style it had zero in the way of balls or even clarity which I know sounds strange and opposite but it has to do with those particular pickups,they are a great pickup choice.

You got a pic or diagram of how you wired it? I think I'm using a hybrid of the 50's and modern, and I can't help but wonder if it's the best way or not.

5150loveeddie wrote:Ok what are the "cool" value of those caps again?? Tone caps, etc...

I saw .047uf, .022uf, .01uf, as low as .0022, .0033uf some with resistors some not etc!!

Sommary please!! thx!!

.022uf on bridge, .015uf on neck.

cfljames wrote:WCR Wiring is completely different than modern or 50's style wiring.Modern style for the Bet set for me worked better when you completely rolled off the tone on the neck pickup for the woman tone or in the Warren Haynes style tone,when I had it 50's style it had zero in the way of balls or even clarity which I know sounds strange and opposite but it has to do with those particular pickups,they are a great pickup choice.

That's very interesting...I get similar problems using a Dr. Vintage wiring kit with 50s wiring with a WCR Fillmore neck and Goodwood bridge. Neck pickup with tone down sounds completely lifeless, and only slightly better on the bridge with the tone down. But I like the 50s wiring much better for how it responds to volume changes, so I've kept it. You're saying this has to do with the pickups?

shakti, just email Rick Norman aka Dr. Vintage with your question, I have absolutely no issues with '50's wiring with my '52 with soapbars.
yngwie308