I was playing my S2 Mira, a 2014, through my 5153 and at first I thought it was a bad cable or tube in the amp but my other guitars sound fine through it, it was also happening through my Katana so it def the guitar and it seems to be happening through both pups, it just got really shrill and it even squealed for a moment on a note on the low E string, what can it be??
My S2 Mira crapped out on me, pups, pots?
- Thread starter Russ73
- Start date
dmatthews
Dave's not here
In all switch positions?
Can you open it up and look for shorts?
Can you open it up and look for shorts?
tonedover
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2019
- Messages
- 25
typically grounding issues make it stutter on and off, so my guess is you have a solder joint issue in between the pots. if u arent handy with a soldering iron. dont let it sour the guitar on you, there are so many variables about how a solder joint can go bad, its a miracle we dont hear about more of em on PRS
its also possible your tone pot has developed some sort of “dirt” within it and its bridging inside. do you happen to have any specially labled “electrical cleaning spray” in the house? its a long shot but the pots may just be dirty
can of air for cleaning keyboard could be tried, but dont use a ton of it as that air comes out cold
like a car, even the nicest guitar has to have an engine tune up unexpectedly from time to time
its also possible your tone pot has developed some sort of “dirt” within it and its bridging inside. do you happen to have any specially labled “electrical cleaning spray” in the house? its a long shot but the pots may just be dirty
can of air for cleaning keyboard could be tried, but dont use a ton of it as that air comes out cold
like a car, even the nicest guitar has to have an engine tune up unexpectedly from time to time
John Beef
Opaque
It's gotta be a loose wire in there. I understand you're not an electronics person but if you've got setup skills, that means you have logic and patience. I would be willing to be you could pop off the pickguard and diagnose the problem pretty quickly. There's probably a wire dangling there and a blob of solder that has no wire connected within exact reach of the wire.
pac90
Helix user
- Joined
- Jun 15, 2014
- Messages
- 1,133
The bridge ground is prone to ping off, like john says its pretty obvious to see, and just loosen strings off & unscrew the pickguard
The actual components underneath have a near zero failure rate, in any guitar its likely to be simple loose wire
The actual components underneath have a near zero failure rate, in any guitar its likely to be simple loose wire
Guys how do you know if the volume pot is bad? the jack is tight and the pups have some volume coming out of them theyre just really weak all of a sudden....ughh I ask about the volume pot because its always been scratchy when moving with any gain on the amp....
John Beef
Opaque
The way I would diagnose this would be like this:
1) Take off the strings and pickguard. Plug in a cable btw guitar and amp (anything small will do) an turn the amp on.
2) select the bridge pickup on the selector, turn the volume all the way up, and tap on the pole pieces with a screwdriver or other metal object. You should hear some clicking coming through the amp as the metal touches the pole pieces.
3) Take another screwdriver or something metal and touch across the two (of three) lugs that deal with the actual guitar signal. The 3rd is ground and it's obvious because it's bent funny and soldered to the back of the pot. Then touch the pickup poles again. Is it way louder? Yes - bad volume pot (make sure it's all the way up before you make this conclusion). No? Not a bad pot.
Pots can get scratchy without shorting out, some cleaner might be all you need.
But anyway, I can't remember offhand if S2 Miras have the volume kit/treble bleed thingy. If the pot is bad, the signal going through the volume kit/treble bleed will still be there, but it'll be quieter and brighter. So maybe that's it? It's like infinitely harder to type this stuff out than it is to think it.
Quick update for all that chimed in and helped diagnose...the neck pup appears to be twice as loud and fuller than the bridge pup, there is something def off with the bridge pup...could it be that after 6 years the bridge pup is crapping out? either way I have to wait for PRS to open or for a good tech I know of to start fixing guitars again....ughhh
Ovibos
Naughty Wood Librarian
Much more likely to be wiring than an actual bad pickup.
tonedover
New Member
- Joined
- Feb 14, 2019
- Messages
- 25
thanks for the update!!
So i would say this definitely narrows the issue that the wires from the bridge pickup have the bad solder joints. There will likely be 2 or 4 wire connection points to look at or resolder. 2 if its wired regularly or 4 if ur rig has a “split coils” type option.
its also possible the selector switch has a bad solder or is somehow giving out
Its possible however unlikely that the wires inside the pup have gone bad, but that is really rare. Pickups usually have a very long life as there isnt anything mechanical going on in there and they sit stationary in the body or guard.
