Gibson L5 Guitar Wiring
The Gibson L5 guitar is one of the oldest guitars that are still produced by the Gibson corporation. The L5 CES was first launched at the New York Trade Show in 1951 and marked "Gibson's commitment to the electric guitar." Since then multiple different models of the L5 have been produced, both with single coil P90 pickups, and in later years, single and double humbucking pickups. To check the wiring and electronics, you will need to correctly diagnose the problem by checking each of the components, which are mainly the output jack and the pickups.
Instructions
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Plug your Gibson L5 into your amplifier using a different 1/4-inch cable. Sometimes if the cable that you are used to using has gone bad, it is easy to assume that you have a wiring issue with the guitar itself, when in fact it is the cable that is malfunctioned. This can save you the headache to getting into the inner electronics of your guitar system and will save you time as well.
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Play your Gibson L5 with the amplifier on. Use the pickup selector switch to isolate and test each pickup to see if any of them are not working properly --- assuming that your L5 model is one with two pickups. Flip the pickup selector to the high setting, which only uses the pickup closest to the neck. Flip the pickup selector to the low setting, which is closest to the bottom of the guitar in order to select the pickup closest to the bridge. If you find that one of the pickups is not putting out any sound or if the sound is distorted, turn off the amp and unwind the strings. Unscrew the pickup and unsolder the pickup from the potentiometer. Check the continuity of the pickup with a multimeter by holding one lead to the wire from the pickup and the other lead to the braided wire coming from the pickup. The humbucker pickup should have a resistance greater than 7.5 kilo-ohms. If you get a resistance of infinity, then the pickup needs to be replaced.
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3
Test the height adjustment of the humbucker pickup by touching it with a screwdriver. If the noise from the pickup intensifies, then the ground solder has been improperly wired. Re-solder the ground solder from the pickup, which is usually a green or a green-striped wire. Test the soldered joint with a multimeter.
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4
Remove the female end of the 1/4-jack connection in the base of the guitar body by backing out the tiny screws that secure the pickup to the jack receiver. Test the connection to the jack receiver with a multi-meter set to resistance. If the connection or joint measures in at infinite resistance, then the joint needs to be soldered again.
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Tips & Warnings
Some Gibson L5 guitars only have one pickup while others have two depending on the model and production year. Hence, those with one pickup do not have a pickup selector.
