Reasons for a dead pickup FIXED!

Since you got a pair of these pickups, I am assuming that you swapped them to verify that it is the pickup and not the guitar wiring.
 
I am not familiar with the "KwikPlug" or if you can slide the case apart easily, but most issues occur at solder joints (highest resistance and point of failure) than in a "wire." The guts of that may be potted, and is essentially a spool of wire on magnets, but the ends (if it can be coil split will have 4, otherwise 2) should be easily accessible with the case opened (many with covers will slide off). Do not dig into the windings in any way, or you could break the wire; and beware of slack concerns (you may not have much) if you try to slide that case apart.
 
It is highly unlikely to be the coil, but more a joint from coil(s) to kwikplug, or the kwikplug to its socket (but on the pickup side if the other pickup works in that socket).
 
When troubleshooting pickups, do not worry to retune strings. The low strings have the most output anyway, and they only need to be tight enough to vibrate to test continuity (even just the A string will work for this, leave the rest slack and pulled behind the neck (I use a piece of string for this behind the heel)).

So it's is basically one of these two issues.
 
KwikPlug female needs re-soldering?
Coils wire come loose from the connection wire?
 
I have swapped the pick ups Mattelus, so it's definitely the pick up. The KwikPlug is a four point mini jack, with the female on the pickup. I've messaged GFS, so I haven't attempted the opening it's case yet.
 
No meters unfortunately TLW, and the small plastic casing means nothing is exposed until I try t remove it. Being in Vietnam, means I'm looking at January before I get a replacement. I can't warrant the cost postage, so may as well right it off and attempt to fix. Worse case scenario I buy a replacement. GFS aren't expensive at $30
 
https://www.guitarfetish....ckel-Case_p_21785.html
 
 
 
 

I've had a small play with just the one pickup, and so far I'm happy with the change. So I'll persevere with them.
 
BTW I only went for the Dream over the Mean, because they don't do the Mean in Nickel. I think they used to, be made a batch with the Dream and the previous haven't been re-made

After seeing that picture, I would suspect the kwikplug, which seems to be glued to the back. Taking the lid off may buy you nothing, since it seems they soldered the plug outside the case, then glued it down. Assuming this passed QC, the female pin sockets may be bent or sprung just enough not to make contact.

Sans a meter, if any sockets are obvious but you cannot get to them to straighten, you might be able to bridge the pin gap by wrapping aluminum foil on the male pin(s). One wrap and leave it a smidge too long. This may not be feasible since the connector looks tiny.

Hmmm, does that cover come off though? It looks like it has screws from the back (which are inaccessible). *If* that snaps off, all of your solders and pins are right there.

OK, so I don't know what I'm doing here. At 16, I received a certificate in Engineering after passing everything except the electrics class. They let me move to the next level, but I had t change to Cnstruction, received a diploma an then a degree. I am still no wiser abut eletrics than my 16 year old self.
 
One thing I am not happy with GFS, is the pickups are not marked. I had to write GPS39 (Neck) and GPS40 (Bridge with a marker as I unbxed to avid cnfusion. They should be 8.4k for the bridge, 8.2K for the neck. Neck pickups are now REVERSE WOUND
 
Setting my cheap Chinese  meter to 20KΩ they read 8.83 and 8.78. So for all I know they are the same pickup. But the GPS 39 is wired White/Black and the GPS40 Back/Red. S the black wire is switched (would tht be reverse winding?).
 
So I am getting a stable resistance reading with both, so I assume the coil is good.
 
But I did notice this! Testing continuity
There are 3 connections. Hot 1 / Ground 3 /Shield(case) 4.
 
KPH 40 (the good one)
1>3 1704
1>4 No response
3>4 No response
 
 
KPH 39 (the bad one)
1>3 1695
1>4 1695
3>4 continuity (the meter beeps at me)
 
 
 

Hehe... for not passing electric class, you done good! I'd wager you know a little something :) Glad to see you got it resolved!

Moral of the story:
Phuck the quick plug!!

Pulling the electrics out of a semi is the opposite of fun, getting them back in again is even worse.

Having said that, on Gibsons and the small number of Epis I’ve worked on, if they have a centre block there’s a kind of hole in the bridge pickup cavity facing downwards towards the pots and jack socket. That hole is there to provide a way to get the electrics in and out rather than trying to get them through an f hole. Just remember to securely attach long bits of thin string to the switch and pot shafts and jack socket before you remove them and make sure the loose end of the string doesn’t fall into the guitar.

Then you can use the string to pull the parts back into place. Still time consuming, fiddly and annoying to do though.

I didn't think that far ahead when I put my old PAF PRO in the bridge on my Epi Dot, but found a simple needle and thread worked for reassembly with a magnet. Lesson learned though... string during the disassembly would have been a lot wiser. That guitar indeed has no access other than the f-holes. :(

Guitar looks odd now at a distance because that pickup is black and looks like a hole in the guitar :)

Chrome is shinier than nickel, and looks blue while nickel has a hint of yellow.

Nickel turns yellow as it wears/corrodes/ages, polishing usually gets it back to where it should be. I prefer the look of nickel but understand why manufacturers use chrome - it’s tougher and resists corrosion much more than nickel does.

If a surface is perfectly polished with no barrier to oxygen/moisture, it will oxidize in short order. A polish that leaves a residue, like Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish (used on car wheels), would protect better and can you could do a quick buff every now and then. If you have an auto store that carries such, it is worth grabbing some. That stuff is designed to protect from brake dust, which is one of the more corrosive agents there is to metal, especially bare aluminum.

Cool pics I some interesting twoods in their. I seen one of these in a shop window.

 
A few years back a friend wanted a guitar, when she was traveling through., I was living in HCMC city at the time, so we hunted out guitar street. I was as clued up about gutars as I am now (Not that I know much now, but I knew nothing then)
 
Some friends who are experience players up here, say you can pick up decent guitars here, that are worth picking over the lower end Taylors for the cost.
 
They love acoustics here, and you see guitars bags on peoples backs often as the ride their scooters around town. Acoustic basses still having really taken off, there is this city for sale (Fender T-Bucket) and you can see from the strings it's been their a while. Previously there was a Takemine, with a truss rod so tight you couldn't play it, and they wouldn't let you adjust or be bothered to do it themsleves. Fortunatly the gamble paid off, and it sits in my place with Nylon Tapewounds on it, sounds very nice.