Not really, if you understand how a pot works, it’s exactly the same. the legs are inverted but it doesn’t change anything as it’s just a variable resistor.
No, the back of all pots are grounded, as well as the opposite leg regarding the output for each volume pot. Same wiring really, that’s a very normal Vol / Vol / Tone wiring.
I’m guilty of having forgotten most of my electronics knowhow 
When only two legs are connected (including the middle one) , a potentiometer is nothing more than a single variable resistor. It’s not polarized so you can invert the legs and it makes the exact same circuit.
I’ll rewire tomorrow according to the printed diagram and see what happens…
Best case I solve connection issues due to bad soldering.
I’m assuming they also use non-directional capacitors?
You have to, it’s alternating current from the pups. Polarized caps like electrolytics are a bad plan
I was going to suggest checking your grounding but I think you answered that.
Interesting there is no sound difference- was it the Vibe?
It’s very subtle to my quick eye, but I assume that actual ground wiring here happens at Pot #3 (and of course the output jack), right?
I just tried to visualize this diagram into an actual elecricl diagram, using draw.io (it’s like Visio) … and without that no pot would be actually grounded…
The ground is obviously the output jack ground pin. But all the grounds should be connected after that - what I actually like to do is explicitly wire the pot bodies together, and run that to the jack. That then makes it very easy to run any other grounds.
This should also happen naturally in the above wiring but making it explicit simplifies visualization a little.
Effectively, this wiring in the top diagram should accomplish exactly the same thing:
If you read the instructions (below), the whole grounding topic for the pots is written in the “removing original pickups” chapter (which I did not read, as I was replacing all pots) … and not very clear to the layman.
I am very curious what will happen after rewiring. Getting better cables now, as the ones I used might not have the best ones (very thin / very old).
what was unclear?
Look at it this way - everything in that diagram with the grounding/common symbol needs to be connected together somehow. As you can see most of it is running to the pot bodies. You need to make sure the output jack ground pin is as well.
Yep, done all that (as this is shown in the dowloaded Diagram). Let me get back to you as soon as I have resoldered everything!
If everything is grounded properly what is likely (almost assuredly) happening is the output signal is shorting to ground somewhere. You can find this easily using a multimeter, just takes a little time.
The other main possibility is there isn’t continuity for the whole output signal path, which you can also find with the meter.
Time I have. Multimeter I have. Know-how how to do the measurements I have not (anymore - in my time we had steam, not electricity). I wouldn’t know the measurement points
oh another question - for the pickup internal connection, you soldered the wires together and taped them so it was insulated, right? This connection:
and the corresponding one for the other pup
Yes, done all that and checked twice. Every cable is connected the way it is intended on the diagram.
I even removed the control plate for testing, to make sure that the pots don’t shortcut with the copper on the cavities. Nothing!
Also (visually) checked for cold solder points. Everything looks ok (as I have thick lead blobs anyway, due to bad soldering skills).
The only thing I am not convinced of is the cables I used. But looking at the Dimarzio cables, my cables are not to bad too…
bad wires can happen but are really unlikely to be the cause.
Try this. Turn all the pots all the way up (max volume, etc). Set the multimeter to continuity test (or a very low resistance if it does not have a separate continuity). Touch the multimeter black lead to the output jack hot pin. With the red lead, touch the points the pickup red wires connect to the pins on the pots. You should have continuity.
Ok, good news (kind of):
Will now test the P pickups directly and if that works ok I will try to test with Jazz pickup, bridge volume pot and tone first (so without precision) to see if there is a porblem with those components.
More good news: precision pickup with direct connection works too.
@Al1885 the alligator clip idea was really good. Very easy to test now!
Cool - Jazz pickup, bridge volume and tone control works now.
Next step: precision pickups!
