no action w/ tone control pot

Hi and Welcome.

Kind of sounds like something isn't wired right. Sure this shop is on the up and up.

joe

To my way of thinking, if the pickups are still outputting, no matter how bad the sound, the tone and volume controls should still have an effect.

The pickup switch is just that - a switch. The pickup is either switched on or off and, if it's on, the volume and tone controls will still have an effect.

Unless the wiring has been changed from the original configuration, if the pickup is switched on, there should be a circuit and a signal going to the pots. If they are working, the tone and volume controls will affect the sound. If the wiring has been changed you need to get a competent tech to look at it - there could be a shourt circuit, by-passing the pots.

The only other thing is the pots, themselves. Before allowing the shop to put new pickups in, ask them to try new pots.

Better still, get a second opinion from another shop. It shouldn't take a competent tech more than a couple of hours to locate a fault.

Thank you for the quick replies. My thinking..... starting from the jack......... if that wasn't working, then no sound...........if the pots weren't working, then no control over volume and tone.........if the switch wasn't working, then maybe a pickup would work or not.............if the pickups weren't working, then no sound from one or the other.

The shop is reputible. I just don't want to get taken for a ride over a 55 cent capacitor. Instead of diagnosing with a ohm meter, the tech is part swapping.

No mods have been done to the wiring, the guitar was a gift to my son and bought from this same shop. Just out of the blue last month, it stopped working. I think I will heed your advise and pick up the guitar today for a better option.

Again, thank you for your knowledge and suggestions.

Just an update.
We picked up the guitar a few days ago, decided to give it a try ourselves. The tech replaced the switch and imput but to no avail. Removed the tone pot completely and still the volume is no where near normal. Leads me to believe something is amiss in the pickups. Will look to replace pickups soon and post our findings.
Again, thanks very much for all of your responses.

Before you go through the expense of replacing the pickups try running the pickups one at a time directly out bypassing the tone, vol and switch.

Thanks. I've run each pickup directly to a new volume pot with the same results- low volume. The tech's thinking was the pickups, I find it hard to believe BOTH pickups would be on the blink at the same time. I'm gonna pick up a cheapie used and give it a shot.
Again, thanks kindly for all of the responses. We'll be looking into a new shop here soon, thought we would take a stab at it first.

I wonder if perhaps the guitar has been dropped at all by your son ? its an unlikely suggestion but... perhaps the coil inside the pick up has been slightly shorted. where now only a partial amount of the usual current is being produced.... who knows quite honestly..

Thanks. I've run each pickup directly to a new volume pot with the same results- low volume. The tech's thinking was the pickups, I find it hard to believe BOTH pickups would be on the blink at the same time. I'm gonna pick up a cheapie used and give it a shot.
Again, thanks kindly for all of the responses. We'll be looking into a new shop here soon, thought we would take a stab at it first.
I also find it hard to believe BOTH are bad. My original suggestion was to go directly out to the amp bypassing everything including even a new pot. I just wanted to find out if both pickups act the same even without any pots, caps etc.. Also, I would do it 1 pickup at a time to see if there are differences.

Also, there could be some difference based on how far away the pickups are from the strings and of course they will sound different because one will have more treble and the other (neck) will have more bass.