Hey, everyone out there in Fender land. I picked up a MIM Strat about a month ago and the middle pup does not work. I have a five position switch and two, three and four have no sound from the middle pup. Looking at it by carefully lifting the pick guard I see nothing apparent. Is there a way to tell if it's the switch, solder breakdown or the pup itself? Or is it just a matter of elimination?

Thanks for your imput.

It's definitely your middle pickup.(somehow) It's impossible to troubleshoot over the forum. You are missing a lot of tone without 2 & 4 plus 3rd position. Look for any wiring work that may have been done after the guitar was built. You can test the pickup itself by wiring it temporarily to position 1 or 5. If the pickup responds, then it's your 5 pos. switch or wiring. Make sure to replace your 5 pos. switch with original Fender equipment. Good luck.

Oh, Ok. The temp wiring idea is great. I will do that. thanks a lot.

Hello Again. Since no one else responded to you situation I want to be sure that I don't steer you in any wrong direction. Yes, if you disconnect the middle pick up and feed it with the wires that go to pickups either 1 or 3 you will know if your mid pickup is responding to hot wiring. If this turns out to be the case, I suggest that you purchase another Fender 5 way switch. Wire it in according to the diagram that Fender support and 'wiring diagrams' provides. If, on the other hand...if the pickup doesn't get "live" with pickup wires that are making pickups 1 or 3 work....then you need to replace that pickup. Wire it very carefully. Take your time.

If you have a multi meter there is an easier way. Plug a cord into the guitar and turn volume and tones all the way up. On the other end of the cord, switch your meter to resistance and measure tip and sleeve. You should see around 6K ohms with the 5 way switch in positions 1,3, and 5. If not, check pickup wiring. One side of the pickup goes to the case of the volume pot, the other to the 5 way switch. After verification, put your meter directly on the solder points where the wires are soldered to the pickup. If it is open, replace your pickup. If it reads around 6k, replace your 5 way switch.

Thanks for the meter idea. I checked this: You should see around 6K ohms with the 5 way switch in positions 1,3, and 5. Position 1 & 5 were at 7.5 but 3 had no reading at all. I'll check the wiring on the pickup now and see what happens.