Exposed

No, this is not a discussion of uncovered human anatomy but an area of concern that might hinder your pickup replacement efforts. The arrowed parts are the pickup's wire solder, located underneath the pickup proper. If these exposed parts come into contact with the cavity's shielding paint, it'd render the pickup dysfunctional & you'd thought there's a soldering anomaly. Experienced individuals like Beez would be able to troubleshoot such circumstances in this light. When no output was heard from my Duncan Quarter Pound pickup (Ibanez SV5470), Beez simply raised the pickup by a little bit; problem solved. I have since covered these parts with bits of masking tape.