Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Wombatman on January 31, 2006, 08:45:30 PM

Title: Hum...until I touch the bridge or strings
Post by: Wombatman on January 31, 2006, 08:45:30 PM

Long story short, I have MM pickups and love them. The guitar hums until I touch the strings or the bridge. Not a huge deal, I just wanted to determine if the strings are properly grounded.

From what I read, if the noise DECREASES when you touch a metal part on the guitar, that means that you are acting as an additional ground to the already grounded strings. Is this correct or incorrect?

It's not REALLY loud, it's just something I noticed. Thanks!

Title: Hum...until I touch the bridge or strings
Post by: Steve-Mr Pig 2U on January 31, 2006, 08:52:12 PM

Its a common misunderstanding that the player is grounding the guitar. If you think about it, when do you ever play bare foot?
 Humans act like massive antenna and pickup alot of air born RF, the ground wire in your guitar is there to ground you out too.
 It sounds like an earthing problem, go over the connections and make shure all parts are grounded.
  Glad you like the pickups!

Title: Hum...until I touch the bridge or strings
Post by: HJM on January 31, 2006, 09:15:49 PM

The noise decreases as Steve says because you are now grounded through the guitar, so you become a shield rather than an antenna!

So you're extra shielding rather than extra grounding.  I'd guess the grounding is fine and you're in a hot RFI area......but check it anyway!

Title: Hum...until I touch the bridge or strings
Post by: Searcher on February 01, 2006, 08:35:04 AM

Quote from: Steve-Mr Pig 2U

when do you ever play bare foot?

About half the time.  :)

Title: Hum...until I touch the bridge or strings
Post by: Wombatman on February 01, 2006, 02:13:14 PM

Thanks for the replies...is it also possible it could be a pickup switch problem?

A friend of mine had this happen in his Les Paul and they checked everything to no avail. The shop that fixed it claimed it was the pickup switch.

The guy who put these in really knows what he's doing, so I'd be surprised if they're not properly grounded...anything is possible though.

Title: Hum...until I touch the bridge or strings
Post by: HJM on February 01, 2006, 04:31:28 PM

It could be, perhaps.....I'd guess it's all OK and it's just high RFI. I get the problem in some places and not others - just one of those guitar things!!