Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Jimijazz on July 20, 2006, 09:19:57 PM
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I wired up my Tele with some country boys, and I think I have a problem, but I'm not sure where. The output seems quite low, but this isn't the main issue. The main problem is that when I have the amp set high (volume/gain) or turn on my fuzz factory, when the volume is down completely, I can still hear sound coming from the guitar. It isn't hum or anything like that, but I can still hear myself playing. It doesn't do this on any of my other guitars so something is wrong somewhere.
Is there anything that would cause this? If it was wiring, I'd have thought it would affect it the other way (less sound, rather than more sound so to speak). Could it be a dodgy pot, or should I just take it to a repair shop and be done with it?
Thanks in advance
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Check your grounding - pay close attention to the volume pot lug that should be joined to the pot chassis and to ground, sounds like it isn't making a good connection.
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if the volume pot on your guitar doesn't actual return to 0ohms at one end of it's travel then you may have the problem you describe - my mate actual used this 'problem' to get his clean tone with his EMGs :wink:
:twisted:
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if the volume pot on your guitar doesn't actual return to 0ohms at one end of it's travel then you may have the problem you describe - my mate actual used this 'problem' to get his clean tone with his EMGs :wink:
:twisted:
Can I check this using a multimeter on the pot without unwiring it, or do I need to remove all the wires attached to it?
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i have the exact same problem with my cb's, i just plugged it in today, i have no idea how to fix it, have you found out how to fix it yet? and everytime i touch any metal on the guitar there is a massive humm, even the strings!
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i just found out from tim that i have to wire a ground wire from the bridge plate to a pot, i just tried doing this, but my solder won't stick to the bridge!
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That's something of a bugger in these type of jobs alright.
Here are a few things that *might* be the problem. (with solutions)
1. The bridge plate is very large and dissipates heat rapidly, hence, it's a proper bugger to solder onto. Try "Spot Heating" the underside of the plate with the soldering iron, or, better yet a small blowtorch, then rapidly soldering (just a quick "tack") the wire (pre-tinned, of course) on, and then finishing it up with additional solder.
2. The plate is plated with chrome, and the solder won't "take" on this surface. Simple enough. Whack a patch of it with some heavy grit sandpaper and solder onto the resulting "wound".
3. Your solder is, to use a technical term "shitee". Buy some better solder. No idea what "Better" is. I'd ask a plumber.
That's all I can think of. Apart from a mad notion involving a drill, a pop rivet and a spade terminal, should all else fail.
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but surely it's all grounded to the bridge through the bridge pickup and screws? What good would an extra wire do?
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i just soldered it up, the solder i was using wasn't the best, (thanks headtheball) but the hum hasn't gone away, it's driving me insane!
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i just soldered it up, the solder i was using wasn't the best, (thanks headtheball) but the hum hasn't gone away, it's driving me insane!
i know it's a long shot......but are you standing next to a huge flourescent light when you plug in??????
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nope, it is the wiring
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We at headtheball Industries aim to please.
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i fixed it yesterday, thanks to the ball
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You'd never know when next I'd be thirsty and in Straffan...
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Well I spoke to Allparts yesterday regarding the problem - I said I've checked the wiring and measured the pot against a multimeter, and it wasn't reading to zero at all (technical term?). They sent me a new one today so I'll check it when I get home and rewire the guitar and let you all know how I get on.
I also ordered some copper shielding tape, so I'm going to do my pickup cavities. Can't do the control cavity as it's a thinline and I can't reach all the areas.
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You'd never know when next I'd be thirsty and in Straffan...
yup, you never know..
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Right. Well I've just finished wiring the new pot in, and now when the volume pot is turned down, I get a buzz/hum. Not really loud, but there is still a buzz. All I know is that it shouldn't do that and I'm now running out of ideas! Anyone?
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Right. Well I've just finished wiring the new pot in, and now when the volume pot is turned down, I get a buzz/hum. Not really loud, but there is still a buzz. All I know is that it shouldn't do that and I'm now running out of ideas! Anyone?
i wired all my ground wires to the volume pot, including the output jack, and the hum went away, my diagram was wrong, try that if you haven't already.
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Right. Well I've just finished wiring the new pot in, and now when the volume pot is turned down, I get a buzz/hum. Not really loud, but there is still a buzz. All I know is that it shouldn't do that and I'm now running out of ideas! Anyone?
i wired all my ground wires to the volume pot, including the output jack, and the hum went away, my diagram was wrong, try that if you haven't already.
Well all my grounds can be traced to the same point - the volume pot. The jack socket comes in to the tone, but I'm sure there's a link to the volume pot. I'll double check that though.
Any other suggestions?
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Right. Well I've just finished wiring the new pot in, and now when the volume pot is turned down, I get a buzz/hum. Not really loud, but there is still a buzz. All I know is that it shouldn't do that and I'm now running out of ideas! Anyone?
i wired all my ground wires to the volume pot, including the output jack, and the hum went away, my diagram was wrong, try that if you haven't already.
Well all my grounds can be traced to the same point - the volume pot. The jack socket comes in to the tone, but I'm sure there's a link to the volume pot. I'll double check that though.
Any other suggestions?
http://www.guitar-mod.com/rg_4wayinfo.html this is the best diagram out there, it works perfectly. i used parts of this after all else failed.
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Now I've looked over my wiring and I can't see anything wrong with it (which is a good thing I suppose), but the hum was still there. I took it to an electrical engineer friend of mine, who happens to be a much better guitarist than me, but I digress.
He also couldn't fault my wiring, and said that the problem lay in that the pot was working too well and creating a link between the hot and ground (which I thought was supposed to happen) and it was this that was causing the noise??? He reckoned that normally, pots don't drain all signal to ground and therefore you don't get this noise?
He 'solved' the problem for me (and I say 'solved' because I'm not convinced it's the right way to do it) but putting a tiny resistor in series with the hot lead from the jack socket, before it reaches the volume pot. It is high enough to kill the hum I get, but apparently it is low enough to not interfere with the signal.
I don't think this is right at all and at best seems like a bodge job to me.
Is my wiring right and should all guitars do this??? help!!!!