New SD-59's installed but some strange problems...?

[GazzaBloom]

I've just installed open coiled Seymour Duncan '59's into my Gibson Les Paul Classic and have a slight buzzing noise at high gain that goes away when I touch the strings, bridge or tailpiece. I checked & resoldered the tailpiece earth wire and the 2 pickup braids to the top of the vol pots but the noise is still there.

However, I have found that if I take my hands off the guitar completely with the buzzing noise present, it also goes away when I touch something around me that's metal that isn't attached to the guitar...!!

What's causing the buzz is it a problem with the guitar...? why does it go away when I earth myself without tuoching the guitar...?

Also the guitar seems a lot more sensitive with these pups in. If you tap the guitar body or pup rings...you hear all of this amplified more that I've ever noticed on nickel covered Gibson Burstbuckers in a Les Paul Standard. Are open coil pups more microphonic & sensitive that covered pups...? or is it just these SD 59's I've put in.

Don't get me wrong they sound killer but things are a bit different to what I'm used to.

Any advice/explanantions/tips would be appreciated.

Thanks

Gazza

[Robert S.]

Re: New SD-59's installed but some strange problems...?

It's probably a bad pot. Occasionally a pot will go bad for no apparent reason or if you over heated one during the pickup installation they can get noisey. Unfortunately there is no easy way to check a pot for noise and sometimes they will cause noise even if they are bypassed but still grounded into the circuit. The metal plate in LPs makes it hard to isolate an individual pot in the circuit from ground.

If you are sure your soldering and ground path is good (and it probably is because the guitar is operationg properly) then the easiest and least frustrating way to cure it is to replace all the pots. I'd have to guess that the problem is in a volume pot because that's where you applied the heat, but there is no guarantee of that.

I'd suggest replacing all the pots. I've had to do this a few times with LPs to cure the problem you now have.

[flank]

Re: New SD-59's installed but some strange problems...?

check the output jack wires as well......make sure the connections on the jack are still good..... i once had the ground on the jack come loose during a pickup change and thats where the buzz was comin from

[GazzaBloom]

Re: New SD-59's installed but some strange problems...?

I'm certain that all connections are good and I don't believe it's a faulty pot either. If the guitar has a bad earth how is it that when I sit the guitar on my lap without touching any of the metal parts but can eliminate the sound when I place the palm of my hand on my PC monitor...??

What causes that...?

Gazza