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Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

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  • Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

    Hi guys.

    I've recently gotten fed up with my grounding issues in two of my guitars.
    I've played live with them for over 30 years and they've never failed me.

    (I have to point out playing live sometimes has seen the high E string get caught under the neck pickup coil a few times)

    I rewired one of the guitars because I thought it was getting a little buzzy.
    It seems to have cured most of the issue.

    I've uploaded a video to show you guys what the problem is.

    Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.


    Before I go further I understand I've put a lot of gain on the sound, mainly to accentuate the issue.

    The bridge pickup (original JB from 84ish) has a little hum to it consistently regardless of toggle switch position and regardless if I'm holding the strings.

    The neck pickup seems to buzz a lot. This goes away when I touch the strings as you can see.

    The bridge seems to be fine in my opinion although if someone thinks it should be better please let me know.

    The neck pickup buzzing worries me. I can double check the wiring and soldering but I'm [pretty sure I did a good job on everything.

    Any feedback (sorry) would be great. I'd love to have this issue put to bed.

    Drew

  • #2
    Re: Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

    Welcome to the forum. That almost looks/sounds like you've lost the bridge ground. By "bridge", I mean your tremolo. Not the bridge pickup. Double check to see if the tremolo ground wire is still there and solidly attached.

    Also, make sure you're using a decent quality cord. (But I'm guessing it's the bridge ground.)

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    • #3
      Re: Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

      The good news is that your pick ups are NOT shot. Sounds like a grounding issue. Recheck all your wiring, especially the ground wire from the bridge.
      Originally Posted by IanBallard
      Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

        Hi guys,
        First off, thanks for the quick replies.

        I just checked the wiring and all is good and solid (and no cold solders)
        If there was a bad ground wouldn't it affect both pickups the same way?

        When I grab the lead off the neck pickup (inside the wiring cavity) it buzzes more, like there's a break in the pickups wiring somewhere, maybe on the ground wire?

        The only way I could test that is to probably get another pickup and switch it out I'm assuming.

        Drew

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

          That sounds normal for cranked. Although there are things which can help like making sure there's a ground wire soldered to the bridge, making sure all the components have ground wires soldered to them, and shielding. It's also normal for the noise to be different with different switch positions. If it bothers you, try a noise gate.
          Last edited by Clint 55; 02-25-2020, 12:04 AM.
          The things that you wanted
          I bought them for you

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

            Originally posted by ZipFunk View Post
            Hi guys,
            First off, thanks for the quick replies.

            I just checked the wiring and all is good and solid (and no cold solders)
            If there was a bad ground wouldn't it affect both pickups the same way?

            When I grab the lead off the neck pickup (inside the wiring cavity) it buzzes more, like there's a break in the pickups wiring somewhere, maybe on the ground wire?

            The only way I could test that is to probably get another pickup and switch it out I'm assuming.

            Drew
            It IS a problem with the wiring/soldering. You say you've checked it and it's all ok, but it isn't. Your best bet at this point is to include several very clear close-up photos of your wiring showing every connection. We can help you if we see what's going on.
            Last edited by GuitarDoc; 02-26-2020, 08:38 AM.
            Originally Posted by IanBallard
            Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

            Comment


            • #7
              Grounding issue (are my pickups shot)?

              Originally posted by ZipFunk View Post
              I just checked the wiring and all is good and solid (and no cold solders)
              If there was a bad ground wouldn't it affect both pickups the same way?
              Having nice solder doesn’t mean the wiring is good. It just means the solder is good. Buzzes will vary depending on the output of the pickups, whether they are humbucking or or not, and to what degree their design is able to buck hum. It will also vary if one of them is wired out of phase.


              Originally posted by ZipFunk View Post
              When I grab the lead off the neck pickup (inside the wiring cavity) it buzzes more, like there's a break in the pickups wiring somewhere, maybe on the ground wire?
              If there was a break in the pickup wire, you’d get no sound all the time. To me it sounds like the string bridge wire is not connected and one of the pickups is wired out of phase.
              Last edited by beaubrummels; 02-25-2020, 12:08 PM.

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