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Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

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  • Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

    Hi,

    I followed the diagram below and there are several things that somehow went wrong with my installation since I'm getting tons of noise, also the three way switch was somehow touching the back plate a little bit and whenever I closed the back of the guitar I wouldn't get the hot signal so I had to put a little piece of paper towel there for now so I can close the back. Either way I was getting tons on noise, at least now I can her the notes but the noise has not gone away. I checked the diagram several times, checked with a multi meter everywhere readings were fine before I closed it, re solder some grounds and hots, the amount of noise is bad.

    The volume doesn't work. Tone does seem to work but the volume does not turn off the volume all the way down, it only acts as a "noise" control, more noise or no noise at all but the sounds is still coming out. If I roll down the tone also the noise goes away but the treble is gone too. This is crazy, now I turn the the nut and washer in the tone pot since it was a little lose and all sound went away again This is the tone pot and the volume pot I used: https://www.philadelphialuthiertools...roduct-reviews https://www.philadelphialuthiertools...roduct-reviews

    I asked here before about the shielded wiring and members said it wouldn't hurt anything so that's what I used, but now I noticed that the exterior braiding is actually conductive; I guess that's a possible cause? This is the wire I used for the hot connections, I may have to cut and strip all the exteriorbraiding: https://www.philadelphialuthiertools...guitar-5-feet/
    For the grounds I used https://www.philadelphialuthiertools...itar-5-yellow/

    Here is the diagram I used. Thanks!!!

    Click image for larger version

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    Last edited by Edward203; 04-05-2020, 03:29 PM.

  • #2
    Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

    Maybe some pics of what you actually have done, rather than what you were supposed to have followed might help.

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    • #3
      Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

      Originally posted by AlexR View Post
      Maybe some pics of what you actually have done, rather than what you were supposed to have followed might help.
      It is really tight there and the connectors in the push pull are tiny but I can try. I did check several times and added solder where I think it was needed while testing with a multimeter. I'm thinking that wire was the problem, I don't understand why they would sell it at a luthier store, it also comes up in their search engine as a "guitar wire". I tested the outside and the braiding is metal and it is conductive. I will have to trim wherever it may touch something else.
      Idk if the pots could be bad but I tested those too.

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      • #4
        Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

        The braid has been used as 2 conductor hookup wire for pickups and wiring schemes since the 40's or 50's. So its perfectly legit stuff to use. A 2 conductor pickup you would buy today from Duncan has that exact wire.
        Of course its not a good choice if you are inexperienced, using it as a 1 conductor, or working in tight spaces. But maybe next time you will know just to use plastic shielded stuff or the fender style cloth pushback wire.

        What we're interested in is the quality of the joints. If schemes don't work as advertised, 99.9999% of the case its the soldering quality that is at fault. Hence the pics being of high usability as we can give specific tips on what might be up.

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        • #5
          Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

          Uh, I didn't know the vintage wiring had a metal braiding in the outside. I'll check again, thanks!

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          • #6
            Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

            Problem seems to go away when I touch the back of the pots.

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            • #7
              Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

              Based on all the OPs, these are the potential issues that I’m reading:

              1. Trying to use single conductor braided pickups with a 4-conductor split diagram. What could go wrong?
              1.a. If they were 4-conductor pickups, I might suspect the bare ground wire of the pickups was not grounded.
              2. Noise going away when touching the pots means a ground connection is missing somewhere. Start at the ground lug of the jack and check ground continuity from the jack until you reach the pickup ground.
              3. Pots turning down noise without turning off the sound means they are missing their ground connections to function. Or there are bad solder joints (cold solder, wires not completely in contact with lugs under the solder)
              4. Adding solder will not improve connections. Reheating solder and slightly pressing on the wire to make a better connection with the lug would be a better approach.

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              • #8
                Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

                I vote for no.3 from Beau's list. I'd check if the pots third lug is properly bent back and soldered to the housing. Somenlugs a pretty short and tricky to properly send their signal to ground.

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                • #9
                  Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

                  Thank you so much, that is some helpful information!!

                  The mistake I made with the multi meter was that I checked the solder joints rather than the back of the pots. I checked quickly last night and there is no continuity between the tone pot and the guitar bridge (floyd rose claw).

                  Also I remember bending that terminal for the volume ground but it was just barely touching the back of the pot, I thought solder will make out for that, I guess it didn't

                  That wire I bought, I checked with the multi meter and it is conductive, I mean the outside and it is creating problems with whatever it touches, I thought it was a good idea since it is shielded and insulated but I may have to strip all the metal braiding and just leave the cloth insulation part on it.
                  Thanks, I'm stuck at work now but I'll give it another shot tomorrow. I'm also using import size pots which may make things a little more difficult because of the size and I was afraid of overheating the components because it will be harder to find then given the Covid situation.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

                    It was a cold solder joint from the guitar bridge to the back of the volume pot. Thanks!

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Tons of noise and issues after rewiring and installing SD pups-help!!

                      The cold solder joints have had me scratching my head for weeks. Usually that is what I suspect when things don't turn out the way I think they should.
                      Administrator of the SDUGF

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