Ground issue

emilio

New member
I get my multimeter and all grounds are at zero: volume, tone, switch, jack, and output sleeve. When I check from the sleeve to the bridge I get 0.17. Strings are at 0, tuners at 0. This must mean that the wire isn't really touching the bridge right? I left about and inch of bare wire to make contact with the post, so I really don't understand the problem. :grumble:
 
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Re: Ground issue

Sleeve to strings is 0 but sleeve to bridge is 0.17? (Or did I understand that incorrectly?)

If that's the case, it seems like the bridge coating is slightly resistive.
 
Re: Ground issue

If there is no noise I'd not worry about it.
I think you are seeing some resistance on that wire and the bridge when you checked that section.
 
Re: Ground issue

Coma: I am. When I don't touch the strings I get noise, when I do it decreases. It makes more noise than other guitars, not a lot more, but it does.

PFDarkside: I thought so, but there is noise which confuses me. It makes sense since some places it's 0.06 and the highest in others is 0.34.
 
Re: Ground issue

If you touch the pole pieces of the outer coils, does that increase or remove the ground noise?

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Re: Ground issue

Coma: I'll have to get back with you on that one. I have need to wait until after work.
 
Re: Ground issue

0.17 Ohms is really a small reading and is something I would treat as "connected" but it sounds like a valid suspect but not sure how that could bring the noise, you can try to replace it and see how it goes but I have other suspects myself. If this guitar has higher output pickups than the other guitars with less ground noise then those may add a bit more noise floor, for example in one of my guitars my guitar the bridge humbucker can have a higher floor noise than the neck stacked single coil, put that thru a high gain amp and it can be quite noticeable. Also, according to what I have read internal shielding copper foil can add noise if there not a proper connection to the physical ground connection where you are connecting your rig, an affordable ground tester can help to verify that, if ground in the outlet is really not connected then copper foil shielding can become just a noise receiving antenna, conductive paint can be a shielding in disguise. There are other things I can thing one can check regarding noise but are not guitar specific and the way you describe it sounds like guitar specific and the fact that some noise goes away when you touch the hardware sounds like you may not have proper ground in the electrical outlet.

Edit: My comment about higher noise floor from high output pickups comes from a comment I got once from Seymour Duncan tech support over the phone, when I was trying to understand why my bridge humbucker had a higher floor noise compared to an almost dead quiet neck stacked single coil. That was a Jb vs YJM Fury.
 
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Re: Ground issue

Hey dudes, sorry, I'm an idiot. I tested three guitars side by side and it's not the guitar. Tried it straight and not the cable. Tried it through the AMT on it's own and zero noise. I got the noise activating the Badass OD. I'm guessing it's because of the One Spot I use, although I don't think I get it with the Analog Chorus or the Carbon Copy. I'll have to check that.
 
Re: Ground issue

Try grounding the whole system. Get a metal rod about 4 foot, bury the whole thing into the ground. Run a copper wire from the rod to any unused jack in your amp. Speaking from experience.
 
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