ground wire question

Tux789

Tux789

Medicated Cryptologist
okay #1 can you use a speaker cable as a guitar cable

second i think i have a ground wire problem w/ the neck pickup. some wire came lose a long time ago and i resoldered it.
problems:
immediately the neck pickup became muted and would have to crank the tone knob to about 6 to match the relative volume level on the other two positions. also i've been getting a hum through the amp but thought nothing of it until i accidently touched the ground solder point and the hum went away. Is this normal? How can i fix this?

thanks

-Jeff
 
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Re: okay couple o questions

Re: okay couple o questions

A speaker cable can be used, but they are'nt shielded and would probably not sound as good as a guitar cable, thats shielded.

The volume problem is probably a wiring problem. The humming is probably normal, it's kinda like the hum that stops when you touch your strings.
 
Re: okay couple o questions

Re: okay couple o questions

greendy123 said:
The volume problem is probably a wiring problem. The humming is probably normal, it's kinda like the hum that stops when you touch your strings.
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okay yeah i forgot to mention that my guitars is S/S/S
but i think i stil hear the hum on positions 2 and 4.
 
Re: ground wire question

You can use a speaker cable, but I don't know why you'd want to. You want to have an instrument cable before the preamp. You NEED to have a speaker cable from your amp to your speaker cabinet. This isn't one of those "same cable- different names so they can charge you more" type of things. As grendy 123 noted, the instrument cables are shielded, the speaker cables are not.
 
Re: ground wire question

The Golden Boy said:
You can use a speaker cable, but I don't know why you'd want to. .
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split the guitar output jack using 1/4 plug y-splitter through 2 speaker cables to get the signal into the dirty and clean channel at the same time (much better mids and the bass doesnt rattle the speaker) seems to be a great improvement
still wondering how to fix the neck p'up though
 
Re: ground wire question

Use instrument cables anyway. What are you trying to do? Send the same signal to two different amps at once? You need a splitter box and you want to use shielded intrument cable for all connections between the guitar and amp(s).

First, find the source of the problem. Plug your guitar in to one amp using instrument cable, nothing else between them. Check both amps and listen for the same noise. If you hear it, your guitar may have a ground issue. If you don't, your setup with what you want to accomplish has an issue. Don't mistake the normal single-coil noise for other ground issue noises.
 
Re: ground wire question

ErikH said:
Use instrument cables anyway. What are you trying to do? Send the same signal to two different amps at once? You need a splitter box and you want to use shielded intrument cable for all connections between the guitar and amp(s).

First, find the source of the problem. Plug your guitar in to one amp using instrument cable, nothing else between them. Check both amps and listen for the same noise. If you hear it, your guitar may have a ground issue. If you don't, your setup with what you want to accomplish has an issue. Don't mistake the normal single-coil noise for other ground issue noises.
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no the split runs to the dirty input and the clean input to my Rage 158

the speaker cable has no apparent affect on the noise. the hum has been going on for a while. anyone know how i can check to see if the ground is not working properly or diagnose the problem more thouroghly
 
Re: ground wire question

Tux789 said:
okay #1 can you use a speaker cable as a guitar cable
Click to expand...
You can buy a shielded wye splitter. I would recommend it. You may not be getting noise from the speaker cable now, but someday you will be in an envireonment that has a lot of stray RF noise and these cables will act like a big antenna and you will begin receiving all that noise and amplifying it.

Tux789 said:
second i think i have a ground wire problem w/ the neck pickup. some wire came lose a long time ago and i resoldered it.
problems:
immediately the neck pickup became muted and would have to crank the tone knob to about 6 to match the relative volume level on the other two positions. also i've been getting a hum through the amp but thought nothing of it until i accidently touched the ground solder point and the hum went away. Is this normal? How can i fix this?

thanks

-Jeff
Click to expand...
Did you open up the guitar and suddenly notice this loose wire? Did you have a problem BEFORE you soldered this wire?

You may have attached a wire somewhere it shouldn't be. A better description - ideally some kind of diagram - is in order.

It sounds like you've attached the ground wire from the pickup to some point that isn't grounded - until you touch it.
 
Re: ground wire question

RW James said:
You can buy a shielded wye splitter. I would recommend it. You may not be getting noise from the speaker cable now, but someday you will be in an envireonment that has a lot of stray RF noise and these cables will act like a big antenna and you will begin receiving all that noise and amplifying it.


Did you open up the guitar and suddenly notice this loose wire? Did you have a problem BEFORE you soldered this wire?

You may have attached a wire somewhere it shouldn't be. A better description - ideally some kind of diagram - is in order.

It sounds like you've attached the ground wire from the pickup to some point that isn't grounded - until you touch it.
Click to expand...
okay as far as i know the sound could have been from day one but i think it started the day i resoldered the wire but come to think of it i think it was only the hot wire :confused: not sure though anyway the ground is soldered to the tremolo claw does that have something to do with it?
 
Re: ground wire question

Tux789 said:
okay as far as i know the sound could have been from day one but i think it started the day i resoldered the wire but come to think of it i think it was only the hot wire :confused: not sure though anyway the ground is soldered to the tremolo claw does that have something to do with it?
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That's how my strat is grounded... and of course to the jack and to the back of each pot.

Are you sure you soldered the hot wire to the correct lug on the switch? Is it a clean solder? I'm not doubting you - it's just that these are some of things I would check myself.

I suppose there is always the possibility that there is something wrong with the pickup itself - but that is beyond me.

Rick
 
Re: ground wire question

RW James said:
That's how my strat is grounded... and of course to the jack and to the back of each pot.

Are you sure you soldered the hot wire to the correct lug on the switch? Is it a clean solder? I'm not doubting you - it's just that these are some of things I would check myself.

I suppose there is always the possibility that there is something wrong with the pickup itself - but that is beyond me.
Rick
Click to expand...

believe me doubt my soldering skills (was my first time actually so im better at it now) is there any way i can check to see if the hot wire solder was screwed up without disconnecting it, and resoldering?
 
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