Hum! Nazgul/Sentient HxH 1 vol 1 tone 5 w blade switch

[jatoxa]

Hi all,

I have installed a Nazgul Sentient set in an Ibanez RG550 and had a lot of issues getting it to work using the diagram I found on the Seymour Duncan diagram page which is identical to the first one in the "Is there a problem with this diagram?" thread. As per the post I detached the soldered lug from the tone pot and put the cap and wire from the volume pot on separate lugs and now everything more or less work as expected. However, I get a lot of hum when touching the strings and especially the pickups themselves which completely resolves if I touch one of the pots.
I have re-soldered everything several times and checked the ground connections.

Btw, there's no bridge ground on the diagram I assume I still need it? Seems it doesn't influence the problem.

Thank you!

 

[beaubrummels]

The string bridge of an electric guitar should always have a path to ground at the output jack. If you're still getting buzz, then something that needs to be grounded isn't getting a solid connection to ground. Can happen even when everything seems to be soldered, the join underneath may not be good and you'll need to touch it up again and make sure the wires are in contact with the metal they need to make a connection with. To find it, it works best to test both sides of each solder connection for continuity using a multimeter.

 

[jatoxa]

I checked everything with a multimeter already(or I think I did). Is it possible to check continuity between the pickup itself and its connections?
I'll do it all over again tomorrow, but it's nice to know that there's nothing completely off on the diagram.

Thank you for the help!


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[Mincer]

Is it possible the 2 wires to your jack are reversed?

 

[jatoxa]

Thanks for the reply!
I thought about that reading through similar issues but it's wired 100% according to the diagram apart from the detached tone pot lug and placement of the capacitor.

 

[jatoxa]

I have tested for ground continuity through all solders and including the pickups themselves and even the worst of my solders were good.
It's silent until I touch the upper coil of the bridge humbucker where it sounds like I touch the cable and goes away if I simultaneously touch ground.

 

[jatoxa]

I looked at the old pickguard which has shielding all over so the pu springs rest on the grounded surface. I replicated this with normal aluminum foil and it solved the problem. It didn't occur to me that this could be the issue. Is it normal to ground the outside of the pickups like this?

 

[Mincer]

Oh wow! very cool! Maybe this quest will help someone else with the same issue.

 

[Artie]

Good info. Grounding and hum are one of the toughest issues to resolve in a guitar.

 

[beaubrummels]

I looked at the old pickguard which has shielding all over so the pu springs rest on the grounded surface. I replicated this with normal aluminum foil and it solved the problem. It didn't occur to me that this could be the issue. Is it normal to ground the outside of the pickups like this?

My guess is having a good ground connection to the pickguard shield provided a proper Faraday cage to protect the overall wiring from picking up interference. I have guitars where there is no shield except where the pots and switches are, and I have a couple where the whole pickguard is shielded. The latter is quieter in general.

 

[Mincer]

So...how do the pickups sound?

 

[jatoxa]

My guess is having a good ground connection to the pickguard shield provided a proper Faraday cage to protect the overall wiring from picking up interference. I have guitars where there is no shield except where the pots and switches are, and I have a couple where the whole pickguard is shielded. The latter is quieter in general.

That sounds plausible, however I don't get the corrective effect unless I make there there's a connection with the springs or some bare part of the pickups. I'm just happy there's no noise

 

[jatoxa]

So...how do the pickups sound?

I'm not sure if it's the down tuning, the pickups or the guitar itself, but I'm not really inspired by playing the guitar. I think it sounds kind of muddy which might not be the pickups at all. I have a feeling that the larger hollowed out section below the pickguard removes some higher frequency punch from the guitar itself so it feels less resonant. Which of course is only affecting the feel I get and not the output from the pickups.

I also missed the fact that I can't get the pickup configuration I want with a standard 5 way switch like on the diagram and the positions are out of place. Position 1 sounds like the neck pickup and the middle position sounds more like the bridge. And I made sure I haven't reversed anything. I ordered a super switch and will try again when it arrives.
Last but not least, I should have ordered trembuckers/f-spaced pickups. I've read it doesn't affect the sound but it affects my OCD that the magnets and strings doesn't align:18:

But a good learning experience!

 

[Mincer]

Hmm, both of these pickups are pretty bright (some would say really bright), so my guess is something is wrong. Use a screwdriver to tap on each pickup bobbin as you make your way through each switch position. We have to make sure the coils you think are working are working. What are you wanting your new superswitch to do?

 

[beaubrummels]

I'm not sure if it's the down tuning, the pickups or the guitar itself, but I'm not really inspired by playing the guitar. I think it sounds kind of muddy which might not be the pickups at all. I have a feeling that the larger hollowed out section below the pickguard removes some higher frequency punch from the guitar itself so it feels less resonant. Which of course is only affecting the feel I get and not the output from the pickups.

I also missed the fact that I can't get the pickup configuration I want with a standard 5 way switch like on the diagram and the positions are out of place. Position 1 sounds like the neck pickup and the middle position sounds more like the bridge. And I made sure I haven't reversed anything. I ordered a super switch and will try again when it arrives.
Last but not least, I should have ordered trembuckers/f-spaced pickups. I've read it doesn't affect the sound but it affects my OCD that the magnets and strings doesn't align

But a good learning experience!

That wiring diagram should produce this result:

1 Bridge
2 Bridge and Neck
3 Neck
4 Neck slug coil + Bridge screw coil
5 Bridge screw coil

 

[jatoxa]

Ideally I just want position 1 = bridge, position 5 = neck, and for 2, 3, 4 I don't really have any strict preferences.
It seems this diagram does what I want. https://guitarelectronics.com/2-humbuckers-5-way-lever-switch-1-volume-1-tone-06/

I haven't tested whether the current pu positions are out of place, but I will take it apart again when the components arrive.

 

[Mincer]

You might also like the 'Do It All' wiring, which splits the pickups, but only with hum-cancelling. You do need a super switch, and have to flip a magnet in one of the pickups. Read about it here.

 

[jatoxa]

You might also like the 'Do It All' wiring, which splits the pickups, but only with hum-cancelling. You do need a super switch, and have to flip a magnet in one of the pickups. Read about it here.

Thanks, sounds interesting! Is the advantage that all positions are hum cancelling? Does it matter which of the pickups I flip the magnet?

 

[Mincer]

Yes, all positions cancel the hum, which is why I like it so much- and all sounds are usable. I always flip the neck, I believe.

 

[jatoxa]

Yes, all positions cancel the hum, which is why I like it so much- and all sounds are usable. I always flip the neck, I believe.

Sounds great, I think I will try that out! Is the diagram on your link accurate or do I need other modifications(apart from the magnet flip?