I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
- Thread starter Soujurn
- Start date
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
I've not heard of this ... honestly doesn't make sense to me. I'm not a tech by any stretch of the imagination and always like to learn ... so couple of questions:
Since the foil is just connected to ground, how would it affect the sound? In my mind, a regular .022uf tone capacitor is "in the circuit"? If the claim is that this foil is creating a .01uf or .02uf capacitor ... but is only connected to the ground, how would it effect the tone? I have used a mini-switch circuit where I have a .047uf and .022uf tone cap switchable in the circuit. Both caps are always connected to the back of the tone pot. I did not detect a loss of treble from the disabled cap. How would this be different from that situation?
Also, I've put foil in a Tele before ...didn't help anywhere near as effective as a noiseless pickup ... but it didn't change the tone either.
Again, I learn something new every day ... help me understand?
Also, for the original post ... I recommend the Vintage Stacks wired to disable the lower coils ... noiseless when you need it and just a little vintage bump when you disable the noiseless coils.
Yep it works, but there's a price to pay...
Imagine adding a .01-.02 cap directly to the circuit and that it's on ALL the time - That's the price you pay
There's better ways to reduce noise IMHO :usa1:
I've not heard of this ... honestly doesn't make sense to me. I'm not a tech by any stretch of the imagination and always like to learn ... so couple of questions:
Since the foil is just connected to ground, how would it affect the sound? In my mind, a regular .022uf tone capacitor is "in the circuit"? If the claim is that this foil is creating a .01uf or .02uf capacitor ... but is only connected to the ground, how would it effect the tone? I have used a mini-switch circuit where I have a .047uf and .022uf tone cap switchable in the circuit. Both caps are always connected to the back of the tone pot. I did not detect a loss of treble from the disabled cap. How would this be different from that situation?
Also, I've put foil in a Tele before ...didn't help anywhere near as effective as a noiseless pickup ... but it didn't change the tone either.
Again, I learn something new every day ... help me understand?
Also, for the original post ... I recommend the Vintage Stacks wired to disable the lower coils ... noiseless when you need it and just a little vintage bump when you disable the noiseless coils.
Robert Delahunt
Showmasterologist
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
Still, me, I'd only go with stack pickups if I really hated hum, otherwise a properly wired traditional strat / tele shouldn't have hum problems. I thought mine did (Lite Ash) but it was my guitar cable I discovered. I get almost no hum at all 10s on my amp now.
Still, me, I'd only go with stack pickups if I really hated hum, otherwise a properly wired traditional strat / tele shouldn't have hum problems. I thought mine did (Lite Ash) but it was my guitar cable I discovered. I get almost no hum at all 10s on my amp now.
thespricket
New member
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
The JB was originally designed to sound like a tele to fit in Jeff Beck's Les Paul. Id Get the Jb jr, ive got one for my strat, but im sure you could still keep tele's tone with it.
Or vintage noiseless, like clapton uses. not sure if they make them for tele's...
The JB was originally designed to sound like a tele to fit in Jeff Beck's Les Paul. Id Get the Jb jr, ive got one for my strat, but im sure you could still keep tele's tone with it.
Or vintage noiseless, like clapton uses. not sure if they make them for tele's...
Robert Delahunt
Showmasterologist
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
Yes, but if you clean things up electronically, they won't hum very much. It's all relative: cheapo strat wanna-be's normally hum like mutes, fender strats don't hum hardly at all until the amp is cranked (and even then, not much), and with mods and improvements, you can probably reduce it to 99% hum-free.
Then again, to be hum-free 100%, there's rails pickups, stack pickups, etc.
Yes, but if you clean things up electronically, they won't hum very much. It's all relative: cheapo strat wanna-be's normally hum like mutes, fender strats don't hum hardly at all until the amp is cranked (and even then, not much), and with mods and improvements, you can probably reduce it to 99% hum-free.
Then again, to be hum-free 100%, there's rails pickups, stack pickups, etc.
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
That's not been my experience. I've been playing a lot of guitars, amps and speakers since 1967 ... a ton of mods, pickup changes, etc. In my den, single coils are quiet ... if I turn my PC display off and don't turn on any dimmer switches. But my experience ... single coils hum in most environments ... worse in some environments (around PCs, clubs with bad wiring, dimmer switches, light shows, practices in basements around other equipment, etc.) Noise reduction takes out noise and a lot of good tone too.
I have an 2004 American Standard Fender that I bought new and the only thing that got rid of the noise was a set of Fender noiseless pickups. You can stand it but it's nowhere near 99%. I really hated using anything but the 2 & 4 position until I changed the pickups. I gave it to my son ... it sounds great and is quiet now in all 5 positions.
The Schecter Tele I have has been Stewmac foiled (nice job actually) and totally rewired with quality electronics ... but it only cleared up with a set of SD Vintage Stacks. I like the sound of single coils ... so I wired the Schecter Tele to disable the humbucker coils when the environment is right ... humbucking when it's not. It has 6 choices ... 4 are humbucking. The other 2 settings hum in my den when the PC display is on ... but I expect it. Put some Texas Specials in last weekend ... put the SD Vintage Stacks back in this weekend.
Nothing against single coils ... I believe every guitarist should have at least one single coil and one double coil guitar. But I like the noiseless singles with the option to hum ... that just works for me.
That's not been my experience. I've been playing a lot of guitars, amps and speakers since 1967 ... a ton of mods, pickup changes, etc. In my den, single coils are quiet ... if I turn my PC display off and don't turn on any dimmer switches. But my experience ... single coils hum in most environments ... worse in some environments (around PCs, clubs with bad wiring, dimmer switches, light shows, practices in basements around other equipment, etc.) Noise reduction takes out noise and a lot of good tone too.
I have an 2004 American Standard Fender that I bought new and the only thing that got rid of the noise was a set of Fender noiseless pickups. You can stand it but it's nowhere near 99%. I really hated using anything but the 2 & 4 position until I changed the pickups. I gave it to my son ... it sounds great and is quiet now in all 5 positions.
The Schecter Tele I have has been Stewmac foiled (nice job actually) and totally rewired with quality electronics ... but it only cleared up with a set of SD Vintage Stacks. I like the sound of single coils ... so I wired the Schecter Tele to disable the humbucker coils when the environment is right ... humbucking when it's not. It has 6 choices ... 4 are humbucking. The other 2 settings hum in my den when the PC display is on ... but I expect it. Put some Texas Specials in last weekend ... put the SD Vintage Stacks back in this weekend.
Nothing against single coils ... I believe every guitarist should have at least one single coil and one double coil guitar. But I like the noiseless singles with the option to hum ... that just works for me.
Robert Delahunt
Showmasterologist
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
Still, however, what would you blame for a single coil pickup humming? Me, I blame shoddy home electrical wiring, RF-noisy electronic devices nearby, etc. Some claim that a good power conditioner will totally remove the hum from, say, a stage environment. It's all subjective, sort of.
Still, however, what would you blame for a single coil pickup humming? Me, I blame shoddy home electrical wiring, RF-noisy electronic devices nearby, etc. Some claim that a good power conditioner will totally remove the hum from, say, a stage environment. It's all subjective, sort of.
the guy who invented fire
Fuzzy. Guitars
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
Hold on there little buddy...
The JB was originally put IN a Telecaster to make it sound like Jeff's Les Paul that was used on Truth, not the other way around...
Anyway, you can shield all you want to a true single coil still hums, if you want true Tele tone w/o the noise get a set of Joe Bardens and be done with it...
I use Duncan pickups in all my main guitars except for one of my Tele's...I wanted one Tele that was noiseless just incase I needed it one day, I put a Barden in it and I couldn't be happier!
Hold on there little buddy...
The JB was originally put IN a Telecaster to make it sound like Jeff's Les Paul that was used on Truth, not the other way around...
Anyway, you can shield all you want to a true single coil still hums, if you want true Tele tone w/o the noise get a set of Joe Bardens and be done with it...
I use Duncan pickups in all my main guitars except for one of my Tele's...I wanted one Tele that was noiseless just incase I needed it one day, I put a Barden in it and I couldn't be happier!
M
MartinSixStringCustoms
Guest
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
I agree with the part that its all subjective. "Shoddy" home electrical wiring, IMHO, has nothing to do with it.
I agree with the part that its all subjective. "Shoddy" home electrical wiring, IMHO, has nothing to do with it.
Robert Delahunt
Showmasterologist
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
50/60Hz hum, and you're near incandescent lights, and your home just happens to run on 50/60Hz? I don't think it's merely a coincidence.
50/60Hz hum, and you're near incandescent lights, and your home just happens to run on 50/60Hz? I don't think it's merely a coincidence.
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
We all agree that "things electric" are the source of the hum. But it's not due to "shoddy wiring". A single coil pickup picks up that hum. One solution is to equip every home and bar we play with studio standard equipment/wiring to get rid of the hum. Too expensive for me ... so there are only two choices for me ...
1) I must have the pure single coil sound ... do everything I can to minimize it ... foil ... whatever. But it will still probably hum in some places ... personal choice of how much I can tolerate to have that sound.
2) Install a noiseless pickup and lose a bit of that pure sound.
I still think the split coil thing with that I chose gives me both and I can choose on the spot. Close enough to pure for me ... but not exact.
I understand the hum ... I have accepted that fact that it exists ... but I sure would like some feedback on my earlier question on post #22. The "foil is a capacitor" thing. Can anyone help me with that question? That I don't understand yet. :33:
We all agree that "things electric" are the source of the hum. But it's not due to "shoddy wiring". A single coil pickup picks up that hum. One solution is to equip every home and bar we play with studio standard equipment/wiring to get rid of the hum. Too expensive for me ... so there are only two choices for me ...
1) I must have the pure single coil sound ... do everything I can to minimize it ... foil ... whatever. But it will still probably hum in some places ... personal choice of how much I can tolerate to have that sound.
2) Install a noiseless pickup and lose a bit of that pure sound.
I still think the split coil thing with that I chose gives me both and I can choose on the spot. Close enough to pure for me ... but not exact.
I understand the hum ... I have accepted that fact that it exists ... but I sure would like some feedback on my earlier question on post #22. The "foil is a capacitor" thing. Can anyone help me with that question? That I don't understand yet. :33:
Guitar Guy
New member
Re: I want my stock Tele sound, and looks, but lose the hum.
go with the fender SCN or vintage noiseless pups. I have a set of SCNs on my strat and they rock!
go with the fender SCN or vintage noiseless pups. I have a set of SCNs on my strat and they rock!