Invaders / Tone pot static

[Fender Picker]

I put a pair of Invaders in my Yamaha AES620. At the same time I put in new 500k audio taper CTS pots, 0.047uF 1000V Hovland MusiCap capacitor, Switchcraft switch and jack and braided wire. It's a humbucker/humbucker-2 volume-1 tone-3 way switch guitar. I wired it up like the wiring diagram on the Duncan site. Turning the tone pot only gave me full bass or full treble. The whole sweep of the tone didn't change the tone except when it went to full turn.
I've been an Electronics Technician for over 25 years and know I'm not above making a mistake. I was up late upgrading this guitar and was going to my luthier the next morning to get the guitar setup. So, I gave it to him and told him about the issue with the tone pot. When I picked the guitar up and got it home to play it, I had static when I turned the tone pot. The tone pot works fine except for the static. I thought it was just dirty.
Here's where it gets crazy...
I can turn the tone pot up and down a few times and the static goes away until I play the guitar for only a second or two then the static comes back. Then when I turn it up and down, it goes away like you think of with a dirty pot. But when I put my fingers on the strings to mute them, there is absolutely no static when I turn the pot. If I take my fingers off, the static is immediately back until I turn the pot a few times.
I have a couple of ideas...
I read the insert that came with the neck Invader that said there was a capacitor in the pickup. Could that cap cause some kind of problem?
Could the Hovland MusiCap be polarized and I have it in backward?
Before you say to take it back to the luthier, he is over 100 miles from here and I'd rather fix it myself.
Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions.
FP

 

[Fender Picker]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

Okay then. I'm going to go into this baby and rewire the whole thing. I have schematics from other sources and they all say to wire this thing up just like the SD website says.
If this doesn't work, I may wire it as a 1-volume/2-tone setup.
FP

 

[Karmadog777]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

maybe the Tone pot got overheated or is bad? could be a bad connection also.
I have had to de-solder and rewire everything before and fixed connection problems..but never knew exactly where the problem was
good luck

 

[Fender Picker]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

Thanks Karmadog.
I've decided to wire it up in the 1 volume/2 tone setup. I have some extra CTS pots and Hovland MusiCaps.
I may go 250k/.22uF on the neck Invader and 500k/.47uF on the bridge Invader. 500k volume of course.
FP

 

[Karmadog777]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

I wouldnt go with a 250k pot with an invader neck pup , it already has a cap in the pup to tame it... but thats just me your cap values puzzle me too I would think .47 in the neck and a .22 bridge
You may find a .47 on a invader too dark in any position.......but that is all subjective
I prefer dark sounding guitars and seem to be a minority on these boards

 

[Fender Picker]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

Okay then, let me ask you...
What would you do? I can get more pots and caps.
How about a 500k/.47uF in the neck and a 500k/.22uF in the bridge?
Your suggestions are appreciated.
FP

 

[Karmadog777]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

that would be to my taste,but its not my guitar lol .22 caps in neck and bridge seem to be more popular and will give more treble in the neck,but really with invaders I dont think being too bright will be a problem
I prefer 2 vols and 1 tone over 1 vol and 2 tones especially for buckers

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

Do you have a different pot to try? Anymore, I get to spend little time on guitar stuff, so I tend to pull out the offending component, slap in a new one, and save the actual troubleshooting for another time.

 

[Fender Picker]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

Do you have a different pot to try? Anymore, I get to spend little time on guitar stuff, so I tend to pull out the offending component, slap in a new one, and save the actual troubleshooting for another time.

You're right!
It was the tone pot. After I changed to 2-tone/1-volume, the old tone pot is now the volume pot. And the static is there as well. When I tried to change it I tried to pull the speed knob off and the shaft pulled right out of the pot. I changed the pot and everything is fine now.
I went with 500k/.22uF for the neck and 500k/.47uF for the bridge.
I like it.
Thanks for the help all.
FP

 

[blueman335]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

I wouldnt go with a 250k pot with an invader neck pup , it already has a cap in the pup to tame it... but thats just me your cap values puzzle me too I would think .47 in the neck and a .22 bridge. You may find a .47 on a invader too dark in any position.......but that is all subjective. I prefer dark sounding guitars and seem to be a minority on these boards

I like dark souding guitars too (I call it 'full & rich'), so I use two 250K pots on the bridge PU, with a .100 MF cap. This takes the extreme high-end treble & bleeds it to ground, which plays up the mids, making it warmer The .100 cap lets in a little more low end through the filter, which is needed on a bridge PU. I use this on LP's, SG's & 335's.

I use the standard 500K pots & .020 caps on the neck PU for brightness. The biggest advantage to all this is that I can EQ my amp once & it sounds good for both PU's, instead of good on one & way off for the other, which then gets little use.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Invaders / Tone pot static

Cool, glad it was an easy fix.

Seriously though, life is way too short to spend mucking around with potentiometers