Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

[Thames]

Hey dudes!!
I found an interesting article a few months ago and finally decided to give it a try on my Strat before going to Dmz VV's. It's a different way to wire a strat, with the well-knows "star grounding" method. http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php

And hey, it works!!! :smoking: No more hum, and a better tone! I love my single-coils sooo much now!! (btw, they were custom wound for me). They sound better than ever!

I suggest anyone to try this. Very nice wiring.

 

[Fresh_Start]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

Works like a champ for me too. Star grounding is easier than trying to solder to the bottom of a pot anyway IMHO.

Thames - did you include the "shock protector" John Achley recommends? I haven't 'coz I never play out where the polarity could get crossed and was wondering if it had any effect on tone, etc.

Chip

 

[beandip]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

Man, I tried that, I couldnt wire it right. I'm just stupid. lmao.

 

[Mantic]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

Hmm I may have to try this. How long did it take you to complete?

 

[JumpMarine]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

I just did this in my Tele tonight and I have got to say one thing....WOW. It's like a new guitar and pups for about a $1 worth of stuff and a little time. My 60 cycle hum has all but dissapeared(about 98% gone now) I am getting nice natural harmonics on nearly all of the frets now with gain where I was only getting them on the 12th and 7th before. And clean is unreal, extreemly responsive without all of the other noise clutter. Goes to show that one doesn't always need a "noiseless" single. With a simple upgrade like this the sky in the limit with all of the awsome SD true singles. My stock fender pups sound awsome, so I'll probably go into meltdown with a JD or some Ants. Listen folks, take the time and follow the very simple instructions on John's website, you won't regret the time spent.

 

[Mike M.]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

I'll have to try this on my Tele. That hum has GOT to go!

 

[Thames]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

JumpMarine is right, it's exactly the result : nice natural harmonics, lively tone, extremely responsive. I never liked my strat that much before.

It is kinda simple, I just spent 1-2 hours on it. The tricky part is the shielding, I decided to go with aluminium tape that I found at hardware store for 3-4$ roll, and it was kinda simple.

 

[sanrafael]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

Slow down a minute! The kind of hum this rewiring gets rid of never should have been there if the guitar had been wired right in the first place. BUT: you cannot get rid of the kind of hum that a humbucker is intended to cancel out by this method. This other kind is magnetic hum, completely different from the electrical interference that this kind of shielding gets rid of. Magnetic hum comes from, for example, the power transformer in your amp. Even with this change, your strat will still hum if you put it near the power transformer, in the 1, 3 or 5 position where there is no cancelation from the reverse-wound middle pickup. Do this change if you feel able by all means, but do not expect it to do what it cannot. If you play in front of a big stack of amplifiers, there still could be a lot of magnetic hum. Some transformers make more hum than others, and there are lots of other sources of magnetic hum.

 

[beandip]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

The thing is, the wiring takes the ground from going to the amp, and keeps it "circulating" in the guitar, hence the need for the foil.

 

[Thames]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

The thing is, the wiring takes the ground from going to the amp, and keeps it "circulating" in the guitar, hence the need for the foil.

Uh. Not at all. :eek5:

The "foil" (let's say shielding) is to prevent outside interferences from being capted by non isolated circuit (terminals or "connection points", unshielded cables, etc.).

The star grounding prevents ground loop, another source of hum/buzz.

: private:

 

[Thames]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

Slow down a minute! The kind of hum this rewiring gets rid of never should have been there if the guitar had been wired right in the first place. BUT: you cannot get rid of the kind of hum that a humbucker is intended to cancel out by this method. This other kind is magnetic hum, completely different from the electrical interference that this kind of shielding gets rid of. Magnetic hum comes from, for example, the power transformer in your amp. Even with this change, your strat will still hum if you put it near the power transformer, in the 1, 3 or 5 position where there is no cancelation from the reverse-wound middle pickup. Do this change if you feel able by all means, but do not expect it to do what it cannot. If you play in front of a big stack of amplifiers, there still could be a lot of magnetic hum. Some transformers make more hum than others, and there are lots of other sources of magnetic hum.

hey! Of course, this will not get rid of absolutely ALL the hum/noise!!
But it will get rid of about 95% of "general" hum from the use of single-coil pickups. This is a great way to quiet a strat.

I play in front of a stack, and I get hum only when I'm 1-2 foot close.

 

[sanrafael]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

hey! Of course, this will not get rid of absolutely ALL the hum/noise!!
But it will get rid of about 95% of "general" hum from the use of single-coil pickups. This is a great way to quiet a strat.

I play in front of a stack, and I get hum only when I'm 1-2 foot close.

That is good to know; maybe Fender will take notice and start making a properly shielded/grounded strat! You should not have to do it yourself.

 

[Thames]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

I doubt Fender will ever start doing such wiring/shielding on their standard product. It is way more cost-effective to produce a noiseless pickup than starting the whole shielding and wiring process. Dont ever dream of that.

 

[sanrafael]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

But that single coil pickup is an essential part of a product that is nearly 50 years old. They cannot change that. But judging from the response to your post, nobody would object to better shielding/grounding, even it it is 50 years late.

 

[barrybynum]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

i have cool rails in middle and neck, and lil 59er in bridge. there is still a significant hum. I have resoldered everything two times, still hums. slight drop if i touch output sleeve....ground goes to volume pot, tone pots, jack sleeve, bridge and trem claw. still hum more than even regular SCs. hope i get this figured out...thinking i haveva bad wire somewhere.....

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Shielding my Strat... success!! No more hum!

Try including your 5 way switch in the grounding and any other switches if you have them.