Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

[Ichabod]

Hello, I have a Washburn NX3, a cheap version of Nuno Bettencourt model, with Washburn pickup, one Volume pot and one Tone pot push-pull to split the pickup.
I want to do the Washbrun N4 wiring, but I got some noise problem.
I removed the volume pot and used the tone pot push-pull as volume, I removed the cap, too, of course. Replaced the stock bridge pickup with a Bill Lawrence. I'm followed this diagram:

(My version of Bill Lawrence has the wire with different color, but I'm sure enough it's well wired).

The selection of the pickup is correct, so the split works fine.
But I got hum, and in the distortion channel a low pitch noise is very loud. No noise if I turn off the volume of the guitar.
I can't get what is the problem.

I just have to say that in this moment the Floyd Rose style bridge is missing, so the strings. The ground wire comes from the "spring holder" fixed with screws in the rear.

I need help, please!

Thanks.

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

I wired everything, again. The circuit is inside, the bridge mounted and the strings are missing. I got noise, ground noise, I assume. If I touch some metal parts like the jack of the cable the noise is completely off.
I just don't get where this hum come from.

I need help, please.

 

[Bowtomecha]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

Is the shielding inside the cavity making proper ground contact?

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

Do you mean the ground wire? I can confirm there's the contact between all the ground (sleeve of the jack, pot and pickup) and the metal bridge.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

Looks like you’ve got one of the neck coils reversed so that it won’t be humbucking. But that would only affect the neck and middle position.

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

What you said sounds weird to me. I have to say the strings are missing, but I checked the wires with a multimeter, and I hitted the pickups with a screwdriver and everithing should work ok, even the splitting switch.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

I reread the drawing. The Lawrence is the same way: it’s using the coil starts as the series link instead of coil finish. Threw me off. It’s not the typical convention but it should work.

Try putting the strings on it and grounding the bridge.

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

The bridge is already grounded, the ground wire from the bridge goes on the pot.
I don't have strings, now. But I can't explain how putting the strings will be solve the problem, honestly, I think I don't. I hope I wrong, but...

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

If you touch the bridge with your hand, does the noise stop?

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

Yes, like any metal part: bridge, back of the pot, spring in the rear, metal part of the jack of the cable...

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

Then you simply are missing a ground connection somewhere. Need to trace back from the jack until you find it.

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

I just checked.
In contact with bridge are the sleeve of the jack, the ground of the both pickups, the ground from the selector and its metal parts, the lug 1 of the volume pot and its the back, the jack metal plate.
Not in conctact with the bridge are the three other lug of the selector, the hot of the pickups.
I can't find any part that should be grounded not grounded and viversa.

Just a thing. In this moment the switch the ground on the split switch of the pot is disconnected, so the pickup can't be splitted.
And I found this: none poles of the Washburn pickup are in contact each other nor to the ground, while the Bill Lawrence has the outer rail, the one close the the bridge, grounded! Is it mean something? (I repeat, the hot wires of the pickups are NOT grounded).

Thanks.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

If all that is good, then it sounds like it’s simply interference being picked up, either in the power line of your amp/pedals where you are currently, or just the pickups not being truly dead silent and the amp is magnifying it. (No Humbuckers are truly dead silent, they ‘buck’ hum but they don’t eliminate it)

If you set up in a different room, does the level of the noise change?

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

My other guitars are perfectly noiselss, except the 60 cycle hum of the single coil pickups. And this guitar didn't have noise problem with the original wiring and bridge pickup.
There's something wrong, maybe somthing I am not considering, I followed the diagram, and I can't find any mistake.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

I haven’t tried reversing pickups to have the coil starts as the series link. Don’t know if something in that reversal is causing them to be hum-magnifying instead of hum-cancelling. Theoretically it shouldn’t cause a problem.

The other thing you could try is wiring the pickups conventionally and split to the outside coils by series links moving to hot on the push pull. That would be: Duncan black to hot, green to ground, red+white on the switch; then Lawrence red to hot, black to ground, and green+white on the switch. Then instead of the switch connecting to ground, connect it to hot when it’s thrown.

Outside of that, I’m out of ideas. Sorry I can’t be of much help.

 

[Ichabod]

Re: Wiring a Washbrun NX3 like N4 Nuno Bettencourt

I'll try to do what you suggest, first I have to understand how.
But I have to be clear. The noise I get is in all three positions: neck, bridge and both pickups.

I followed that diagram, but the pickups are a bit different. In the neck I have the stock Washburn pickup with three wires:
One and only Black wire: Ground
White wire: Hot
One and only Red Wire: "Splitting"
Like this was wired even the stock bridge pickup, and everything worked fine and noiseless.
Just three wire I can swap them between their position: signal, splitting and ground. If there's any reason I should do it.

Then, the Bill Lawrence has a different color wires. This pickup has bought used, so the wire was "prepared" to the soldering. The Bill Lawrence has:
Black wire and external shield soldered together: Ground
White and Green twisted and soldered together: Splitting
Red wire: Hot

It should be like this:

I don't know why it says "fake". It should be work anyway, original or fake, right?

Can a mismatched wiring of the Bill Lawrence make noise even if I use select the the neck pickup position?
I could separate all the wires of the Bll Lawrence and match... how?