Noisey strat

Pickups, Pots, Caps, Wiring

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by AiRdAd »

cool - I'm all out of ideas then :-)
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Re: Noisey strat

Post by LucyTheSpud »

AiRdAd wrote:cool - I'm all out of ideas then :-)
I am too. Basically going over it again and making sure everything possible is shielded and secured with no dry joints. After that il start pulling apart and inspecting components.

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by LucyTheSpud »

AiRdAd wrote:cool - I'm all out of ideas then :-)
Also i think id be quite shit at my job if i missed something as obvious as an earth missing lol

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by Lostininverness »

maybe reflow the solder on the treble bleed?

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by jeremyb »

You've checked the output Jack as I suggested?
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Re: Noisey strat

Post by Molly »

I believe I know that Strat. Looks like one I sold Troy. It had the later treble bleed system which is supposed to work better than the usual one (so I'm led to believe). That's the only change since I owned it and so I'd start there. Take it out all together and see if the problem goes away then put it back as it should be.

Also, from the pics it looks like dry joints on the volume pot (though they were fine when I had it) but I doubt that's what's causing the issue but if he's 'rescued' a loose part it might be worth re-doing all the connections.

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by Molly »

One other thing, these pickups aren't potted in the usual way. They sound un-potted but they're actually treated in some viscous material so you're supposed to get the best of both worlds. If it's a little microphonic don't worry about it.

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by LucyTheSpud »

Molly wrote:I believe I know that Strat. Looks like one I sold Troy. It had the later treble bleed system which is supposed to work better than the usual one (so I'm led to believe). That's the only change since I owned it and so I'd start there. Take it out all together and see if the problem goes away then put it back as it should be.

Also, from the pics it looks like dry joints on the volume pot (though they were fine when I had it) but I doubt that's what's causing the issue but if he's 'rescued' a loose part it might be worth re-doing all the connections.
Ok. Iv pulled the treble bleed out, didnt fix anything. I have checked all solder joints and cleaned up the mess he left where he tried to fix it.

To me it sounds like an unpotted pickup, so potentially its just the way those pickups sound? Its just a toppy electrical ish buzz, that goes away when earthed against the metal parts. I replaced the output jack as i believed that to be the issue but it hasnt fixed it. Very much lost at this point. Molly did those pickups always have a low lying buzz to them, even in position 2/4?

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by Molly »

No. Not at all. Will flick you a link to a demo where the guy's bringing the volume down bit by bit.

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by JustMatt »

How is the conductivity between the case of each pot? Could be worth running a ground wire across them.

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by sizzlingbadger »

Potting should not make any difference as it only protects against mechanical noise not RF. The circuit is picking up RF noise by the sound of your description, maybe the pickups are just sensitive to RF.

Touching the strings / bridge etc. reduces the RF noise heard from a guitar, not because you are earthing the guitar (the cable does that) but because you are earthing your body which is essentially a big RF aerial.

The noise reduces with the volume pot so the circuit from the jack to the volume pot is sound.

Stuff I would try...

The noise is there when the switch is any position so its not a single pickup with the issue. Unless the switch is wired wrong and isn't actually selecting the pickups as it should be. I would check that.

If you short out a single pickup when it is selected on its own does the noise go away ?

Wire a pickup directly to a jack plug and see if its noisy, if it is then that's just the way they are.

Disconnect the tone pot wire so its removed from the circuit and see if that isolates the source of the noise.
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Re: Noisey strat

Post by LucyTheSpud »

sizzlingbadger wrote: Stuff I would try...

The noise is there when the switch is any position so its not a single pickup with the issue. Unless the switch is wired wrong and isn't actually selecting the pickups as it should be. I would check that.

If you short out a single pickup when it is selected on its own does the noise go away ?

Wire a pickup directly to a jack plug and see if its noisy, if it is then that's just the way they are.

Disconnect the tone pot wire so its removed from the circuit and see if that isolates the source of the noise.
Im currently having lunch (kebab time) and pondering. Will take a crack at isolating pickup-output, see what that does. If the noise is still there then it as inherent noise in the pickup. It happens accross all 3 identically however so i doubt it. Onwards!

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by LucyTheSpud »

LucyTheSpud wrote:
sizzlingbadger wrote: Stuff I would try...

The noise is there when the switch is any position so its not a single pickup with the issue. Unless the switch is wired wrong and isn't actually selecting the pickups as it should be. I would check that.

If you short out a single pickup when it is selected on its own does the noise go away ?

Wire a pickup directly to a jack plug and see if its noisy, if it is then that's just the way they are.

Disconnect the tone pot wire so its removed from the circuit and see if that isolates the source of the noise.
Im currently having lunch (kebab time) and pondering. Will take a crack at isolating pickup-output, see what that does. If the noise is still there then it as inherent noise in the pickup. It happens accross all 3 identically however so i doubt it. Onwards!

Confirmed. Kebab was amazing as always. Pickups are just simply noisy fuckers. Wired direct to output, same noise as before.

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Re: Noisey strat

Post by Bg »

if its the 57 custom shops, yes they are noisy and no rwrp in the middle. I quietened mine down with a dummy pickup, was the only way :D actually mine were 54's but I bet thats not rwrp in there.
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Re: Noisey strat

Post by sirvill »

Is it like, unplayable, or simply "quirky" and "characterful"?

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