Cheapo guitar buzz & hum

[charliejames]

When I shielded the SX SMJ guitar at home, it reduced the hum significantly. I compared it to my mexican strat, and it was actually a little quieter. But that was on a small practice amp with no pedals involved. The strat plays acceptably quiet when at the practice space and on stage with the Rat and Wah. My regular guitar it a Mustang, and it is the quietest of all with the pedals. It is this quality that I am looking for. I may have to just break down and buy a Japanese Mustang, so I can rely on it as similar sounding on stage as a backup guitar. That was my original reason for buying the SX. But it is a humming feedback monster when the Rat turns on. My conclusion is that it has something to do with the P90s and overdriven sound. I hooked up a friend's Epiphone Les Paul (P90s) and it squealed worse than my guitar did. So Maybe I badmouthed the Rondo guitar unfairly. That's why I am now thinking about switching to a hunmbucker and a Mustang-style single coil, or two Mustang style single coils for the SX. I need that distortion without the guitar going haywire. But then the pick guard pickup openings become a problem. They will need to be modified somehow...