Pickup Question

[scgmhawk]

With my new Floyd Rose, I have major buzzing from my amp in pick-up positions 1, 3 & 4 (positions 2 and 5 are quiet). What would cause this and how can I fix it? I appreciate your input.

[Bloozcat]

A few questions:

1) Is the Floyd Rose bridge a new addition to the guitar?

2) If yes to question #1, did this problem exist before the bridge was changed?

3) If yes to question #1, did you remember to re-attach the ground wire to the bridge? Does the noise go away when you touch the strings?

If the guitar has three single coil pickups, the #2 & #4 positions would be quieter due to the middle pickup being RWRP. So, the middle pickup in combination with either the neck or bridge pickup would be hum cancelling. The number 1,3, & 5 positions would generally have more of a buzz naturally unless the guitar had been well shielded against 60 cycle interference. An ungrounded bridge would make the whole noise problem even worse.

We'll need a little more info...

[scgmhawk]

Thanks for the quick response. I should clarify...it's a Floyd Rose guitar with floyd rose bridge. It's all new. I just plugged in yesterday for the first time. The pickups are single, single, humbucker. Thanks for your input.

[Bloozcat]

Ok, if the guitar is new, then it's probably a shielding issue. Those of us who've played Strats for years are intimately aquainted with the dreaded "60 cycle hum" in positions 1, 3, & 5 (or 1,2,3, on the old Strats).

Beyond the inherent noise problems that single coil pickups are known for, there can be other extraneous factors that can contribute to noise as well. Bad wiring in a house/building, the close proximity of flourescent lights (which operate at 60 cycles), and rheostats like those found in ceiling fan controls and light dimmers. Single coil pickups have even been known to pick up radio stations that can be heard faintly through the amp! It's really not the pickup that's the problem, per se, but rather all the other surrounding factors that affect the pickup.

First you need to rule out or correct the problems I've mentioned as well as you can. Then I would recommend shielding the body cavities against outside interference from 60 cycle sources. Without getting into a lengthy explanation here about Faraday cages and the like, I'll refer you to one of the best sites I know of that explains the problem and what to do about minimizing it. Look under the sections Wiring and Shielding - Modifications, then Quieting The Beast.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/

EDIT TO ADD: Am I correct in assuming that position #4 is the humbucker in split coil operation? The only other thing I can think of is if it's the middle PU and the bridge humbucker in split coil mode where they tapped the wrong coil (the coil that's wound with the same polarity as the middle PU). I'm not familiar with this particulay guitar, so I'm speculating here.

[scgmhawk]

Thanks for the well thought out response, Cat. Before I do anything, I sent an email to tech support to see what they say. They've been very responsive to another issue I've been having.

[marnold***]

You have a DST-3 like me, right? Meaning a humbucker with two single coils? If so, you probably have your position numbering different from the way most people order it. Generally, the switch all the way back (bridge humbucker only) is position #1. All the way forward (neck single coil only) is position #5. Reversing your order, then, you'd have hum in positions 2, 3, and 5. That is single-coil hum. Positions 5 and 3 are single coil pickups alone. They will act as noise antennas from CRTs, florescent bulbs, etc. Position 2 (middle with bridge humbucker) will still produce noise from the middle pickup. Position 1 won't hum because of the humbucker. Position 4 won't hum because the middle pickup is reverse wound and reverse polarity of the neck, thus together they form a humbucker.

The long and the short of it is that what you are experiencing is perfectly normal. The single coils on my Floyd seem to be particularly noisy, even for single coils. Your options are to get the guitar shielded or do what I'm planning to do and get noiseless single coils for it. I'm looking at the Dimarzio Area 61s.

[scgmhawk]

Thanks, Marnold. I did have my positions backwards. Learn something new every day! That makes me feel better that it's normal.

[Duff]

You might want to check out guitarfetish.com for some decent noiseless pickups for way less than Fender. They also have 'Lil Killers that are twin blade single coil size rail humbuckers, and you can wire them to coil tap them so they work as single coils for the twang.

Also, a good processor multi pedal will probably have a twang setting to make your guitar sound highly countryish.

I had a guitarfetish 'Lil Killer in the bridge on a guitar and it was really neat, high gain. Like 17K. Probably about what your humbucker is. You can get a whole set and replace all three pickups.

[marnold***]

I had a guitarfetish 'Lil Killer in the bridge on a guitar and it was really neat, high gain. Like 17K. Probably about what your humbucker is. You can get a whole set and replace all three pickups.

I've seen the Killer set, but I haven't seen any GFS HSS sets. I'd prefer a more traditional single coil tone as opposed to blades.

[duhvoodooman***]

You should also look around some at where you are playing. Though 60HZ hum is a fact of life to some extent with single coils, it really shouldn't be "major buzzing". That sounds like either a problem with the guitar itself (possible, certainly, but let's give it the benefit of the doubt for now) or maybe you're playing near some major-league 60HZ hum source. Fluorescent lights are famous for this, but many other sources are possible. Try changing the orientation (N-S-E-W) of the amp or the guitar, and see if the hum changes/lessens. Stand closer to or farther away from the amp as you play. Move to another room and try it there, or plug into a different AC outlet. Try a different instrument cable. Seeing which of these factors affects the volume of the hum will give you a better idea of what's causing it, and thus how to reduce it.

[Duff]

You might want to check out guitarfetish.com for some decent noiseless pickups for way less than Fender. They also have 'Lil Killers that are twin blade single coil size rail humbuckers, and you can wire them to coil tap them so they work as single coils for the twang.

Also, a good processor multi pedal will probably have a twang setting to make your guitar sound highly countryish.

I had a guitarfetish 'Lil Killer in the bridge on a guitar and it was really neat, high gain. Like 17K. Probably about what your humbucker is. You can get a whole set and replace all three pickups.

[marnold***]

You should also look around some at where you are playing. Though 60HZ hum is a fact of life to some extent with single coils, it really shouldn't be "major buzzing".

In my case, it's definitely the 60hz stuff. They do seem to be noisier than my old Charvel's single coils, those on my Squier 51, or the humbucker on my Fender when coil-tapped. Others online have made similar comments. It's not distressingly noisy or anything, just somewhat noisier. I'd rather go with noiseless and be done with it, although it won't be cheap.

[scgmhawk]

Thanks, Guys. The buzz has subsided some, for whatever reason. It's probably not that bad, just a noise I wasn't used to. I think it's manageable, though, now.