I'm getting terrible noise when I use my bridge pickup. When I switch to the next position, the noise instantly dissapears. Any thoughts or suggestions? Basically, I've been avoiding using the bridge pickup. Would a noisegate make a difference?

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"Someday you'll meet your rockin chair
Cause that's where we're spinnin
There's no point to comb your hair
When its grey and thinin"

Nope, not what a noisegate is for. You need to look at the wiring of the pickup.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Sounds to me like the pickup itself.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Microphonic pickup, perhaps?

'Course, we don't really know what this "terrible noise" sounds like. Perhaps this is after all just the tiresome 60 cycle hum?

Cheers - C

Exactly what I was thinking.

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Chet Feathers

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I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Well, the pickup is the stock pickup from the Jimmie V MIM Strat. And honestly, I don't even know how to explain the noise.

_________________
"Someday you'll meet your rockin chair
Cause that's where we're spinnin
There's no point to comb your hair
When its grey and thinin"

Is it a hum or a crackle? High pitched or low pitched? Does it happen all the time or just when you play, or when you take your hands off the guitar?

You can do better than "mad noise."

OK. If it was simply 60 cycle hum the same thing would happen using just the neck pickup.
Since this seems to be just the bridge pickup.............

Is the bridge pickup really close to the strings? To check this fret the E and e strings at the last fret. Check the distance from the bottom of the string to the top of the pole piece. A pickup too close to the strings may cause some unwanted noise.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
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http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

I'll plug in tonight and try to give a better description. If I remember correctly, it was sort of like the noise you get when you unplug the cable form the guitar and touch it. But, once I start playing, it drowns out the noise (or, the noise stops).

_________________
"Someday you'll meet your rockin chair
Cause that's where we're spinnin
There's no point to comb your hair
When its grey and thinin"

If it stops when you touch the strings, bridge etc. then its a grounding issue.

_________________
Chet Feathers

Authorized TonePros Dealer
Authorized WD Music Products Dealer
F/A Official Southpaw Compliance Certification Tester http://faamps.com/

http://www.facebook.com/cafeathers


I didn't Lose my mind, I traded it for this guitar.

Ceri shame on you, the 60 cycle hum is what it's all about.

_________________
"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Haha - well, indeed!

Actually, across all the threads we see here about how to add shielding to fight the hum, not to mention stacked pickups and other gizmos; I've never really suffered badly from 60 cycle syndrome.

Even my modest playing has sometimes been done under lights, and in those days shielding of lighting was probably not as good as today. Yet I didn't have a problem I felt was worth worrying about - or perhaps I was too green to notice...

Cheers - C

I've never had really bad "hum" either (it's there but it's part of the whole single coil deal).

My Tele is louder than my Strat, but I've got really "hot" pickups in it. The hums really only noticeable when you aren't playing. Once your banging on strings you don't hear the hum.

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"Life is like eating jalapenos. What you do today may burn your arse tomorrow"

Sounds a lot like a broken ground on the pickup wiring...
Might be.

So I took a different strat to rehearsal last night and had the same noise from the bridge pickup. Once I start playing, all is well... but otherwise, it's rather loud and annoying. I have been using a new rig over the past few weeks, so I was afraid it was my new head. So this is just a 'noise' I've got to live with? Honestly, I don't remember it being such an issue when I used my old solid state setup.

_________________
"Someday you'll meet your rockin chair
Cause that's where we're spinnin
There's no point to comb your hair
When its grey and thinin"