Hi,

I have a new American strat and it has developed an electronic buzz when the volume knob is between 4 and 9, it stops when you get to 10 and when you touch the strings or other metal surfaces. It also stops when you touch the screw on the back plate opposite the volume pot. I am assuming there is a ground loop problem. Has anyone else seen this problem?

The ground strap to the bridge has a good connection. No doubt the pick guard is going to have to come off. Any recomendations or proccdure for removing it?

Anyone else have this issue?

Thanks,

Greg

Welcome.

This concept of ground loops in a passive guitar circuit is yet more, "Infallible Web Dogma". In other words, nonsense. Ground loops (in this context) only happen in amplifiers, not passive guitar circuits as there would have to be two voltage sources with differing voltages running to one ground which in a passive guitar circuit is certainly not the case.

It is normal for an electric guitar to exhibit hum and upon touching any one of several metal components of the guitar, the hum will diminish. Literally, your body is grounding the circuit at this point.

With your between 4 and 9 on the volume pot problem, do you have a treble retention circuit? If so, this may very well be the culprit as these circuits tend to make volume pots act erratically. If not, your pot itself most likely either has static electricity built up in it or it is outright bad. FYI: There are too many grounds coming into it, some even redundant, which would rule out a bad solder joint. Aside from the guitar, a poor quality cable can ramp up capacitance which would also contribute to this phenomenon; faulty house wiring, florescent lights, being too near your computer monitor, etc. are also potential contributing factors as well.

Removing the pickguard is quite easy. The strings would have to be relaxed in order to lift the pickguard off and clear the body of the guitar without any of the components underneath the pickguard scratching or getting hung up on the body. You would remove the 11 screws holding the guard to the body and then lift the guard up again, clearing the body and then shift it out towards the direction of the high E string and then upon completely clearing the guitar, you would then turn it over (left to right) to view the underneath.

Regardless, the bottom line here is that as you've stated, your Strat is new. If you have positively isolated this malady to the guitar itself, clearly, this would be a warranty issue where the place you bought it should take care of it for you, no charge.

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Thanks,

Through some more investigation I have found that it is worse at the neck pickup. I do read some continuity between only that one screw on the back plate and the other metal components of the guitar. I assume it is poking into something inside the body.

Do you have to un-solder the bridge ground or remove the nut from the cable socket to get the pick guard out?

I have tried different cables with the same results. Stand alone the AMP is quiet even at 10.

In the past I have had no luck with AC line filters and conditioners. Any experience with that?

When I take it apart I am considering installing the Samarium Colbalt Noiseless and replacing the volume pot.

Greg

You're welcome.

Your guitar has a base coat of shielding paint. Being electrically conductive, some of it must have sprayed into the area of that back screw and that's why it is part of the grounding circuit.

No, you do not have to unsolder the bridge ground or remove the nut from the cable socket to get the pickguard out.

With AC line filters and conditioners, it would be pretty tough to prognosticate good, better and/or best, let alone any of their appropriateness without literally being there.

Granted, any humbucker will take out a whole lot of line noise so the SCNs should be a boon to you. Again though, if you have that treble retention circuit already on your existing volume pot, upon replacing the pot, do not reconnect the treble bleed circuit as it is inappropriate for SCNs.

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