Yesterday I stopped off at a guitar shop to fiddle with some strats... One thing that I noticed was the hum on these guitars was a lot more than the noice I get from my pups... And that (on these guitars in the store) the single pickup positions had more hum than the dual switch positions...

On my strat, there is no difference in hum between pickup switch positions and there really isn't much hum at all really..

Do you think I may have noiseless pickups...

My strat is an E series Japanese contemporary Standard 22.

photos here
http://www.fender.com/community/forums/ ... highlight=

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In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.

This is what I think but I could be wrong.
They're probably not noiseless, just don't get as much hum in a place like your house. Have you gigged with it yet?
I think things like other electronics, flourescent lights, things like that make the hum more noticable.

My guess is fluorescent lighting is the culprit. It induces LOTS more noise than your standard incandescent lighting, especially if it's not well removed from the rig.

In the late 1970's, I got a great deal on a Marshal 50 Watt Lead and Big M cabinet. I was in a second hand store and spotted it for something like $525 (a good deal already for that time). Told them I wanted to demo it, then realized the lighting was hanging really low and almost directly over it. Picked a Stratocaster from their lineup just for the single coils (I was a Gibson player mostly back then). Showed him how incredibly loud the hum was (it was REALLY loud!) and convinced him something must be wrong with the amp (guess I sold it well, as my buddy helped me load it in the car, he asked why I bought an amp that needed work ). Got it for $400 out the door, and it played full tilt for hundreds of hours without missing a beat (or making horrible amounts of hum!). Now if only I'd bought that Strat...

ETA, if you want to prove it to yourself, take your guitar in and try the same set up.

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"If you don't know the blues... there's no point in picking up the guitar and playing rock and roll or any other form of popular music".
Keith Richards

My single coil pups sound pretty much the same in any position the switch is in. OK, 1,3, and 5 are just barely a little brighter but no noisier than 2 and 4. Must be the powerhouse feature of the dummy pup under the pick guard for noise cancellation really works!

Well, the room I play in is pretty "clean" electronically.

I'll have to remember the light trick if I go to score a used amp and it's available.

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You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

Easiest way to tell, even if you have optimum wiring conditions in your home..

Turn on, plug in, bit of gain, then go and stand by your TV or computer monitor (old style with tube - not plasma or LCD). Turn the guitar to face the screen. You'll know instantly if you have noiseless pickups..

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

I did this test and the hum got much worse as I brought the guitar close to my TV... Positions 2 and 4 being less noisy...

So I assume they are NOT noiseless ?? I can then firmly assume these pickups are stock Japanese....

Thanks for that post !!

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In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.

Yes - in that case, not noiseless.. If 2 and 4 were less noisy, then your middle pickup is almost certainly reverse wound.

Buts it's the noise thats part of the charm of single coil pickups IMHO! You don't hear it when you're playing.

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Fender Highway & Classic 60s Strats, Fender Toronado, Telecaster, Gretsch Projet, Charvel 3, PRS SE Soapbar II & Custom 24, Burns Batwing and many others!

These pickups may not be noiseless.. But they are pretty darn quiet if you ask me... Just don't get them near a TV...

It may be the new USA electronics and my attention to detail to make sure the grounding was done with good wire and all connections solid and soldered...

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In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.

Cajun the truth is, it may be you who is electrically quiet. The majority of noise isnt from lightbulbs and tv's (though they do contribute). It's from your own body's electrical field.
Think about it, when you touch the bridge and strings what are you earthing and where is it going? It's certainly not a current from your amplifier, you'd be dead or hospitalized with all that running up your arm and down your legs.
Why does shielding the underside of the pickups lower noise if its all coming in from some lightbulb your facing? It doesnt, it shields the underside of the pickup from your own naturaly generated electricity.
How are you with other singlecoils? I understand you are/were a humbucker/gibson player.

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No no and no

I once had a guitar with P-100's but those are hum cancelling... My es-135 has Phat Cats which are single coil and very quiet... My strat was very noisy before I swapped out all the wiring/pots/switch.. But that may have been for a varietly of reasons..

Bottom line is I like a quiet guitar and this one has been just that... very quiet... I should this strat back to that guitar shop to see how it does in that store...

_________________
In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.