Hello,

I asked this question on another forum but thought this might be the better place to get some info:

I have a 2008 Fender American Deluxe Stratocaster, which came with SCN noiseless pickups.

Ever since I've owned it, I've noticed a slight "distortion" when playing low notes (on a clean amp setting). Rather than a clean sounding, full low note, there's this brief, slightly fuzzy distortion when the string is picked. It's most noticeable on the open E string (though it happens with the A string too), diminishing as you move up the neck, and is more apparent the harder I pluck the string. It's also more noticeable when using the neck pickup, less so with the bridge pickup, but it's still there. 

My first thought was the pickups were too close to the strings on the bass side, but I've got them adjusted down about as low as they will go (lower than the Fender spec's), and I'm still hearing the distortion.

It happens with different amps, and different instrument cables. This doesn't sound like a string rattling against a fret, and the strings are not hitting the top of the pickups. I've changed strings and cleaned the Strat's jack with De-Oxit, without it making any difference.

Has anyone else heard the same thing, or compared to a Strat with stock pickups? Any ideas what could be causing it?

Thanks.

Cold solder maybe?

Nut slots too low?

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No no and no

Thanks for your thoughts.

The nut slots aren't too low.

I don't think I'm hearing any buzzing at the saddles. Are you saying that this buzzing can translate into what sounds like distortion when the guitar is plugged in?

Also, the saddles are level with the bridge plate, so tilted saddles / loose saddle screws aren't an issue. I also checked the micro tilt neck allen screw, and it's not loose.

Again, I'm wondering if anyone has compared a SCN Strat with a stock pickup Strat, and heard what I'm describing. In other words, are the stock pickups cleaner sounding on the low notes than SCN pickups? The noise I'm hearing is subtle, and you wouldn't hear it with an overdriven amp setting, but it's noticeable with a clean amp setting.

Kind of hard to believe this is the way the SCN pickups are supposed to sound...

Hmmm... could this be a case of what I've heard Dan Erlewine refer to as: Strat-itis? That is, the bass side of the pickups being to close to the strings and introducing unwanted harmonics... /shrug

ORC

They aren't supposed to sound like that. I have SCNs in my MIM Satandard Strat and they are clean and beautiful sounding.

You seem to have exhausted the most obvious possibilities for causing the noise. Time to look at the not so obvious ones.

Have you checked to make sure that the trem springs inside the quitar are not buzzing? Try sticking plastic tubing inside the springs to damp them. Or as a quick test, stuff a piece of foam between the springs and the back cover.

Have you checked for loose wires under the pickguard? Sometimes a loose wire can be taught enough that it vibrates against something inside the guitar.

You said it does it with other amps. Are you sure about that? It almost sounds like crossover distortion from an improperly biased amp.

Turners Knobs and lock nuts tight?

All screws on pickguard, output jack, and back cover tight?

Have you checked the action and neck relief and set them to spec?

Neck attachment screws tight?

Volume/tone controls lock night tight?

Screws attaching the bridge plate to the trem block tight?

I run my SCNs at 10/64" on the bass side and 9/64" on the treble side. No problem with Strat-itis.

Basically check anything that can be loose and vibrate.

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Bill

Got SCN's in 3 guitars. I don't get any sort of distortion from the guitar itself.

Look for a cold solder. If their wired to a normal strat setup, theres a lot of ground wires. If their all to one place a cold solder on that joint would be my guess.

If their on a Deluxe. The S1 is a hard pot to solder to. The operator could have been too light with the iron.

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No no and no

I think I know what you refer
I notice with overdrive, the first 0,5 second it sounds noise and then the sound gets clear...
I'm thinking to change my SCN bridge pickup to a Lindy Franlin or similar...


oh... sorry for my english xD!!

I think I know what you refer
I notice it with overdrive, the first 0,5 second it sounds noise and then the sound gets clear...
I'm thinking to change my SCN bridge pickup to a Lindy Franlin or similar...


oh... sorry for my english xD!!

That is NOT caused by the SCN pup.

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Bill

Yeah, in my case, I only notice this with a clean amp setting. With an overdriven amp, there would be no way to differentiate between the slight distortion I'm hearing and the overdriven amp sound.

Have you checked all the suggestions made by myself and nikininja? Unless your pickups are defective, the noise you are hearing is NOT typical of SCNs.

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Bill

Thanks, Bill.

I have checked some of the suggestions. There are no loose screws or springs. Action and neck relief are fine. I haven't taken off the pickguard and looked underneath yet.

I appreciate all the suggestions, and the affirmation that SCN pickups shouldn't sound this way. I will keep you posted when I find out some more.

One thought: there's not a lot of angle on the 6th string leaving the nut toward the tuner. Maybe a new string with a few more winds around the post?

Tom.

If the guitar is a American Deluxe, or uses the same tuners, break angle for the low E should not be a problem. Thats the one thing I do like about staggered locking tuners. The bass side break angle is spot on.
Anyways it wouldn't make a scrap of difference on a fretted note. The nut is taken out of the equation as soon as you fret a note.

If it is particular to one string on all frets check the string (change for a new one), check the saddle too.

Don't exclude the cold solder idea though. I've had that problem manifest in all kinds of ways.

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No no and no

I have fixed the issue changing the strings from 0.09 to 0.10!!! xD

I am glad to hear that your string change fixed the distortion problem, but a properly set-up strat should play well with 9's as well as 10's.

I have quite a bit of experience with the SCN pickups and have not had that problem, at least as it relates to the pickups.

The last guitar that I worked on with a similar problem was a Music Man Axis. It had a Floyd Rose tremolo and I was sure that the FR was the problem. After bring the guitar to specs several times, I disassembled the entire tremolo, then the tuning keys, then the pickups. Finally, I realized that the flimsey plastic wedge used by the factor to adjust the neck angle combined with soft body wood resulted in a less than optimal neck to body joint. I put an oversized metal wedge in and tightened things down very tight. What a difference!

After thinking about this for a while, I have made the decision to put metal screw inserts in next time I see this problem. That's a nice trick that really firms the neck up and increases "clean sustain".

Jake@JakeSpearMusic.com