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Post subject: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:19 am
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Hello Forum

This is my first post and I have a question relating to the noise my strat is making. I did a search before posting and while there are quite a few posts relating to strat noise, I couldn't find my problem listed.

I have a US Standard Strat from '99. I modified it to put a humbucker on the bridge and wire-in the bridge tone control so that it works with the humbucker.
However, when I'm on the neck / neck middle pickup and the volume control is about 6 -8 there is a LOT of noise - it goes away when I turn it all the way up or have it quite low.

I've checked the wiring and it 'looks ok' - but i'm no expert.

Wondered if someone here has any ideas. Could I have damaged the neck pick up by modding the guitar? Has anyone heard of similar problems?

Thanks for reading.


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:17 am
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Hi and welcome to the forum.

Sorry to say, that seems like a tough problem to diagnose online.

Sounds like a Hands-On fix.

I'm certainly not the last word and someone else may have more insight.

Good luck with it.

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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:16 am
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I think it's highly unlikely that a damaged pickup would exhibit problems only if the guitar volume is set to a certain range but the problems disappear outside that range. I'm pretty sure you can rule that part out at least. I think it's far more likely that you cooked your volume pot when you soldered in the new pup.

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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:21 am
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First thing that pops in my mind: vol works 0-6, then noise 6-8, works 8-10 -> bad contact on the potentiometer at that point.

Second: "looks OK" solderings - check them all.


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 11:00 am
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I tought it might be a wiring problem . If pot work fine before your mod , no "noisy spot " it should not be the pot .

Try to put tone wiring original. hear how it sound .

Do you have any experience of use soldering iron or it is a first ?

Humbucker model ? Standard wiring or split coil ?


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:02 am
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markcmarkc wrote:
Hello Forum

This is my first post and I have a question relating to the noise my strat is making. I did a search before posting and while there are quite a few posts relating to strat noise, I couldn't find my problem listed.

I have a US Standard Strat from '99. I modified it to put a humbucker on the bridge and wire-in the bridge tone control so that it works with the humbucker.
However, when I'm on the neck / neck middle pickup and the volume control is about 6 -8 there is a LOT of noise - it goes away when I turn it all the way up or have it quite low.

I've checked the wiring and it 'looks ok' - but i'm no expert.

Wondered if someone here has any ideas. Could I have damaged the neck pick up by modding the guitar? Has anyone heard of similar problems?
Thanks for reading.



Pretty sure you will have the wrong value pots. Can you let us know what you have please.

Shaky


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 7:44 am
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shaky wrote:
markcmarkc wrote:
Hello Forum

This is my first post and I have a question relating to the noise my strat is making. I did a search before posting and while there are quite a few posts relating to strat noise, I couldn't find my problem listed.

I have a US Standard Strat from '99. I modified it to put a humbucker on the bridge and wire-in the bridge tone control so that it works with the humbucker.
However, when I'm on the neck / neck middle pickup and the volume control is about 6 -8 there is a LOT of noise - it goes away when I turn it all the way up or have it quite low.

I've checked the wiring and it 'looks ok' - but i'm no expert.

Wondered if someone here has any ideas. Could I have damaged the neck pick up by modding the guitar? Has anyone heard of similar problems?
Thanks for reading.



Pretty sure you will have the wrong value pots. Can you let us know what you have please.

Shaky


Why do you think that ? I can't see why a noise just between 6 to 8 is from a wrong pot value.

The only thing I can see about the pot , it as a defective spot between 6 to 8 , dirty or something like that .
With that , the pickups/ guitar wiring did not see a ground through the pots and act like antenna .


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:07 am
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Hi Guys.

Really appreciate the replies so far. Given me some idea what to look for to diagnose.

Think i'll just put it all back to stock wiring with the original single-coil and take it from there.

The Humbucker I installed wasn't wired to be split (although I am thinking about that mod :) ).

Not sure of the pot values, but as I said they are stock US from about '99.

I'm pretty good with a soldering iron - time is my enemy though.

Out of interest do volume pots 'wear out' at specific ranges?

I'll let you know how I get on.

Ta


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:13 am
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Does the "Noise" occur with any other Pickup besides the Humbucker? :?

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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:23 am
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Hey, dana: read the 1st post; the noise is on neck/neck middle pups, the hummer is the bridge. :wink:

To the OP: I'd start with replacing the pot - easy to do as the 1st step, and eliminates the pot as one possible cause. Oh, a quick test that may or may not help, is to spray some contact cleaner in the pot.
Pots sometimes develop "scratchy" or "dead" zones, especially when not used, and especially if they are low quality. Another possibility is you "cooked" it when soldering, like BMW-KTM suggested.

BTW, what wiring diagram did you use?


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:36 am
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jmattis wrote:
Hey, dana: read the 1st post; the noise is on neck/neck middle pups, the hummer is the bridge. :wink:

IMHO If the Vol. pot works correctly in the 6-8 range on any Pickup, I would look elsewhere for the problem.

Testing the pots and wiring with a multimeter seems like the next step.

That's my $.02 jmat.

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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2014 8:41 am
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If volume pot do not make noise on bridge pickups , pot should be good :idea:

markcmarkc,

If you remove your pickgard , try if you hear this noise when you have pickguard in you had before doing any mod .

If yes , you can do your mod and do some test without putting Pickgard on the guitar , lots of work

I' ll try to remove the tone pot on bridge PU first and listen.


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 3:15 am
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Quote:
Pretty sure you will have the wrong value pots. Can you let us know what you have please.

Shaky

Why do you think that ? I can't see why a noise just between 6 to 8 is from a wrong pot value.

The only thing I can see about the pot , it as a defective spot between 6 to 8 , dirty or something like that .
With that , the pickups/ guitar wiring did not see a ground through the pots and act like antenna .


Just an experience that I had on a build. The wrong (mixed) value pots generated a tone all of its own!

Do we know the values of the pots?


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 3:56 am
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shaky wrote:
Quote:
Pretty sure you will have the wrong value pots. Can you let us know what you have please.

Shaky

Why do you think that ? I can't see why a noise just between 6 to 8 is from a wrong pot value.

The only thing I can see about the pot , it as a defective spot between 6 to 8 , dirty or something like that .
With that , the pickups/ guitar wiring did not see a ground through the pots and act like antenna .


Just an experience that I had on a build. The wrong (mixed) value pots generated a tone all of its own!

Do we know the values of the pots?


A build or mod can have many bad thing generated tone . You can replace the pot ang move something else and no bad tone ; it may not be the pot ....


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Post subject: Re: Strat noise between 6-8 volume control
Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2014 9:39 am
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markcmarkc wrote:
Hello Forum

This is my first post and I have a question relating to the noise my strat is making. I did a search before posting and while there are quite a few posts relating to strat noise, I couldn't find my problem listed.

I have a US Standard Strat from '99. I modified it to put a humbucker on the bridge and wire-in the bridge tone control so that it works with the humbucker.
However, when I'm on the neck / neck middle pickup and the volume control is about 6 -8 there is a LOT of noise - it goes away when I turn it all the way up or have it quite low.

I've checked the wiring and it 'looks ok' - but i'm no expert.

Wondered if someone here has any ideas. Could I have damaged the neck pick up by modding the guitar? Has anyone heard of similar problems?

Thanks for reading.


Isn't this inherent to single coil pickups?
I hear this on both my strats. Actually I have 4 loaded pickguards. They all produce more single coil hum on 60 to 80% of the volume pot.

cheers Serge


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