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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2016 7:15 pm
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I have owned a 1982 Fender Telecaster Sunburst Maple Neck Top Loading Bridge, (2) 2011 Fender "60th Anniversary" American Special Telecasters Olympic White Maple Neck, and a 2008 Fender American Deluxe Telecaster Aged Cherry Burst Maple Neck. I currently own the second of the (2) Fender "60th Anniversary" American Special Telecaster Olympic White Maple Neck. I have had problems with static electricity on each Fender Telecaster except the 1983 Fender Telecaster Sunburst Maple Neck Top Loading Bridge. I called Fender back in 2011 or early 2012 and spoke with a Fender Technician whom told me this was not a design issue rather specific to my biology. Really? He then told me the way to solve the problem was to place a fabric softener dryer sheet under the pickguard. Really?


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:31 am
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Otstratman wrote:
I called Fender back in 2011 or early 2012 and spoke with a Fender Technician whom told me this was not a design issue rather specific to my biology. Really?

Not necessarily biology, but chances are that it's you feeding the plate with static. There can be many root causes including your choice of clothing, flooring and footwear, humidity and skin dryness.
Avoid synthetic clothing and shoe soles, and get a hygrometer, making sure the air is not too dry.

Or, you can always change to a bakelite pickguard.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2016 10:51 am
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Obviously Fender is aware of this issue. My question is why isn't this addressed at the factory before Telecasters are sent out to dealers. One suggestion is to switch to a "bakelite" pickguard. Why should I have to pay for a new pickguard? Also, do I really have to assess my clothing, the flooring in my house, and various fiber materials? I just wish that Fender would do the right thing and correct the problem period and for those of us that are having problems be sent the appropriate part to solve the problem. Is that asking too much?


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 12:18 pm
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Okay. I was planning on doing this anyway. I purchased a genuine Fender replacement Telecaster pickguard color "MINT" to change the aesthetic of my Telecaster from a BLACK guard on Olympic White body to a MINT guard plus I also purchased genuine Fender 1960's "Flat Top" style volume/tone knobs and genuine Fender "Top Hat" switch tip. I love the new look. I also changed the tuning machines to Fender "Locking" with "Butter Bean" tuner buttons which all together gives my modern Telecaster a "Vintage" vibe. Now that I have completed the new look I haven't noticed any "STATIC". It appears to be gone. I have no idea what happened to cause this but I thought I would share what I did to my beloved Telecaster to the Fender Telecaster community as information. I'll try and post a pic soon.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:46 pm
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Put copper tape on the back of the pickguard.
It will act as an static electric "sink" and will prevent any static electric "pops" through the amp.
Forget using fabric softener.

Image

You can get copper tape here and elsewhere:
https://www.amazon.com/Fly-Young-Conduc ... e+adhesive


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 5:55 pm
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Hey Mick,
Yes, I did that on my last American Special Telecaster. In addition to copper shielding the pickguard, I also copper shielded the control cavity and ran a small strip of copper shielding from the control cavity to where the pickguard screws down to make contact. It worked although I still feel you shouldn't have to do this for a well made in the USA guitar. If that is the "true" fix then Fender should send their Tele's out from the factory like that. Just sayin'.
Dave


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Tue Sep 27, 2016 8:19 am
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Otstratman wrote:
Hey Mick,
Yes, I did that on my last American Special Telecaster. In addition to copper shielding the pickguard, I also copper shielded the control cavity and ran a small strip of copper shielding from the control cavity to where the pickguard screws down to make contact. It worked although I still feel you shouldn't have to do this for a well made in the USA guitar. If that is the "true" fix then Fender should send their Tele's out from the factory like that. Just sayin'.
Dave

Hi Otstratman,
Putting a copper backing on the pickguard is a "true fix" for static electricity popping from your amplifier.

Fender should obviously improve their pickguards by making them from a plastic that does not cause static electricity, or else, "Fender" pickguards should come with a metal backing that functions as a "sink" for static electricity .
At a retail price for a "Fender" Telecaster pickguard from $30.00 to $45.00, you would think that Fender could add 20 cents of copper, or other functioning metal, to the backside of their pickguards.
Is that really too much to ask?????

You would also think that Fender would correct an obvious Telecaster problem and start using "long shaft" guitar cable jacks on Telecasters, so that players could use "right angle" plug, guitar cables, with Telecasters.
https://www.amazon.com/Switchcraft-L11- ... t+L11+jack
Is that really too much to ask?????

You would certainly think that Fender would not have cheapened the truss rod design on their "Elite" series guitars, which is probably in preparation for expanding that deplorable design to most of their other guitars, down the road.

Needless to say, Fender has done many things right over the years, and should be applauded for improving their pickups, and moving away from hard, thick, guitar coatings, even though contrary to popular belief, such coatings have no affect on the amplified sound of the guitar, and maintaining the 9" radius neck as the standard for their guitars.

Hopefully, customer feedback will lead the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to correct the obvious product oversights listed above.

And hopefully, Fender will avoid fundamental design changes to their classic guitar designs, and avoid horrible gimmick nonsense, like Gibson's "Min-ETune Auto-Tuners" (which a major guitar retailer, made Gibson remove from that guitar store's, Gibson guitars); and in the future, eliminate truss rod wheels imbedded in unsightly holes in Fender necks.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:25 pm
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LOL now we're expecting plastic not to act like plastic Mick.
keep it up clever boy. Plastic scratchplates that don't generate static electricity when rubbed, may as well rewrite the theory of relativity while we're at it.

FWIW it's not specific to your biology, the guitars wiring. Or any other such nonsense. It's probably a technique issue.
Stop rubbing your hand/fingers over the scratchplate. Stop the static building up.

Looking at the science behind static. Certain materials are good for generating static by being positive and giving off electrons. Others are good for being negative and storing static.
Plastic, polyurethane and polyester are all good at storing. So potentially it's not fingers rubbing on the scratchplate doing it, though most of the time it is. It could be a urethane or polyester finish to the guitar and your arm rubbing on it as you play.

http://www.school-for-champions.com/sci ... _gt0-ArLIU

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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 12:03 pm
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nikininja wrote:
LOL now we're expecting plastic not to act like plastic Mick.
keep it up clever boy. Plastic scratchplates that don't generate static electricity when rubbed, may as well rewrite the theory of relativity while we're at it.

Don't bother. He's already demonstrated that he doesn't believe in Euclidean geometry, nor the Maxwell equations, and consider it "alchemy", so what makes you think he would believe in relativity?

nikininja wrote:
Looking at the science behind static. Certain materials are good for generating static by being positive and giving off electrons. Others are good for being negative and storing static.
Plastic, polyurethane and polyester are all good at storing.

Polyurethane and polyester are plastics. They differ, though. PVC is on the high static side, while good old bakelite is almost non-static. There were lots of complaints about crappy sound and crackling when the phone companies switched the phones and handsets from bakelite to other plastic - even with the same innards, the new handsets and coil picked up static, and discharged it into the mic and speaker. Similarly, for a guitar, a bakelite pickguard is less likely to carry a noticeable charge.

nikininja wrote:
So potentially it's not fingers rubbing on the scratchplate doing it, though most of the time it is. It could be a urethane or polyester finish to the guitar and your arm rubbing on it as you play.

Yep. It wouldn't surprise me if some straps generate static too, as your arm moves against it.

Different materials have more potential for generating static, and holding the charge. At the extremes, my poly clad Tele Thinline with a mother-of-toilet-seat pickguard is the absolute worst guitar for static (don't even think of wearing a wool sweater or rubber soled shoes), while my matte stained SG with a leather pickguard is dead, as far as static is concerned. And, of course, copper shielding has nothing to do with this, and might even make the problem worse, if providing a convenient gap for sparks to fly during discharge.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 3:57 pm
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Thanks Arth' I was expecting some flame war. Just got back from a gig and thought I'd brave a look.
You know what gets me, the rudeness. Difference of opinion I can take. In fact I welcome it, it's how I learn. I'm certainly not educated in such things.

So why do you think Urethane and Polyester differ in their ability to hold a charge than normal plastics? I'm no expert on the matter, I genuinely don't know. Could it in the case of instruments be something to do with it's close proximity to wood?

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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 6:43 pm
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nikininja wrote:
So why do you think Urethane and Polyester differ in their ability to hold a charge than normal plastics? I'm no expert on the matter, I genuinely don't know.

I'm not an expert either, but my educated guess (and my old teacher demonstrating with a glass rod) is that one factor is that a slicker surface gives more surface to be rubbed, and presents less surface area that the charge can dissipate from. For plastics, the length of the molecules may have something to do with it to - how easily the charge can be distributed across the surface, at a guess.

At any rate, drag a piece of wool across plastic, and a charge will result, and it differs depending on the type of plastic. Some types will generate audible sparks.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 10:14 am
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My brand new Tele Deluxe does the same thing when the humidity is low and in Nevada, its always low. I think all you need to do is keep a dryer sheet handy and wipe it down. It's a pretty common but annoying issue.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 10:54 am
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Cobalt876 wrote:
My brand new Tele Deluxe does the same thing when the humidity is low and in Nevada, its always low. I think all you need to do is keep a dryer sheet handy and wipe it down. It's a pretty common but annoying issue.

A Tele Deluxe has a larger pickguard, which means more surface to rub against and to hold a charge.
Dryer sheets help by creating a coating that sucks moisture from the air, making the surface more conductive. But personally, I can't stand the odor.
There are also anti-static coatings and sprays that can be used. Go to an auto store and get a bottle of antistatic finishing spray or wipes - it's much cheaper than the guitar branded stuff, and won't harm nitro finishes either (older cars have nitro finishes).
Foil on the back, on the other hand, has no effect on the surface on the front.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2016 11:49 am
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Lots of really great information on this topic. I know I have personally learned a lot. One idea I don't think I read is using a "Gold Anodized Pickguard" or an after market anodized pickguard in whatever color you want. I have seen them in brushed aluminum, red, blue, black, green, and orange. I forget the website, but I'm sure if you search you'll find it. That may solve the static noise Tele issue using metal rather than plastic. I had a Fender "Gold Anodized Pickguard" on one of my American made Tele's and it never had any noise issues. Just sayin'.


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Post subject: Re: Telecaster pickguard emits static noise
Posted: Sun Oct 16, 2016 7:31 pm
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nikininja wrote:
LOL now we're expecting plastic not to act like plastic Mick.
Keep it up clever boy. Plastic scratchplates that don't generate static electricity when rubbed, may as well rewrite the theory of relativity while we're at it.

Static-control plastics are designed such that they have specific properties that manage the process of charge leaking off.
"Statically dissipative" plastics have increased surface resistivity, with "antistatic plastics" having an even greater surface resistivity.
This is generally accomplished by having carbon or steel powder, or fibers within the plastic.
Admittedly, I do not know whether use of such plastics would be economically viable, or cosmetically pleasing, but if viable, should be pursued by guitar manufacturers, or guitar manufacturers could simply add 50 cents of copper to the back of their pickguards.

nikininja wrote:
FWIW it's not specific to your biology, the guitars wiring. Or any other such nonsense. It's probably a technique issue.
Stop rubbing your hand/fingers over the scratchplate. Stop the static building up.

There are generally, two (2) different picking techniques.
One technique is to hold the pick in a semi-closed fist with two or three fingers.
Keith Richards uses the three finger method.
In using the closed fist method, your fingers don't touch the pickguard.
The other technique, which I use, as do others like Eric Clapton, generally use the little finger of the pick hand as a "bridge" and somewhat of a "depth gauge".
If you don't touch the pickguard, that's fine; I do and will continue to do so, if you don't mind.....

arth1 wrote:
nikininja wrote:
LOL now we're expecting plastic not to act like plastic Mick.
keep it up clever boy. Plastic scratchplates that don't generate static electricity when rubbed, may as well rewrite the theory of relativity while we're at it.

Don't bother. He's already demonstrated that he doesn't believe in Euclidean geometry, nor the Maxwell equations, and consider it "alchemy", so what makes you think he would believe in relativity?

To the contrary Arth1.
Your commentary should be directed at many of your prior comments.
nikininja wrote:
Thanks Arth' I was expecting some flame war. Just got back from a gig and thought I'd brave a look.
You know what gets me, the rudeness. Difference of opinion I can take. In fact I welcome it, it's how I learn. I'm certainly not educated in such things.

Please do not allow my intolerance of stupidity to be interpreted as rudeness, as such is not my intention. :lol:


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