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Post subject: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 5:14 pm
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I just bought my first Tele. A 1996 MIM model, single coil pickups. It's got a terrible hum to it.
It sounds better if you're touching the volume or tone dial, or touching the control cover plate. Touching the strings makes little or no difference.

BTW, I'm playing through a Line 6 IV 15 and a Crate V-50 112 amp. The amps are quiet with my G&L Tribute (Split Humbuckers) and my Starcaster Strat. I've tried it on different outlets in the house.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sat Dec 07, 2013 6:58 pm
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chuck86 wrote:
I just bought my first Tele. A 1996 MIM model, single coil pickups. It's got a terrible hum to it.
It sounds better if you're touching the volume or tone dial, or touching the control cover plate. Touching the strings makes little or no difference.

Try the following:
Remove the electronics plate.
With needle nose pliers or the correct socket, remove the nut on the input jack.
Solder one end of a 12" (30.5 cm) dedicated ground wire into the ground terminal of the input jack without altering the original ground wire.
Loosen the top screw of the three way switch.
Bend the striped opposite end of the ground wire into a hook and place the wire hook between the plate and the switch at the loosened top screw.
Tighten the top screw of the three way switch.
Put the flat and locking washers on the jack and put it back in guitar with the jack-cup and nut applied from the outside.
Replace the electronics plate onto the guitar.
Try the guitar and tell us your results.

This will not eliminate single coil hum, but should reduce or eliminate your ground hum problem that you have described.
Since you said that you do not notice a difference when you touch the guitar strings, I recommend that you remove the bridge and check to see if the bridge is grounded, because you should notice a difference when you touch the strings if the electronics plate is inadequately grounded and causing a hum.
I had this problem with a new American Vintage '52 Tele, and the dedicated ground wire resolved the problem.
In the Fullerton years, Fender grounded the plate in a similar manner.
I don't know when or why they stopped grounding the electronics plate.
Good luck.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 3:24 am
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MicJagger ,

Chrome plate is grouded with pots body . Ground wires goes to all pots body and body are tight screw to the plate = chrome plate is grounded . No need 12 inches wire.

If some rust between pot and chrome plate OR no ground wire between bridge and pots OR other ground missing / defective you'll may have some hum issue

Chuck86 , Check telecaster wiring here ;

http://support.fender.com/service_diagr ... B_SISD.pdf


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:16 am
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stratele52 wrote:
MicJagger ,
Chrome plate is grouded with pots body . Ground wires goes to all pots body and body are tight screw to the plate = chrome plate is grounded . No need 12 inches wire.
If some rust between pot and chrome plate OR no ground wire between bridge and pots OR other ground missing / defective you'll may have some hum issue
Chuck86 , Check telecaster wiring here ;
http://support.fender.com/service_diagr ... B_SISD.pdf

Stratele, you actually sound like you know what you are talking about.
Unfortunately you haven't got a clue.
Yes, the pots are grounded.
They are likely creating an inadequate ground to the plate, pot knobs and knob shafts which are transmitting a 60 cycle hum to the pickups.

This is why when Chuck touches the plate or the knobs the ground hum diminishes or is eliminated.
This is due to the fact that Chuck's fingers are creating an additional ground.
I have corrected this problem myself by adding an additional ground wire.
So no wiring diagrams are needed, and an additional ground wire to the plate cannot hurt anything.

If the additional dedicated ground wire does not work to your satisfaction, it's possible that you could also have a bad solder joint on the pot.
You can try re-soldering the ground wires to the pot, being careful not to overheat the pot.

Better yet, cut all of the black ground wires off of the back of the pots that come from the pickups or other groundings.
Leave the original lead ground wire from the jack alone, which may be soldered to both a pot terminal and to the bottom of the pot, or just to a pot bottom.

Create a "ground star" by taking the dedicated ground wire that I suggested you add above, and connect all of the other ground wires from the pickups or elsewhere to the dedicated ground wire.
Solder all of the wires together, including a ground lead wire that will go between the switch and plate, as described above.
After the ground star is thoroughly soldered, wrap it with electrical tape.

Please see the following guitarnuts.com article regarding "star grounding."
http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php

While the article discusses a Strat, it is equally applicable to a Telecaster.
While there is a lot of information on shielding, the article also explains the use of a "ground star" to eliminate possible ground loop hum.
While this may sound like major surgery, it is merely reorganizing your ground wires, and can easily be done in an hour.

This modification will eliminate your 60 cycle hum.
I suggest trying the dedicated ground wire to the plate first, to see if it resolves your problem.
Here is a picture of a "star ground" in a Tele that I built with SCN pickups.
The guitar is dead quiet.

Image

BTW..., no there are not two Orange Drops there, it's a reflection in the plate!!


Last edited by MickJagger on Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:27 am
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Mikejagger ,

Tell me why all Fender Telecaster work fine with no hum without your dedicated ground wire ?

They are all built like the wiring diagram I show .

I know about starr grounding.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:43 am
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stratele52 wrote:
Mikejagger ,

Tell me why all Fender Telecaster work fine with no hum without your dedicated ground wire ?
They are all built like the wiring diagram I show .
I know about starr grounding.

Telecasters are all built "similar" to your wiring diagram.
Many of them have ground hum issues when you are not touching the strings, knobs or plates.
If your Tele does not have a 60 cycle ground hum you are lucky.

As I said, I had a new American Vintage '52 Tele and it had a ground hum issue when I took my fingers off of the strings.
Do some research and you will find that this is a common Fender problem, which is separate and distinct from single coil pickup hum.
And it can be resolved by the modifications I list above.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 11:56 am
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MickJagger wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
Mikejagger ,

Tell me why all Fender Telecaster work fine with no hum without your dedicated ground wire ?
They are all built like the wiring diagram I show .
I know about starr grounding.

Telecasters are all built "similar" to your wiring diagram.
Many of them have ground hum issues when you are not touching the strings, knobs or plates.
If your Tele does not have a 60 cycle ground hum you are lucky.

As I said, I had a new American Vintage '52 Tele and it had a ground hum issue when I took my fingers off of the strings.
Do some research and you will find that this is a common Fender problem, which is separate and distinct from single coil pickup hum.
And it can be resolved by the modifications I list above.


___________________________

When thing broke , they don't need mod ; new wire , just find the problem and fix it .

When Telecaster come out from Fender they don't have ground / hum problem . They must workl like they are built .


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 12:04 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
When thing broke , they don't need mod ; new wire , just find the problem and fix it .

When Telecaster come out from Fender they don't have ground / hum problem . They must workl like they are built .

Thank you for the Neanderthal analysis.
Obviously you can try to re-solder the ground wires onto the bottom of the pot(s) to see if that works.
When that fails, modify the wiring.
As I noted, I have an '83 American Standard Telecaster that I purchased new.
At that time, contrary to the wiring diagram linked above, Fender had a ground wire between the switch and the plate, at the top screw of the switch.


Last edited by MickJagger on Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:54 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Sun Dec 08, 2013 1:39 pm
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Did I insult you ? Not according to me.

When no arguments, insults remains.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 5:07 am
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Did I insult you ? Not according to me.

I was providing an objective response.....


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Mon Dec 09, 2013 11:12 pm
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Dynamo Hum much better than Tele hum. :lol:

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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 4:01 am
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Dynamo him????


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:50 am
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chuck86 wrote:
Dynamo him????

"Dinah-Moe Humm????"
Perhaps its time to move to Montana to grow dental floss...., while Chuck works on that hummmmm....

Image


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 7:53 pm
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Finally got home from work at a reasonable time and checked the Tele. I jumped the pickup selector switch shaft to the bridge with a alligator clip jumper wire. This didn't stop all of the hum, but cut out a bunch of it. Tried jumping the outer case of the guitar cable to the bridge also. That didn't have any effect at all. BTW, I tried these jumpers outside the guitar, in the open.

Turning down the amp gain lessened the hum on the tube amp.

A great big thanks for all the suggestions. Good people here.


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Post subject: Re: Tele Hum problem
Posted: Wed Dec 11, 2013 9:25 pm
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Take your guitar to an expert if you still have trouble to fix the 60-cycle hum issue thyself.


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