Grounding Question

[Wigglez]

I've got a epiphone les paul special 2 its had a bad buzz ever since i bought it a year or so ago. it has 1 volume, 1 Tone, and a 3-way switch.

first i replaced the switch which only half worked but the buzz is still there. my solder joints are right so unless some of the wires have inside breakage then the wiring is fine. so i figure it might be the crackely tone knob thats causing the buzz. would replacing or cleaning the bad pot fix the buzz?

[unclej]

I've got a epiphone les paul special 2 its had a bad buzz ever since i bought it a year or so ago. it has 1 volume, 1 Tone, and a 3-way switch.

first i replaced the switch which only half worked but the buzz is still there. my solder joints are right so unless some of the wires have inside breakage then the wiring is fine. so i figure it might be the crackely tone knob thats causing the buzz. would replacing or cleaning the bad pot fix the buzz?

i've never personally known of a bad pot causing any buzzing. my first suggestion would be to get yourself a multi-meter, place one probe on the top of one of the pots and then test every spot that should be grounded, i.e. each of the pots, the bridge, the switch, etc. and see if you can find the problem that way.

[JoeAArthur]

A pot can over time build up enough crud to prevent the slider from making contact with the resistive strip. This can cause buzzing because your amp lead is essentially open - like having the amp on and the cord not plugged into a guitar. Of course if this was happening you wouldn't get much sound if any out of the guitar. It's easy to check by placing an aligator clip lead between the two non-grounded terminals of the pot with the pot fully on or clockwise. If you get an increase in volume then you probably should replace the pot.

You haven't mentioned a string ground or if the noise gets lower when you touch the strings. I have found that some LP variants don't have them. If yours doesn't I suggest installing one. If your guitar is shielded check the ground for it, and if not you might think about installing that also.

You might also check the quality of your guitar cord. Inexpensive and less shielded cable can introduce a lot of noise into your system.

[Wigglez]

thanks a lot guys i'll buy a multimeter.

[dan2002]

I have a similar problem, same guitar. I stuck a P-94 in the neck, worked fine for awile. I did the treble bleed mod, and all of the sudden, uber buzzing. I took the cap off, yet the buzzing remained. Made sure everything was grounded, etc. Now, beause one of the 2 conductors (not including grounds) is supposed to go to the ground on the switch, would it make a difference if I grounded it to the pot? Also, I dont have the problem with my 500t.

[George Brown]

well as its a les paul style guitar there isnt going to be a string ground is there?

i doubt its the pot, when the pot is dirty/ scratched it will crakle when turned and dont work in certian positions (where it is sratched), it realy does sound like a grounding problem. my advice would to be to rip everything out and follow these steps remeber to avoid sohrt cicuits with the sheild and any solder joints. good luck

[Wigglez]

thanks for the help guys when i get some time i'll buy a tone pot and sheild the inside and get rid of that stupid buzz. i also noticed that when i played at my friends house the excess noise went down a lot. also the noise goes down some when i turn off and unplug my computer stereo and ipod. thanx again for the help. i'll update this thjread when i fix the problem.

[George Brown]

RF interference is a real pain with unshieldied guitars espiacaly in a studio. computer moniters are a huge source of RF, try moving around in the room you practise in as RF levels can varry quite a bit but then again sitting facing the corner of a room isnt very nice.