Simple Ground Problem

[Billy Bones]

I've got what should be the simplest circuit in the world.

1 Pickup (humbucker - TV Jones Classic 12 Pole)

3 wires. Black and braided wires to the back of the volume pot. White to the middle lug of volume pot.

1 Volume Pot

Ground goes from back of volume pot to ground under bigsby. Ground goes from back of volume pot to output jack. Hot goes from left (non grounded) lug to output jack.

1 Output jack

Takes hot and ground from volume pot.

And I've got hum!!!! Touch the strings, Bridge, pickup, top of the volume pot and the hum goes away.

What are the possible causes? I've got continuity when I check with my voltometer between all those places.

Do I have a ground loop?

Are my wires not shielded properly?

I've turned out all the lights, and it doesn't affect it.

Any ideas appreciated.

[Southpa]

Try just using the braided wire to the vol pot casing. The extra wire is for switching between single coil and HB. If you want to use the pickup as just a humbucker then you only need to use two of the wires ie. braided ground and one of the others. I'm not familiar with TV Jones color codes but usually the black is the hot for full HB performance with most pickup varieties. Take a reading between the ground and each of the other wires. Whichever gives the highest Ω reading is the HB and tape off the end of the other wire.

[curtisa]

I think you've got your volume pot wired up wrong too. The output from the pickup needs to go to the "left" lug on the volume pot, not the middle, and the output of the volume pots needs to come from the middle lug, not the left.

Edited March 28, 2007 by curtisa

[MiKro]

Billy,

does this happen everywhere you play your guitar?. What I mean is, if you only play at home and this is happening, then the problem may not be the guitar. My home was built in the early 60s and has no ground to most of the outlets just a neutral and a hot(common),(except the kitchen and bathrooms) That was electrical code back then.

Now back to the problem. I get the same the thing on many circuits in my home with humbuckers. because I become the ground the hum goes away. I hope this makes sense.

Just another out of the box look at things. LOL:)))

MK

Edited March 29, 2007 by MiKro

[davee5]

Ditto to MiKro's comments. I rewired and rewired my recently completed guitar with the same results. Old house, crappy 2-prong wiring, lots-o-buzz. But when I gigged it for the first time last week (rock!) I had a 3-prong ground for the amp and, lo and behold, no buzz. Definitely the house for me.

Oddly enough, if the buzz really bugs me at home I plug an extra cable into the line out jack of my amp and then plug the other end into my socks. It sounds stupid, but all the grounds are the same on the amp so it kills the buzz without me hanving to conciously touch the pickup covers the whole time I'm playing. It's just a different way of grounding to my body. After a few minutes I don't even notice that I have a cord running out of my shoe. My roommates, however, think it's kind of odd. I just tell them it colors the tone ever so subtlely.

FYI: Argyles in particular have a particularly warm but surprisingly bell-like quality to the tonal coloration they add. Atheltic socks tend to be too brassy, and if you just put the cable under your foot (like if you're wearing sandals) you get a nice open tone but it tends to be too muddy and sloppy. Basic white tube socks do absolutely nothing for your tone and generally will not match your pants, so don't even try them.

-Dave

[Billy Bones]

Excellent work Dave!!!!!!

You just saved me hours of sock research!!!!

I can not beat this hum. I was aware of most of the responses I've gotten here. When I play a different guitar through the same amp in the same room, I get no hum. I'm trying the guitar through a different amp now in a different room, after having switched out the pot and redoing the wiring for the third time, and the hum is gone at full volume, but when I turn it down to about 7 or 8, there's a lot of noise and hum going on.

Billy

[MiKro]

Ditto to MiKro's comments. I rewired and rewired my recently completed guitar with the same results. Old house, crappy 2-prong wiring, lots-o-buzz. But when I gigged it for the first time last week (rock!) I had a 3-prong ground for the amp and, lo and behold, no buzz. Definitely the house for me.

Oddly enough, if the buzz really bugs me at home I plug an extra cable into the line out jack of my amp and then plug the other end into my socks. It sounds stupid, but all the grounds are the same on the amp so it kills the buzz without me hanving to conciously touch the pickup covers the whole time I'm playing. It's just a different way of grounding to my body. After a few minutes I don't even notice that I have a cord running out of my shoe. My roommates, however, think it's kind of odd. I just tell them it colors the tone ever so subtlely.

FYI: Argyles in particular have a particularly warm but surprisingly bell-like quality to the tonal coloration they add. Atheltic socks tend to be too brassy, and if you just put the cable under your foot (like if you're wearing sandals) you get a nice open tone but it tends to be too muddy and sloppy. Basic white tube socks do absolutely nothing for your tone and generally will not match your pants, so don't even try them.

-Dave

Dave

It's nice to know that I'm not alone on the 2 prong. Unfortunately, many don't realize the difference it makes on some equipment.

Mike

[venominox]

May not be your solution, but you can use a grounding from the wrist band and aligator clip it to the bridge. Or if it's a 2 prong power plug, use an alagator clip to connect the chassis to the screw on your mains wall plate.