stubbsonic Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hi. I'm new on this list. I have heard of a couple ways that a guitar can be rewired in much the same way that a microphone is wired. As I understand it, it involves using the + & - from the coil for the balanced hot & cold and doing something referred to as "floating the ground" There is a more detailed description here. I have a strat that I like, but it is pretty noisy. If I get a transformer/adapter (like the one they sell at Naiant), to put on the amp side, well... will it work? Seems logical. I'm just not savvy enough with the circuits to know if it would be easy, cheap or effective. Thanks!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbsonic Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 It gets worse. I might as well tell you everything I dream of doing with my strat... 1. do the full shielding thing (copper foil, star-ground, etc.)-- just for practice and to learn about it 2. install some kind of switching system so I can choose any combination of pickups, in series or parallel ...and with a phase reverse for at least the middle and the neck, but maybe all three just for simplicity 3. have the output be TRS balanced, but such that inserting an unbalanced TS cord will just connect the minus to the ground and make it normal. 4. Not sure about this one, perhaps swap out one of the stock singles for a blade-style humbucker. I wouldn't know which pickup to swap out. If I did this, I could use the SUPER-SEVEN switching system. which would take care of number 2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi. I'm new on this list. I have heard of a couple ways that a guitar can be rewired in much the same way that a microphone is wired. As I understand it, it involves using the + & - from the coil for the balanced hot & cold and doing something referred to as "floating the ground" There is a more detailed description here. I have a strat that I like, but it is pretty noisy. If I get a transformer/adapter (like the one they sell at Naiant), to put on the amp side, well... will it work? Seems logical. I'm just not savvy enough with the circuits to know if it would be easy, cheap or effective. Thanks!!! You'll have to do more than just put a transformer in. There will be losses involved with the transformer addition, and you might not be happy with the end result. If it were me, I would get a set of Fender Noiseless pickups and put them in. They still sound like a single coil, but they are dead quiet. I have some Fender "Hot Noiseless" pickups in my Strat, which were apparently designed for Jeff Beck. I love them. Just my 2 centavos... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbsonic Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 thanks, paul. I appreciate the centavos. When you say losses, do you mean like loss of high-end? or dynamics? Or do you think it would it just screw up the EQ? I noticed that the info on the naiant site (linked above) has updated their graphic with some more details about the wiring. Looks like it could be cheaper and easier than new pickups. If I give up on the idea, I appreciate your suggestion for replacement pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Workingman Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 I would try shielding the guitar first. Be carefull that nothing shorts out on the shielding. I shielded a cheap strat copy and it was a major improvement. Its cheep too. You can use heavey duty aluminum foil and contact cement for the larger areas and use copper tape for the hard to work in parts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbsonic Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Thanks, Workingman. I've mostly heard good reports about the full-shielding project. Some saying it's worth it, a few saying that it only made a minor difference. Seems like a pretty painless first step. Maybe that will take care of most of it. This guitar project is going to be my "Intro to Electronics" course, so I'm going to take my time and try to learn some stuff. I'll report back on this thread as new info becomes available. As I mentioned in my last post, it looks like the balanced wiring diagram on naiant's site now includes more details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Marossy Posted March 14, 2009 Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 (edited) thanks, paul. I appreciate the centavos. When you say losses, do you mean like loss of high-end? or dynamics? Or do you think it would it just screw up the EQ? I noticed that the info on the naiant site (linked above) has updated their graphic with some more details about the wiring. Looks like it could be cheaper and easier than new pickups. If I give up on the idea, I appreciate your suggestion for replacement pickups. Yeah, losses in the high end due to loading on the pickups and the limitations of the audio transformer itself. Some active electronics would need to get involved to compensate for that. It may not be that bad - if you get a really good audio transformer. I agree that shielding will do a lot to help, but my Strat is fully shielded and the pickups were still very noisy. That's just the nature of single coil pickups. And it doesn't help when you have an army of wall warts in your home studio... EDIT: I looked at the schematic at the Naiant website. (http://www.naiant.com/images/Balanced_Guitar_Wiring.GIF) Conceptually, it's a great idea and should help a lot with ground loops, hum and stuff like that. But the fact remains that pickups are also to a degree inductors by nature, and they like to pick up any EMI around them. The audio transformer would eliminate a lot of that, but there still would be some losses to contend with. I do see that he suggests a 14:1 audio transformer, which I guess is intended to minimize the loading on the pickups. There's only one way to find out how well this would work... (and if you try it, please let us know how it works!) Edited March 14, 2009 by Paul Marossy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbsonic Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Thanks, Paul. I appreciate your taking a look at that schematic. I am interested in moving forward and giving it a try. I AM very handy with a soldering iron and have done lots of that kind of work; repairing cables, jacks, etc. What I don't know is how to adapt the schematic on the naiant site for a strat with 3 singles, and what values for the resistors. I want to put a volume pot on all three pickups (and blow off the tone pot), but I don't know what value I should get. As for converting the schematic into an actual wiring diagram, I think I'll need to just do my homework, and get some help from any generous electronics gurus out there who might be willing to chime in. On another topic, if it was more sensible to swap out one of my singles with a blade-style humbucker, which pickup should I swap? Bridge, Middle or Neck? What are the advantages of each? I'd be inclined to swap out the bridge pickup, but I'm basing that purely on my intuition. Cans of worms, all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stubbsonic Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I'm stuck. I have no idea where to find dual 250K pots or an appropriate 14:1 transformer. Any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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