Members Firebrand Posted March 11, 2011 Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 I just put a set of Dragon IIs with chrome covers put in my 93 PRS-CE24. Had them "professionally wired". Volume, Tone and 3-way switch. Orange drop cap. No treble bleed cap. When I turn the volume up I get a terrible hum, regardless if I touch the strings or not. When I tap the volume control it sounds micro-phonic with the neck pickup on. Not as noticeable with the bridge pickup but the hum noise does not change regardless of selector position. Do I have a bad volume or tone control? Any other thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted March 11, 2011 Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 you'll need to post close up pics on this one. I'm guessing it's a ground issue, but I can't be sure. When you say professionally wired, what does that mean? Did you pay someone to install the pups? If so, take it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted March 11, 2011 Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 Your guy didn't ground it properly. What kind of professional wires a guitar up and doesn't check it afterwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 11, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 I'll take pics when I get home tonight. And yea, I paid $50 to a local tech to get the job done. It took a month due to him being backlogged. Everything "looks right". I had the same problem with the previous set of pickups and thought it was my sad skills causing the issue this time. Had ALL the wiring replaced with some "vintage cloth" wire I bought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 11, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 When I picked it up, he told me he wired it according to the "McCarty wiring diagram" when he let me know it was ready to pick up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 11, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 I checked out the guitar at the shop on three different amps.By then the tech was done for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted March 11, 2011 Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 Was it buzzing at the shop? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 11, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 Oh yeah. I just brought it home because I really didn't want to be there any longer. This guitar sat on my work bench for 2 months, and I just didn't want to leave it out until I could find a real solution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jarick Posted March 11, 2011 Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 Swing by the hardware/electronics store on the way home and get some alligator clips. Post up some pics when you get there. I think we'd be able to figure it out and get the guitar rolling! Sounds like you have a soldering iron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 11, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks. I will get the clips and I do have a soldering iron. It will be late (9pm EST) tonight by the time I get home. But whatever you can help me with whenever would be great. Thanks again! Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 12, 2011 The local h/e shop was closed by the time I got out last night, so no alligator clips yet. But pics will be up in a couple minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 12, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 12, 2011 Please note: the coil tap is not connected on the push pull tone control (pics 3 and 5) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pope on a Rope Posted March 12, 2011 Members Share Posted March 12, 2011 What happens when you press that disconnected wire to the pot? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Belva Posted March 13, 2011 Members Share Posted March 13, 2011 What happens when you press that disconnected wire to the pot? You talkin' pic #2 and @4? that's my thoughts too. Looks to me like a bad ground raht there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 13, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 13, 2011 I will check that out again tomorrow after work. One of the other managers has been out with chronic and severe headaches. Hasn't left me much at home time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Pope on a Rope Posted March 13, 2011 Members Share Posted March 13, 2011 You talkin' pic #2 and @4? that's my thoughts too. Looks to me like a bad ground raht there. Yeah. Them's the ones.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 The wiring is solidly connected but there is yapping between the control and the wire. I double checked the pickups and from what I can tell the covers are original and not added on after market. I'm getting the alligator clips In the morning when the store I need to get them from is open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Johansolo Posted March 14, 2011 Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 Can you let me know (either in this thread or pm) once you have sorted this issue out, how the Dragon IIs go in the CE24ive got a 1990 CE24 (alder body maple top thou) and have a potential to swap for those pickups.cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bengerm77 Posted March 14, 2011 Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 Cold solder joints on the grounds at the pots? Every guitar I've ever personally worked in has somewhat of a hum issue. A guy on TGP (:rolleyes:I know) suggested that the culprit may be cold solder joints on the pots where the grounds connect together. Just throwing out another suggestion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fausty Posted March 14, 2011 Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 What kind of professional wires a guitar up and doesn't check it afterwards? i'd imagine the kind that works at guitar center? on topic, +1 on the alligator clips. just start messing around until you find the ground issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 I can live with a little hum, but the hum this is giving off is ridiculous. Right now, my RT650 is dead quiet compared to the PRS. The RT650 has Evolution pickups. Same with my Jeff Beck strat which has the stock (hot noiseless) pups. I will add some solder to the volume pot connections in hopes this helps reduce the issue. Is it possible that I would get this kind of noise from a bad pot? HungPhat, once/if I can get this resolved I will let you know. I was looking for some hotter pups to push the signal chain of my pedals, and hoping the DIIs would be the ticket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Philfixit Posted March 14, 2011 Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 I really hate to criticize another tech's work, but those solder joints look like what we used to call "pigeon poop". Particularly the joints on the backs of the pots. Pots these days have an anticorrosive coating on them, which, if not removed, will play hell with soldering. I use a burnishing pad on a Dremel to clean this off before I solder, along with a bit of flux. I suggest you could clean them adequately with a pencil eraser, but you need to solder to a clean surface! If you paid fifty bucks for that job, I need to get back into the electronics business! I would take that back and "suggest" that it was done over and correctly. (I have to make this clear, I am not a guitar tech, but did component level electronics repair in the Navy for ten years plus. Soldering is soldering.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 Good point and thank you. And with that, the hardware store should be open now. Time to get some alligators and investigate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Firebrand Posted March 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted March 14, 2011 So after doing some prelim checking with the clips, I think it may be the volume pot. At one point I tapped the volume pot 2 or 3 times and the noise level decreased dramatically. I tapped it a couple times more and it reappeared. When switching pickups, the noise remains constant. When I turn the volume down it completely disappears. When I plug in my "control" instrument for this test, the RT650, the noise floor is 1/4 as loud. I did find one setting on the RT650 where the noise was equivalent, and that is when the bridge humbucker is combined with the middle single coil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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