Shielding pickups...

[red5]

So I put some BurstbuckerT's into my Les Paul. Problem is the neck pickup feedsback something rotten when I play. If I take my hand away from the strings it is fine, which means I have a shielding issue.

So how do I shield it? Put tinfoil in the pickup cavity or something?

[nightfiend14]

you could try point foil, or aluminum tape on the back of the pick guard if you have one, or try lots of the shielding paint in the pick-up hole if there isn't some already. Check your ground wiring too, if it is in the strings there could be a issue there. I have a problem once where bad grounding in a outlet was causing kind of the same thing.

[Strat Man Dwight]

That's a pretty powerful pickup for the neck position.

I don't think feedback is EVER a grounding or SHIELDING issue. It could be the sheer power you've got there. Strings have the most amplitude & output at the neck pos. - more than at the bridge. Neck pups should be lower in power, and bridge pups higher in power.

If lowering the pickup doesn't help, then it's not completely feedback, and may be squeal, which results from windings not tight enough, or not enough wax potting, which would be a rare, but probable manufacturing error.

I've been through this personally BTW with a similar pickups in Les Paul & had to send the neck pup back for replacement - problem solved.

[nightfiend14]

never mind i saw now that u have it in a les paul, guess that kinda gets right of the pickguard shielding.

[red5]

Originally Posted by Strat Man Dwight

That's a pretty powerful pickup for the neck position.

I don't think feedback is EVER a grounding or SHIELDING issue. It could be the sheer power you've got there. Strings have the most amplitude & output at the neck pos. - more than at the bridge. Neck pups should be lower in power, and bridge pups higher in power.

If lowering the pickup doesn't help, then it's not completely feedback, and may be squeal, which results from windings not tight enough, or not enough wax potting, which would be a rare, but probable manufacturing error.

I've been through this personally BTW with a similar pickups in Les Paul & had to send the neck pup back for replacement - problem solved.

Dude it's a BurstbuckerT I, the underwound one. And I have it pretty low (it wont go much lower).

They are some of the quietest humbuckers you can buy. I've been told that it is a shielding issue - plus to match the original PAF specs the pickups ARE NOT shielded.

I imagine it is feedback because certain things I do help, like back further away from the amp and if I am using a short cable then turn my back from it. Also it only occurs if I turn my preamp gain up.

[red5]

Originally Posted by nightfiend14

you could try point foil, or aluminum tape on the back of the pick guard if you have one, or try lots of the shielding paint in the pick-up hole if there isn't some already. Check your ground wiring too, if it is in the strings there could be a issue there. I have a problem once where bad grounding in a outlet was causing kind of the same thing.

I have heard someone replaced wires to his input jack to solve that problem (different pickups though).

It's not when I touch the strings that it feedsback, it is when I get my hand near the pickup, whether I am touching the strings or not. Apparently the current in my hand makes it feedback.

Must add I have played it through all my working amps in 2 different outlets, but on the same fuse. But my other 2 guitars do not feedback at all, including my Jem which has Evos which are 50% louder roughly.

[sniperfrommars1]

Well you can buy a cover for the neck pickup from stew mac I think. Whatever metallic color you want. Second since its a les paul alot of them donthave sheilding paint in the cavities, so you could do several coats of that, it would also help to do this in the bridge pickup and main control cavity. This will reduce hum across the board, and is a positive thing, and in my opinion would never affect the resale value of this guitar either.

[red5]

I think I have some silverish paint on the bridge cavity but not much on the neck (or maybe the other way around).

Where can I get shielding paint? Also what would it be called? Is "Graphite 33" what I want, or is that something else?

[frankfalbo]

Hey are you sure you're not talking about "potting"? Because lots of times when someone says "To be true to the original designs, it's not _________" they are saying "potted". Squeal feedback is tamed during potting. Getting your hand close to a microphonic pickup is similar to covering a mic head. You direct sound back toward the pickup and encourage feedback.

If anything, raise the pickup so you can lower the gain at the amp. That should help, but it sounds like your pickup is indeed the problem, not the shielding, the cavity, etc.

[Strat Man Dwight]

Originally Posted by red5

Dude it's a BurstbuckerT I, the underwound one. And I have it pretty low (it wont go much lower).

They are some of the quietest humbuckers you can buy. I've been told that it is a shielding issue - plus to match the original PAF specs the pickups ARE NOT shielded.

I imagine it is feedback because certain things I do help, like back further away from the amp and if I am using a short cable then turn my back from it. Also it only occurs if I turn my preamp gain up.

You're right, the 1's are like the originals, and thanks for being polite.

I was trying to help and I had mine made as "Toneburst/clones" by a handwinder. He overwound them, and wax-potted.

But hey, it's good you've solved the feedback problem.

[red5]

Originally Posted by Strat Man Dwight

You're right, the 1's are like the originals, and thanks for being polite.

I was trying to help and I had mine made as "Toneburst/clones" by a handwinder. He overwound them, and wax-potted.

But hey, it's good you've solved the feedback problem.

1s are like underwound originals even. Havent yet solved it.

[red5]

Originally Posted by frankfalbo

Hey are you sure you're not talking about "potting"? Because lots of times when someone says "To be true to the original designs, it's not _________" they are saying "potted". Squeal feedback is tamed during potting. Getting your hand close to a microphonic pickup is similar to covering a mic head. You direct sound back toward the pickup and encourage feedback.

If anything, raise the pickup so you can lower the gain at the amp. That should help, but it sounds like your pickup is indeed the problem, not the shielding, the cavity, etc.

You made me look it up again. They are unpotted and unshielded and use unpolished magnets.

So why does the neck pickup have a problem when my hand is over the bridge pickup which is louder never has a problem? Could it be due to all the neck pickup wire possibly wrapping around the pickup? The bridge did not seem to have a problem, just the neck....

I know someone who rewired his input jack to solve the same problem. I doubt that's the problem for me though.