Vicious humming humbucker!

genesis · #1 07-31-2003, 04:50 AM

Hi guys, i seem to have alot of problems with my rg3120, or maybe im just paranoid abt my first high standard guitar.

i just got my rg back from my tech for resetting of the truss rod and a setup, and now the neck humbucker, a Paf pro, starts humming like crazy. i know that humbuckers are nmot supposed to be humming unless im wrong? when i remove my fingers or any body part from the guitar, the neck humbucker starts humming away, but when i switch to the bridge pickup, the hum stops completely. so i just keep doing that (switchig from neck humbucker to bridge humbucker) and confirmed that MAYBE something is wrong with the neck humbucker's wiring? is the ground wire loose or something? i mean, the bridge aint humming but the neck is, and the tonezone is hotter than the paf pro? the ground wire to the bridge is still there though.

DirtyBird31 · #2 07-31-2003, 01:35 PM

I think you might be right, sounds like a grounding problem. Maybe you can try like touching the pickup and maybe it will ground through you and the humming will stop? Im not sure fi that will actually work, but if it does, at least you'll ahve your answer.

frankfalbo · #3 07-31-2003, 06:07 PM

Touch a string to one of the pole pieces. Then you'd know if the baseplate (& the main shield wire) was grounded or not. Otherwise check to see if it is operating in single coil mode. You can touch an allen wrench to the pole pieces and listen if one coil is vastly louder than the other.

genesis · #4 08-01-2003, 02:58 AM

it is operating in single coil mode (position 4) but wierd thing is, the hum comes and goes off. like for yesterday, iafter i posted this topic up, the humming disapeared, or became noticeably less. but a few mins later it just comes back alive! this goes on for quite some time till now im quite confused as to whether something is wrong, or some ground wire has come off loose and will connect back when u tilt the guitar someway or the other..

genesis · #5 08-01-2003, 03:17 AM

in another note, the hum has come back again, and when i touch the pole pieces without touching the strings, i get this hum tts quite piercing. so wad do u guys think? wad i think is that maybe i have got a loose ground wire from the paf pro and its connected back randomly whenever i move my guitar...

JEM10th · #6 08-01-2003, 10:01 AM

Open up your guitar.
Check all solderings, all the way to the connector.
If you have the eqip, try to heat up any suspicious solder thet colud be "cold" soldered. In either word, there can be some solderings that have been "moved" too late after the heating from the solderer, causing some "none-attachement"..oki??

Check if there´s some grounds that is touching whereas they should not.

If there wheren´t any HUM before you left it for service, it sure as hell shouldt be anyone now

genesis · #7 08-01-2003, 12:31 PM

well, the tech gave me a warranty for the setup he did, but not for the electronics, so im supposed to pay 30 bucks (about 50+ US bucks) for the checking and resolving of this problem. i have not sent it there yet though...

the hum varies in intensity, hmmm checing for cold solders.. im not that game to use the soldering iron on my rg though, after wad i did to my yamaha pacifica, lol.. its in pieces now, damaged a volume pot in the process... so i guess its a trip to the tech for me.. should i pester him to extend the warranty to the electronics too?

Drew · #8 08-01-2003, 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by genesis

well, the tech gave me a warranty for the setup he did, but not for the electronics, so im supposed to pay 30 bucks (about 50+ US bucks)

That's ridiculous, on a number of levels. First, if the problem only developed while he had the guitar, then he should be expected to fix it, free of charge. Forget anything about a "warranty," that's just good buisness practice. (And who warranties setups anyway? It's a subjective thing, and it's so climate-sensitive to begin with anyway). Second, $50 USD for checking electronics is a LOT. Even if he needs to re-wire something, that's an awful lot of money to pay for simply unscrewing the back control cavity plates, taking a look at the wiring diagram, and making sure the wiring diagram matches what you're seeing inside the guitar. Hell, my shop usually does stuff like that for me free of charge. Find yourself a new tech fast.

-D

frankfalbo · #9 08-01-2003, 09:51 PM

Sometimes the switch goes bad and the half of the switch that controls the coil tap to ground malfunctions, making the single coil noise come and go. Also, if the hum comes and goes in position 4, then perhaps one of the two pickups is cutting in and out. That would engage and disengage the hum cancelling link. If either is true, then your switch is going bad. That's not the tech's fault. He didn't do any electronic work from what you said. Still, charging for a diagnosis is silly. If he figures out what is wrong for free while you're there, he can still charge for the repair.

genesis · #10 08-02-2003, 03:54 PM

well, i think u guys are damn right, that's why im not gonna send my rg in to him yet~ wad i think is, i should bring it down, have him check it for free, and if any service needs to be done, then i decide if payment is needed? on another point, the noise is not from the coil tapped position 4, instead its on my neck humbucker position 1, sort of like a ground problem. touch string, and noise disappears. let go of body contact, and the humbucker hums so loud. and also, whenever i switch positions on the 5 way switch, i hear a "tiak" sound. issit supposed to be noiseless or tt "tiak" is unavoidable?

genesis · #11 08-06-2003, 12:06 PM

okie. i cant stand the hum, and now i think its spreading to my bridge humbucker. so before i send it over to the tech, i would just like to confirm this...

is the hum "supposed or not supposed" to be there in the first place? in case anyone dun get me, the hum (which is quite loud) comes on whenever i switch on my setup (apparently) which is ONLY a GT3, thru headphones (im kinda poor to afford an amp now). so whenever i switch it on to practise, i get this hum that comes on when im on the neck humbucker. The RG3120 has a 5switch mode, and all 4 switch modes (except the bridge humbucker) will have this hum becuase they will involve part of the neck humbucker at any one time.. this hum disappears whn i touch any metal part of the RG. the bridge humbucker does not hum this way in the beginning, and now it starts to do it albeit very softly..

something to do with the electronics? if ig et a confirmed answer from here, i will be sending it off to the tech straight away, that hum bugs me too much..

anyway my 5 way switch makes noises when i switch positions, and the volume pot crackles when i turn it... wad the hell is wrong with this guitar? its supposed to be a prestige!!