Help on guitar grounding

Schematics, layouts & other technical mumbo jumbo.

Moderator: The Captain

User avatar
Doc Holliday
Posts: 3262
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:41 pm
Location: UK West Midlands

Help on guitar grounding

Post by Doc Holliday »

Hi guys! Looking for a bit of advice, pro help.

I recently decided to let my P90 gold top go.
I’ve got other Les pauls I enjoy more and having it sit here in the case I thought was a damn shame.
So I bought it 2017. Limited run in the UK.
It came with the usual circuit board inside etc

I ripped it all out and upgraded it with switchcraft jack and switch.
RS linear pots on the volume and CTS TVT pots for the tone .
50s wired with pio caps.
I took out the Tyson pickups before sale and bought a Gibson for the neck and Bare knuckle bridge.
Tbh the setup since I had it was never perfect so I took it to a guitar shop I trust and paid for a setup.

Got it back plugged it in. Nice.
Packed it, advertised on eBay and gone!

I’ve received a message and a video from the buyer complaining of a grounding issue on the bridge position.
Basically humming like mad and if you touch the guitar neck it gets louder.

Now, I ain’t got a clue what’s happened.

I don’t know the guy but he’s Caeser Edmunds a producer in London. Worked with a few well known artists according to his website.

He wasn’t sure if the guitars been damaged in transit but I sent it in a hard case and a big thick Thomann box I got hold of.
If something’s happened I can only think it’s rattled something loose??!!
Here’s his video

Attachments
IMG_0256.mov
(6.26 MiB) Downloaded 130 times
User avatar
Spook
Posts: 564
Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2019 4:38 pm
Location: South of heaven

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by Spook »

Could be a cold solder joint on the bridge vol pot, since the problem only affects the bridge p.u.
Also worth checking the bottom of pickup If the wire has Come loose.
It's hsrd to say without having the git in hand.
:pazuzu:
User avatar
Jim Goad
Posts: 3457
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:23 pm
Location: Oxfordshire UK

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by Jim Goad »

Would need to see inside the control cavity. Could just be something touching the earth inside.
It's like an orange on a toothpick
User avatar
Doc Holliday
Posts: 3262
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:41 pm
Location: UK West Midlands

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by Doc Holliday »

Yeah thought the same. I’ve asked for pictures
User avatar
bluemoon
Posts: 320
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2013 7:38 pm

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by bluemoon »

Maybe just tell him to take it to a tech and you will refund him the cost???
User avatar
Doc Holliday
Posts: 3262
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:41 pm
Location: UK West Midlands

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by Doc Holliday »

Hmmm... yeah but I could fix it myself which would prob take 15mins tops.
Losing £60 or so for someone to tap around and maybe tighten the jack nut or re-solder a bad connection kinda sucks.

I get it though yeah rather than go through the saga of messing about it might be worth it.
User avatar
innerflight
Posts: 4928
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:27 am
Location: The Ferry

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by innerflight »

Did this end well doc?
’brutish in character but not thug like’
User avatar
Doc Holliday
Posts: 3262
Joined: Mon Mar 18, 2013 10:41 pm
Location: UK West Midlands

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by Doc Holliday »

It’s back and back up for sale man.
Yeah nothing major.
The wire which connects all 4 pots had came loose on the tone control for the bridge.
The solder connecting it had just came away at the pot on the inside cavity causing it to buzz.
I gave a full refund and paid for return shipping.
Took 10 secs to fix which sucked.
He said his guitar tech had a look but couldn’t see any obvious signs.
That guitar tech must be the worst guitar tech going as soon as I took off the back panel to the cavity I saw it straight away. With a sigh of relief my I add as it was so easy to fix my 7yr old son could re - solder it.

I’m not really 100% sure on how I feel as he was asking me to claim the insurance to have it fixed.
Obviously if it arrived not working as it should I totally get not wanting to pay to have it fixed.
Still I would have sent £40 to him for a iron, solder and £20 for the 10secs for him to re-attatch himself.

I hate sending guitars personally. It was in a hard case and well packed but I still think it was thrown into the back of the van or knocked over as the impact may have caused the vibration to unattach it.

I’ve added more solder so that ain’t going anywhere now
User avatar
innerflight
Posts: 4928
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2013 8:27 am
Location: The Ferry

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by innerflight »

Not good man, I dont mean to be cynical but I wonder if he had buyers remorse and tampered with it :hmm: you know if he really loved it you would pay to get it fixed surely.

I saw recently where someone claimed a kid had ripped out a tranny on a pedal :paranoid:

Hopefully it will sell quickly for you :tu:
’brutish in character but not thug like’
User avatar
Jim Goad
Posts: 3457
Joined: Thu Aug 28, 2008 4:23 pm
Location: Oxfordshire UK

Re: Help on guitar grounding

Post by Jim Goad »

Yeah, buyers remorse maybe. Any tech would’ve spotted that and fixed it within 5 mins. I doubt he even took it to a tech.
It's like an orange on a toothpick
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests