Hulver's site || Comments || Ask Husi: Guitar Troubles

i wonder by ana (4.00 / 1) #1 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 03:54:55 PM EST

if grounding yourself to the same whatever that the amp is grounded to would help. Electronics techs have these watchband-like things with a snap on them, which mate to a curly wire with an alligator clip on the other end, for grounding themselves when working on sensitive circuitry.

Can you introspect out loud? --CRwM

Excellent idea! by cam (2.00 / 0) #2 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 04:06:54 PM EST

I can probably rig something up quickly.

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
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Yikes! by blixco (4.00 / 1) #6 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 04:41:58 PM EST

Be careful of that. Very careful. You shouldn't be grounding yourself.

Crack open the back of your guitar....wait....is it a tremelo or string-thru bridge? If you have an access plate in the back of your guitar, open it up and look for the ground wire that has come loose.

If the above == not true, then your electronics may have lost their ground. Crack open your volume / tone / wiring loom area, and check for loose wires there, as well.

And finally, try a different amp, like at a music shop.
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Taken out of context I must seem so strange - Ani DiFranco
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it has a whammy bar by cam (2.00 / 0) #7 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 04:50:47 PM EST

which I took off, the strings go through the bridge from the underside of the guitar. I took the back plastic off, it has a wire running to the backplate of the bridge that is soldered in there.

How would attaching myself to the bridge be any different to touching the strings?

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

: Well, by blixco (4.00 / 1) #9 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 06:08:02 PM EST

you can let go of the strings if you get shocked.
So, if your groundwire is soldered, then you're enjoying glorious humbucking hum. Get some seymour duncans and call it a day!
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Taken out of context I must seem so strange - Ani DiFranco
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took the front covers off by cam (2.00 / 0) #8 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 05:01:40 PM EST

all the wires appear to be connected.

So amp or cable maybe?

cam
Freedom, liberty, equity and an Australian Republic
[ Parent ]

IMPORTANT NOTE by wumpus (4.00 / 1) #10 Fri Jul 28, 2006 at 06:25:55 PM EST

Grounding straps contain a 1Meg Ohm resistance between wrist and ground. You won't find many techs* willing to work on live electronics without the resistance. I suspect that this won't change the sound too much (unless it only happens the first time you touch the strings, but not the second time).

Wumpus
* EEs generally wear these only after a suit makes them and is still standing nearby. After that he must ritually burn the thing before being allowed to put his plastic pocket protector back on.

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: That reminds me of... by iGrrrl (2.00 / 0) #17 Sun Aug 06, 2006 at 05:11:23 AM EST

...the story where the guy and his wife/girlfriend were into bondage. He was an electronics engineer/tech. After going out to lunch one day, she collared him and chained him to his work bench. When the (Christian, vitamin-selling) suit walked in and asked him what the hell was that, he answered, "Ground strap."

"I don't have time for martial law, I have to get to the gym!" zarathus
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