bad interference or hum

Ok. I have wired up the flat humbucker to tone and volume pots. It was a wiring harness so attaching it to the pickup was easy enough. I tested the pickup before soldering and it worked. I soldered the wires and before I put the top on the LPG guitar I plugged it in and there is a lot of humming going on. Is this because I havn't grounded the system to the bridge yet? or could it be the pick up under the cover plate is not stuck to anything?

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  • Pickups shouldn't be allowed to rattle around in their covers, causes a bunch of noise problems. Ensure that the pickup coils aren't shorting out on the cover or License Plate.

    • Yes. Using a piece of double sided tape between the license plate and the pick up would add 2 improvements, isolation from the license plate and stop movement. Now to test if it's touching the aluminum cover... Thanks Paul.

      • That's a good idea. Pickups that you get that are in a cover are usually placed in with a bottom plate and then wax potted to keep the microphonics down. So if it's kept in the cover with the double sided tape and then sheilded from the license plate, it should work out. If the noise is a problem, you may have to pot it with wax. Try it out first and then pot it if you need to.

  • The first thing do do might be to plug a known good guitar into your amp using the same guitar cord and in the same location as you are using on your new setup. Make sure you actually have a problem with your new guitar before chasing down the source.

    If you find the problem is with your new rig, then use some jumper leads to make sure different components (including strings) are properly grounded. Your noise problem is almost certainly ground related. String grounding is very important.

    A bit of time spent with some jumper leads should point you in the right direction.

    Let everyone know what you find.

    • Yes, I havn't put the strings on yet. I was just tapping on the pickup cover to get some sound. I just tested it again with a new guitar cord. Seems to work but I think the actual pickup under the cover is moving around and maybe causing issues. Is this style puckup suppose to be tapped to the plate under the cover?

      And thank you Tom. 

      • Don't know what pickup you are using, but it probably shouldn't be moving inside the cover. If you can confirm that, then a small dab of silicon seal or hot glue should be enough to stabilize it.

        Moving issue aside, I think you just need to get it all strung up and tested before getting sucked down a diagnostic rabbit hole. In the end, you may find that there is no issue to chase.

        Good luck

        • I understand, Just didn't want to have to tear it apart again to find a problem. But yes, I am using the flat style humbucker, so maybe I will use some 2 sided tape to secure to the license plat and then put the cover plate back over it. Thanks again Tom.

          • Doesn't the WickedBucker have four screws to mount and hold the cover in place?

            Regardless, You should be able to install at least one string and do a quick noise test to see if you actually have a problem for find. You may actually be good to go.

            • Yes they have 4 screws ( the cover plate) but they do not go through the flat humbucker under it. The pick up itself is under the cover and I can hear it moving around a bit. Thanks Tom

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