Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on September 2, 2012 at 2:03am

Humming is almost always a grounding problem. I would double and triple check all your solder connections for starters.

If you have a piece of wire with alligator clips on each end, you can use that to test your ground wires. I would try that first. Don't add any more components to the mix until you resolve it.

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Permalink Reply by Rob (Uker) Porras on September 2, 2012 at 2:09am

Thanks. I'll give it a try.

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Permalink Reply by Dan Sleep on September 2, 2012 at 2:24am

Here is a diagram I think may be what you are using. Is this the way you have it hooked up?

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php...

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Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on September 2, 2012 at 3:15am

If it goes away when you touch the strings / output jack then you've grounded fine, your problem is you need better shielding IMHO. It's not an uncommon problem at all. Try aluminum foil (which you connect to the ground)

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Permalink Reply by Rob (Uker) Porras on September 2, 2012 at 3:20am

That's exactly how I'm wired. The switch and the pots work perfectly. The hum only goes away when I touch the pots knob. Touching the metal covers on the pickups makes it worse, touching the strings does has no effect.

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Permalink Reply by Rob (Uker) Porras on September 2, 2012 at 5:01am

Sheild between the pickups and the pots?

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Permalink Reply by Brendan deVallance on September 2, 2012 at 6:11am

My guess is a it is a grounding problem. Do you have a metal bridge? run a ground to the bridge. or to something that touches the strings.

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Permalink Reply by Rob (Uker) Porras on September 2, 2012 at 8:31am

It even hums when the strings aren't on it. The sheilding didn't work. I think I may pull the humbuckers and put in single coil pickup to see what happens. PS when your playing it sounds great.

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Permalink Reply by Rob (Uker) Porras on September 2, 2012 at 8:33am

Iforgot to mention this, when the volume is turned down the humming gets louder.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Phillips on September 2, 2012 at 4:22pm

I don't know about humming getting louder at lower volumes. I'd check that you didn't cross a wire and maybe make sure you have the right wire gauge. I've had problems where I used too large or too small of a gauge. Also, try putting a metal screw into the bottom of your box and run your grounds to that instead of grounding to the pots. I've had luck with that. 

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Permalink Reply by Rob (Uker) Porras on September 3, 2012 at 3:17am

Changing the wire gauge leading to the jack improved the hum about 15%. Thanks. any other suggestions?

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Permalink Reply by St Ginger on September 3, 2012 at 10:50am

would the polarity of the humbuckers have an effect? I don't know, its just a suggesiton. I'm afraid i'll have to leave it to other more experienced electricians out there.

The pickups are would in a certain direction, clockwise or anticlockwise. because the humbuckers are 2 coils together, would the direction of their coils create feedback if they were wired up wrong? you could try just swapping over the wires on one of the coils.

and if its a specific pot that is making it stop humming when you touch it, try removing that pot from the circuit to see if it has an effect. you need to isolate where the problem is in the circuit.

good luck  :D

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