dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I recently put a P retro in my Squier CVP and this itself works fine. No hums or crackles, no (so far) earthing issues etc. The only problems im having is if i touch the pole pieces i get a loud earthing or ground loop type hum. This happens in both passive and active mode, although in passive mode its quieter I have not heard this before, although it might have been there but very, very quiet, to the point where it was never noticeable, not even at gig levels. Now its very loud. I play with a pick most of the time so its not a big issue, but one i'd like to get my head around it if i can. The pup is a Fender 61RI original, and does have the brass plate underneath it. The bridge and shielding in the cavity are both earthed. There is no clicking etc when i touch the strings or bridge, just the pole pieces. Any ideas what i need to look for, or shall i just leave it. I dont want to spend any money on it or get it looked at. Ive spent enough on this already and i am happy to live with it. Ive rewired basses before but never encountered this so im at a loss. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legion Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 (edited) Quite common I think - easy solution is to put clear nail polish or the like on the pickup pole(s) to stop you being able to make direct contact with them. Otherwise I've dealt with it before by earthing the pickup poles by using shielding foil (with attached ground wire) on foam which is compressed as the pickup is screwed down into the cavity. Likely to be other ingenious methods though... Edited October 31, 2012 by Legion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Thanks for the reply. It may be common but its not something ive ever noticed before, on any of my P basses. I guess putting the pre amp in has amplified it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Have a check here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/165146-solution-too-buzzing-pole-pieces/page__p__1637368__hl__pole%20pieces__fromsearch__1#entry1637368"]http://basschat.co.uk/topic/165146-solution-too-buzzing-pole-pieces/page__p__1637368__hl__pole%20pieces__fromsearch__1#entry1637368[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Fantastic, thanks very much. Ill give it a try tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Just a quick update. I tried reversing the wires as per the other thread but that made no difference. Im not sure what the next step is but ill live with it for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Some info about this issue here [url="http://www.audereaudio.com/FAQ_PUMag_Gnd.htm"]http://www.audereaudio.com/FAQ_PUMag_Gnd.htm[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chilievans Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 I had the same problem when I fitted a j-retro. I choose to go down the clear nail varnish route. Problem solved Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 It happens when the poles are in contact with the pickups circuit ie; the coil. It shouldn't happen and I would think about new pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Thanks guys. I think ill probably go the nail Varnish route, at least on the E and A poles. I do sometimes rest my thumb on that part of the pup if playing finger style so better safe than sorry. Lettsguitars. Im not sure its a faulty pup. It didnt happen before and the pup itself hasn't been touched. As you can see, others also have this issue. Its probably down to how its installed but if it was ok before i don't think it should be doing it now, although as the circuit has completely changed i have no idea what i can do to try and remedy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Had the issue with Shockwave's Jazz, turns out the earth and live were swapped, they'd changed the way it was made at one point and there was an addendum sheet I hadn't seen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 (edited) Would you be using coated strings, by any chance? The poles on typical Fender type pickups aren't usually connected to anything (you may want to check this with a multimeter), but if your fingers are grounded by being in contact with the strings you don't get much noise when you touch them. With coated strings, your hands aren't earthed so the noise when you touch the polepieces becomes more noticeable. As long as your polepieces aren't shorted to the windings, which would indicate a faulty pickup, the solution will either be to insulate the polepieces or ground them as suggested above. I've just been through much the same thing after changing to tapewounds, which is why I mention strings. Edited November 2, 2012 by Beer of the Bass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rothers Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Is your bridge earthed properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Thanks guys. Mr. Foxen. Thanks, I saw the thread about the wires being reversed so tried that without it making any difference. I am using coated strings, DR Black Beauties but these strings have been on the bass for almost 4 months. It's not just when I touch the poles with my fingers, the same thing happens if i touch them with a screwdriver, for instance.. I've tried all combinations of touching various hardware etc, its only the pole pieces and under any circumstances. I will try a different pup on Monday, I'll just wire it in without installing it and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 [quote name='Rothers' timestamp='1351885567' post='1856684'] Is your bridge earthed properly? [/quote] It is, in fact I put a new ground wire in last night, just to make sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kongo Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Billy Sheehan explained this issue in one of his DVD's. He hated that when you touched the poles on the original Fender pickups they would buzz. He coated them with Epoxy. Could work. Then again he also routed with a hammer and chisel and scalloped the last 4 frets with a Dremel. X-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcnach Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I think you get this issue sometimes when the pole pieces are ground together with the ground of the pickup... so when installing the preamp one should separate those and only feed the preamp with the negative (from the pickup) and not the ground from the polepieces... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Well i dont think im getting anywhere with this. I tried another pup connected to the bass, but not actually screwed in and the result was the same. I also tried an old set fo un coated strings and the result was the same. I forgot to try connecting just one wire, ill try that this week. One interesting thing was at the gig on Sat, a couple of times i noticed the buzzing wasn't happening when i touched the pup by mistake. I use a wireless system so i wonder if that's got anything to do with it. Like i said, it would be nice to get to the bottom of it but its not really an issue. Im having second thoughts about keeping the P Retro anyway. As good as it is i think i prefer to use my Paradriver to do the tone shaping, and having both seems pointless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ögon Posted June 18, 2020 Share Posted June 18, 2020 On 07/11/2012 at 12:06, dave_bass5 said: Well i dont think im getting anywhere with this. I tried another pup connected to the bass, but not actually screwed in and the result was the same. I also tried an old set fo un coated strings and the result was the same. I forgot to try connecting just one wire, ill try that this week. One interesting thing was at the gig on Sat, a couple of times i noticed the buzzing wasn't happening when i touched the pup by mistake. I use a wireless system so i wonder if that's got anything to do with it. Like i said, it would be nice to get to the bottom of it but its not really an issue. Im having second thoughts about keeping the P Retro anyway. As good as it is i think i prefer to use my Paradriver to do the tone shaping, and having both seems pointless. Sorry for replying a few years later. Did you fix it? If yes, how? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.