Shielding (pickguard vs. non-pickguard)

[magnus]

My Drop Top of course makes noise when I'm not touching the strings, bridge etc. When I do touch the strings it gets a lot quieter but not as quiet as my Suhr Classic T. Could it be that the Drop Top doesn't have a pickguard to help with the shielding where as the Classic has the neck pickup mounted on a pickguard and the bridge pickup has the tele bridge around it?

[tom]

pg guitars do always seem a bit quieter when all else is equal. pickups with less output will also have a lower signal to noise ratio.

[pipedwho]

Are the metal covered pickups quieter in this regard than the uncovered ones?

[tom]

they should be, but i have not really done a side by side for that.

[Ahess86]

Cover pickups MIGHT be quieter due to better shielding, but they also have the tendency to pick up noise from your pick or nails if it hits the cover (in my experience).

[tom]

ah but that's microphonics not electronic noise. those are cool noises;)

[magnus]

I'm still not sure if the noise level I'm getting is considered normal. Is there a systematic approach as to check this out?

[tom]

about all i could suggest is making sure the volume(what you hear, not the number setting) is the same for both. usually hotter pickups have a higher noise floor.

[magnus]

Problem solved, it was some kind of bad grounding. I de-soldered all pickups, removed and cleaned all of the old soldering and re-soldered the pickups. Quiet as a mouse :)

For the last couple of weeks I've done some re-orginization of my gear, including putting a small rack together which incorporate a self-made rack interface, Suhr Minimix, BOSS DC-2, switcher/router and a T-Rex FuelTank. All controlled by a Engl Z12 Midi controller. Although simple I have had some hum och shielding issues, mostly related to power supply. It's all been sorted out though and now that the guitar is fixed I can crank my modded 50 W Marshall to max and there is not a fizz or hum to be heard (except for hiss, but I've yet to hear a fully cranked amp that doesn't hiss). Tonight I'm going to bed as a happy man.:D

One last thing. The guitar has had some pickup changes since it left the factory back in '92 so the above mentioned problem should not be blamed on TAG. I know how to blame though :o