Pot Noise - New pickup Installation

[AndyT]

Tom,

As posted in my other thread, I replace a TD1- and TD3 pickup set with the new TF1 and TF3. I used the original electronics (5 way, vintage voicing with a treble bleed cap, circa 1994), but substituted a 3 way switch.

The issue is that when I roll the volume back and forth without grounding myself on the guitar I get a scratchy thing going on, like the pot is dirty. If I grab the strings, it all but goes away. These pots don't ground when I touch the knobs like the pots on my 2007 HTC.

Other than the above, all seems to works fine.

Any ideas?

[csd]

since i changed to an H2+ on the bridge, my classic does the same. everything else was left the same.

[AndyT]

Thanks for the reply.

So, you changed just the pickup, eh?. Does your guitar seem noisier overall when you use that pickup? Mine sounds almost like it has a slight single coil hum, except it doesn't change when you approach the amp, so the pickups are doing their job. The original pickups had shielded leads, where the new set has just 2 standard wires.

[tom]

pot manufacturers, in an effort to make smooth feeling pots, use a non conductive lube on the shaft and bushing. therefore the connection between the knob(shaft) and the grounded bushing can be intermittent when being turned. you're hearing the ground being made and broken repeatedly. nothing would have changed with what you have modded. usually after doing a mod people go investigating looking for trouble so they hear things that they either didn't notice before or just got used to.
my question for andy, why are you spinning the pot while nothing is being played?

[AndyT]

Hi Tom, I don't normally stand with my hands off the guitar neck and adjust my volume, except when doing my feedback swell thing in front of my line of stacks (right!). That in itself is not a real problem. I though maybe I had a cold solder joint or some such.

I went through and re-soldered a few suspect joints and it didn't change anything. I used some lead free solder when I did the install and had a heck of a time with it, not to mention that it ate up the tip on my soldering iron. I went back to the good old lead stuff.

I'm sure that these pickups are just hotter which is bringing any noise to my attention, given that I tested the guitar before and after at the same amp settings.

I have used Elixer strings on a few guitars over the years and never really thought about it or noticed, but you can't ground yourself on the guitar on the coated strings. Interesting, to be sure.

I guess all is well, thanks.

BTW: The pickups sound REALLY good!

[tom]

bad solder joints can certainly cause noise. don't care too much for some of these news solders either. hotter pickups will also have the aility to make any noise louder.
the wound elixirs will conduct, but not as well with a light touch.

[csd]

i only really notice the noise at a rehearsal, at the church, with the lights blaring. no big deal, but is scratchy. i'll take closer notice tomorrow.

[57paf]

AndyT:
I had the same thing happen after a pickup change. I soldered the pickup lead on the pot casing, just like the original. That caused some of the interior pot lube to migrate from the shaft to the conductive wafer. Washed it out with contact cleaner and its as good as new.

[csd]

yep, i don't hear the 'scratchies' when i'm grounding the strings, just when the vol pot is turned and i'm not holding the strings. the vol pot still works fine and is smooth. it does what it should be doing.

[AndyT]

AndyT:
I had the same thing happen after a pickup change. I soldered the pickup lead on the pot casing, just like the original. That caused some of the interior pot lube to migrate from the shaft to the conductive wafer. Washed it out with contact cleaner and its as good as new.

This makes lots of sense. I'll pick up some cleaner and give it a try. Thanks for the tip!

[AndyT]

AndyT:
I had the same thing happen after a pickup change. I soldered the pickup lead on the pot casing, just like the original. That caused some of the interior pot lube to migrate from the shaft to the conductive wafer. Washed it out with contact cleaner and its as good as new.

I used contact cleaner on my pots and the scratchy stuff is gone. Not sure if the pot lube got on the contacts, or if I washed enough lube away to have the pot shaft make constant contact with the casing (as per Tom's answer), but it's working great now, thanks!

[Pietro]

i only really notice the noise at a rehearsal, at the church, with the lights blaring. no big deal, but is scratchy. i'll take closer notice tomorrow.

Question! Are you using "work lights" (like fluorescent or mercury vapor) during rehearsal but theatricals during church, like us?

If so, you get noise during rehearsal that is light related, and it goes away, thankfully. That's my experience anyway.

[csd]

Question! Are you using "work lights" (like fluorescent or mercury vapor) during rehearsal but theatricals during church, like us?

If so, you get noise during rehearsal that is light related, and it goes away, thankfully. That's my experience anyway.

i think you're bang on with that, i will take notice tomorrow to see. i have not noticed it during service, although it is not on my mind at that time!
when announcements etc... are going on, there are some lights with fans in them that annoy me. but i seem to be the only guy that mentions or notices them. they are outside of what is in our in ears, but are right above me!