2012 push/pull circuit flawed.

[StefanPriceUK]

I've got a two week old new Gibson Les Paul standard 2012 and I'm extremely disappointed at the noise. It's not a problem with JUST my guitar, ALL the Gibson 2012's in Manson's guitar shop do the same, the tech's tested them. First there is a buzzing when you are not touching the strings, it stops when you touch the string BUT there is also a VERY loud hum/buzz from around a quarter of the volume pots travel which gets louder and louder until about number 8 after that the very loud hum goes completely leaving just the buzz for the rest of the travel 8 - full on. It's both volumes on my guitar, AND ALL 2012's in the shop. I have got a few different amps and I find it is impossible to use on one amp (the one I bought it to use with) because the hum/buzz is louder than the guitar. I am told it's the circuit in the guitars because the traditional doesn't do it. I have been told they can re wire the whole thing as a trad non push/pull Les Paul for £80 - £100 on top of the £2000!

Anyone else?

 

[axepilot]

I have no noise issues at all with my 2012.

 

[leewaun]

I have a 2012 and there is no problems like you describve whatsoever. No noise buzzing or anything

 

[miwolverine754]

Hmmmm....My roommate has a 2012 standard and his seems to have that same problem. It doesn't really bother him much but i can see where It would be frustrating. I thought I heard that gibson like to mess with their circuitry alot, so i'm guess that they probably were trying something new on these. I'd say just pay the extra bit and have them rewire it if it really bothers you.

 

[pattherocker]

Same problem with my 2012 Traditional, couldnt track it down. Ordered all new elecronics gonna gut it and do old school wiring without the stupid plate.

 

[Phil W]

Are either of you two experiencing this problem playing anywhere near a seriously noisy rf field, for example lights with a dimmer switch? My 08 Standard hums like a mad thing until I switch my dimmers off. It's not an earth fault, it's just a noisy house!

 

[02589]

Before you yank out all the wiring, you might want to try a good shielding job. Some guitars can get very sensitive to electrical interference. I'm not trying to cover for Gibson, rather save you from having to change to different system.

 

[dspelman]

In theory the new 2012s go to a parallel option rather than a single coil option, so you should still have exactly the same humbucking and noise reduction that you would have in serial (standard humbucker) mode.

My guess is that there's a ground issue with the parallel option, and that this should be able to be sorted out easily enough.

Same problem with my 2012 Traditional, couldnt track it down. Ordered all new elecronics gonna gut it and do old school wiring without the stupid plate.

It seems like complete nonsense to eliminate the push-pulls with a complete rewire simply to fix a fairly basic problem. Same deal with going old-school on the wiring; that's unnecessary expensive for no gain in quality. The plate isn't an issue. Simply tracking down the ground issue (even if you can't do it yourself) should ultimately be one of those "Oh, THAT's it..." solutions.

If you pull the plate, keep it and sell it with the guitar if/when. I usually avoid buying guitars that have been "modded/upgraded" by someone else; in most of the cases the previous owner's preferences don't match mine, so I've gotta spend the money to get the guitar back to original or to buy the gear that matches my preferences anyway, and in about 80% of the "modded/upgraded" guitars I've dealt with that were purchased by friends, the work has been hack level. In one case where the pickups themselves had been shorted out and the leads were shortened ("Why would I want all that extra pickup wire messing up the control cavity?") and were causing the problem, I had to shake out virtually everything electronic and start over.

 

[pattherocker]

It seems like complete nonsense to eliminate the push-pulls with a complete rewire simply to fix a fairly basic problem. Same deal with going old-school on the wiring; that's unnecessary expensive for no gain in quality. The plate isn't an issue. Simply tracking down the ground issue (even if you can't do it yourself) should ultimately be one of those "Oh, THAT's it..." solutions.

If you pull the plate, keep it and sell it with the guitar if/when. I usually avoid buying guitars that have been "modded/upgraded" by someone else; in most of the cases the previous owner's preferences don't match mine, so I've gotta spend the money to get the guitar back to original or to buy the gear that matches my preferences anyway, and in about 80% of the "modded/upgraded" guitars I've dealt with that were purchased by friends, the work has been hack level. In one case where the pickups themselves had been shorted out and the leads were shortened ("Why would I want all that extra pickup wire messing up the control cavity?") and were causing the problem, I had to shake out virtually everything electronic and start over.

Ok a bit off top ic but im going to rant anway.
Personally i bought my guitar with my hard earned cash so i could play it whenever i want however i want and get it to sound the way i want. Im not sitting here thinking about whats going to happen if and when i sell it, That would really hold me back in terms of growth in creativity and learning. The fastest rout i saw to a fix was a rewire and new CTS 500k pots + good wire sounded like a great upgrade to me.
My 2cents

 

[StefanPriceUK]

To clarify, I don't use any of the pulled features, the noise happens on all configurations, I am using mine in the house in the daytime with no lights on and no tv or computer on, and there is no rf in the shop either where mine and all the other 2012's in the shop do it.

 

[Classicplayer]

I have a 2010 Les Paul Studio Deluxe with the push/pull configuration. The pickups are 490R/Burstbucker Pro. I have almost the same problem where both volume controls produce hum (without touching the strings) from about 3 on the dials all the way up to 8 or 9. At 10 the hum is gone. It's loudest point is at 7 and that is where I like to set my volumes.

I had a reliable tech look at it a month ago and nothing seems amiss with respect to how Gibson wired the guitar up. There are no bad solder joints and the grounding is OK, according to him. I use the guitar for home practice with a 1-watt Blackstar and by lowering my stating point to around 3 on the volumes, I get some relief, but it sure can be annoying sometimes. I can imagine what this must sound like at full stage volume at, say, Royal Albert Hall.

Classicplayer

 

[Classicplayer]

I am beginning to wonder if wonder if a batch of these Standards and before them were outfitted with some inferior or 2nd. quality electronics and nobody caught the fact during a (if you will pardon the expression) "quality control" check. Do you think an email to Gibson would be just wasting time? I think I will send off something to them just to see what they come with.

I know the 2010 Studio Deluxe that I bought used has the problem. It supposedly came from a number of Studio Deluxe models made for Guitar Center and maybe Sam Ash. I don't know that to be true, but I have the original sales slip that proves that it was sold new at a Guitar Center.

Classicplayer

 

[berniedocherty]

I have had no issues with mine either , not buzzing or humming , also no issue with the out of phase causing a "wah" noise when adjusting volume knobs , i must have been lucky eh !

 

[Lurko]

It's a shielding issue. If you shield the cavities with StewMac shielding paint, the buzzing when you let go of the strings will be gone. I have done this myself on my Standard. It works.

 

[bdubbs]

Do people play guitar without touching the strings!?!?!

 

[Thunder Dump]

I have zero humming or buzzing on mine in any configuration, through several different amps and recording rigs.

 

[clewin]

Do people play guitar without touching the strings!?!?!

When I touch the strings I have a crackle or pop sound. If I keep a hand on the metal the crackle or pop does not happen only when no contact and recontact (Chord Change). It may be static electricity; however, I cannot get it to go away unless I am grounding myself out to something. Also, it seems to go away when the volume pots are wide open.

I found a ground wire (sent from the factory) that had pulled out of the push in connector. The connector was from the neck pick up that plugged into the board.

Rock On!

Tom

 

[Classicplayer]

When I touch the strings I have a crackle or pop sound. If I keep a hand on the metal the crackle or pop does not happen only when no contact and recontact (Chord Change). It may be static electricity; however, I cannot get it to go away unless I am grounding myself out to something. Also, it seems to go away when the volume pots are wide open.

I found a ground wire (sent from the factory) that had pulled out of the push in connector. The connector was from the neck pick up that plugged into the board.

Rock On!

Tom

Gads! What a mess that wiring is. I though my Studio Deluxe was bad.....I'll post a picture of that soon.

Classicplayer

 

[Classicplayer]

It's a shielding issue. If you shield the cavities with StewMac shielding paint, the buzzing when you let go of the strings will be gone. I have done this myself on my Standard. It works.

Does this also apply to the hum issue some of us have? Are these two terms interchangeable for this discusssion....hum and buzz?

Classicplayer

 

[pastor]

In theory the new 2012s go to a parallel option rather than a single coil option, so you should still have exactly the same humbucking and noise reduction that you would have in serial (standard humbucker) mode.

My guess is that there's a ground issue with the parallel option, and that this should be able to be sorted out easily enough.



It seems like complete nonsense to eliminate the push-pulls with a complete rewire simply to fix a fairly basic problem. Same deal with going old-school on the wiring; that's unnecessary expensive for no gain in quality. The plate isn't an issue. Simply tracking down the ground issue (even if you can't do it yourself) should ultimately be one of those "Oh, THAT's it..." solutions.

If you pull the plate, keep it and sell it with the guitar if/when. I usually avoid buying guitars that have been "modded/upgraded" by someone else; in most of the cases the previous owner's preferences don't match mine, so I've gotta spend the money to get the guitar back to original or to buy the gear that matches my preferences anyway, and in about 80% of the "modded/upgraded" guitars I've dealt with that were purchased by friends, the work has been hack level. In one case where the pickups themselves had been shorted out and the leads were shortened ("Why would I want all that extra pickup wire messing up the control cavity?") and were causing the problem, I had to shake out virtually everything electronic and start over.

I agree don't Frankenstein it. Sell it as standard or get a technician to look at it. Had the same problem with a Fender Baja with a similar ludicrously complicated push pull pot. Shielding resolved most of the problems.