Please help! Gibson Les Paul up...ground hum :(

[JSatch69]

Hi all.


So I decided to replace the PUPs on my Les Paul as the Burstbucker pros just lacked the character of my Duncans.

I did it the short cut way.
I clipped the wire to the existing pickups and removed them. The remainding wire to the pots etc were joined to the new pickups with solder and electrical tape to tidy things up.

I did this instead of unsoldering the PUPs from the pots correctly etc.

With the duncans Pearly gates (neck) and Alnico 2 pro (bridge):

So:
- I soldered the red and white together and taped them away.

- i wrapped the green and bare together and soldered them to the braided ground and wrapped them up and away.

- I soldered the PUP hot to the Pot Hot and wrapped them up.


It worked but I get a nasty hum when I'm not touching the strings or bridge etc. It sounds awful when playing with distortion.

I've now disconnected the pickups. I've noticed that the ground hum is still there. and goes when i touch the strings/bridge etc

So after a night of messing around with a multi meter. I can only conclude that continuity is fine. I've testes every possible connection from the:

- switch, jack, pots. Everything is connected and the multimeter beeps when probing each connection.

I believe the bridge ground is intact as there is continuity between all the bridge/metal parts and the gound on pots etc. It beeps. I feel the bridge ground is connected.

All the wiring looks intact.

I dont know what else to do except perhaps unwire all connections from the toggle switch. Pull out the length and use heat shrink tubing on the whole length of it as an attempt to sheild it,

and then feed it back through and re connect the switch to the pots/ground etc.


I'm so fed up with my new LP and just cant live with this hum issue as I know its not normal.


I plug my other guitar in and its quiet as a mouse


Any ideas guys?
Thanks.

 

[JSatch69]

Pic

 

[mono]

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/tonefreaks/558-wiring-library.html

Good hunting.

 

[Satch0922]

Are you going for the Slash tone?

 

[Exluthier]

I'd remove the old wire and solder the new pickups in properly and see what it does.

 

[chumpchange]

is it a dynamo hum?

 

[JSatch69]

Are you going for the Slash tone?

He was an influence...but now I just want a good rock n blues machine

 

[JSatch69]

is it a dynamo hum?

I dont know what that is?

 

[Mantis]

I'd remove the old wire and solder the new pickups in properly and see what it does.

+5,ooo,ooo,ooo!!!! while there are many wiring configurations, there is only one way you should solder them,
THE RIGHT WAY! pull the pickups out and set it up right, if you doubt your own skills take her to a good service/repair shop ...of course trial and error is how you learn, so maybe you learned not to do it the short cut way.
when you install the pickups correctly, your Les Paul will thank you by sounding like it should!
the ground wire seems to be kinda funky too...so i recommend taking it in to a repair tech.

 

[JSatch69]

Ive tested again today.

Ive noticed the junction in the middle of the pots.

There is continuity between the 2 points.

Thoughts?

 

[Mantis]

what's that funky thing going to the pot with the wire snaked around it?

 

[Exluthier]

That's a wiring lug connected to the metal ground plate in the cavity, it connects the jack and the three way if I remember correctly.

 

[JSatch69]

That's a wiring lug connected to the metal ground plate in the cavity, it connects the jack and the three way if I remember correctly.

thats right.

THe Switch ground connects to it. but so does the middle switch position green wire.

Both terminals have continuity with ground, this doesnt seem right.

 

[Exluthier]

Well as long as the gound from the jack is in contact with the ground of the switch and the the two hots are in contact it should be fine. Hard to tell from the picture but did you desolder the black from the switch? It seems like that lug isn't filled with solder and the black is just wrapped around the lug?

 

[the bull]

is it a dynamo hum?

Got a forty dollar bill says you can't make me.....

 

[JSatch69]

Well as long as the gound from the jack is in contact with the ground of the switch and the the two hots are in contact it should be fine. Hard to tell from the picture but did you desolder the black from the switch? It seems like that lug isn't filled with solder and the black is just wrapped around the lug?

I did de solder it. Its making a good connection for testing. I have to do it again tho.

Im a bit worried about attempting to completely remove the braided wire and go with the pickup wire.

Im just thinking it over and drawing diagrams.

 

[the bull]

I did de solder it. Its making a good connection for testing. I have to do it again tho.

Im a bit worried about attempting to completely remove the braided wire and go with the pickup wire.

Im just thinking it over and drawing diagrams.

Desolder the old pickup wire and caps.
Ground all your pots with one long bent wire.
Solder your caps, grounds and hots on the right lugs just like this diagram from S.D.

Straying from the plan or trying shortcuts when you are not sure of what you are doing is a bad idea.

 

[ehamady6]

This thread does not belong in this forum. It should be in Tonefreaks.

 

[Exluthier]

Just remove them, it's not that big of a deal and it'll make things much easier. And make sure all your solder joints are good, including that lug. You don't want any sort of stray wires in that cavity.

 

[JSatch69]

Just remove them, it's not that big of a deal and it'll make things much easier. And make sure all your solder joints are good, including that lug. You don't want any sort of stray wires in that cavity.

Hey, ok I've started work last night. I've removed the left over braided wire completely and have been putting in the pickups and grounding the pots as I go. I'm also checking the connections with my multimeter as I go. I've run out of solder now so will run out today to pick some up.

I hope to finish this morning and get it going today. I need to get on with my life. My rooms a mess!!!

Should I get any heat shrink tubing for any thing or is it not necessary?