? for players using single coil pickups

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 27 Jul 2001 9:38 am

How do you folks deal with the noise? Are there any tricks or methods of shielding and grounding to help reduce single coil noise? I realize you cannot completely eliminate the noise. I've been reading on the internet and I've talked to a few guitar techs and they have been having good luck on standard guitars with shielding paint, copper tape, etc. I guess the problem is the output of steel pickups is much hotter than standard guitar pickups, and that they are mostly exposed above the cavity. Would wrapping the coils with copper tape help? Would it affect the tone drastically?
I wish I could just get over the single coil tone! Then it would be a lot easier.

Dave Z<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Dave Zirbel on 27 July 2001 at 10:40 AM.]</p></FONT>

jerry wallace · Post by **jerry wallace** » 27 Jul 2001 10:57 am

Dave, I use single coils..I dont have a problem with them on stage..In the studio it can be a problem..Here are some things I do to help avoid the hum..

Keep your amp volume level pretty high so you dont have to open the volume a lot.I play wth the volume pedal less than half open..

Are you using any effects or wallwarts in your chain? I find that when using my tubefex[no wallwart} in my effects rack,I get much less hum than when using my profex {with wallwart} in my rack..By repositioning the wallwart,the hum is reduced..

As a check to see what maybe adding hum,eliminate everything in line except your volume pedal and go from there..

I never open my volume pedal wide open.I keep enough volume on the amp to avoid this..

I hope some of this helps.

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Jerry Wallace-2001 Zum: D-10,8+6, "98 Zum: D-10,8+8,Nashville 1000,Session 500 ,Session 400 head only amp,Tubefex,ProfexII, Artesia, New Mexico
http://communities.msn.com/jerrywallacemusic

Dave Zirbel · Post by **Dave Zirbel** » 27 Jul 2001 11:32 am

Thanks Jerry. I was thinking of making an adjustable stop for the volume pedal to help with that problem. I don't use anyrthing except a Matchbox 60. Dave

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 27 Jul 2001 3:50 pm

Dave, first make sure the hum is coming from the guitar. Run a cord straight from the guitar to the amp, and then compare that with the hum you get when you add the pedal (wide open), and then add the other stuff you have in the chain.

Now, if it is coming from the guitar, then you have to check the wiring (is it shielded?) and make sure the grounds are in good shape. A LOT of guitars don't have shielded wire from the pickups to the controls, switches and jacks. Naturally, everything you can shield will help the problem. Copper tape (properly grounded) around the pickup coils might help a little. But remember, the pickup is made to "pick up" a magnetic field, and there's just no way of shielding the whole thing against stray magnetic fields.

When using an amp, my guitars hum a little, but not enough to bother me. In the studio, I seldom have a problem. And on the bandstand...it's lost in the music, for the most part.

Lastly, certain devices (such as lamp dimmers, neon lights, TV sets, computer monitors, flourescent lamps, and so forth) radiate a lot of electrical energy, and the only way to avoid a hum problem is to stay as far from these devices as you can...or turn them off!

Buck Dilly · Post by **Buck Dilly** » 27 Jul 2001 4:03 pm

Single coil pickups will make noise. Any changes will change the sound. I have struggled for years (guitar not steel) to find the perfect single coil sound in an active or a hum canceling pickup. It does not exist. You can get close but it will never sound like a single coil and be silent. Also, the more effects the more noise. All the suggestions made above are good, keep trying. But after that you may have to learn to just accept the noise and play. My favorite cars made a lot of noise too! Buck

Bobby Boggs · Post by **Bobby Boggs** » 28 Jul 2001 8:07 am

What Donny Hinson said.Also Buddy Emmons had some good points on this sometime last year.I think he talked about this in Bar Chatter.---bb

Terry Downs · Post by **Terry Downs** » 28 Jul 2001 9:27 pm

I have finally found a solution to this problem thanks to Jim Glaser and Brent Mason. Brent's Telecaster uses Seymour Duncan "stack" pickups in the middle and bridge positions. They have superior rejection to magnetic fields, even better than pickups categorized as "humbuckers". I built up a Tele recently using the Seymour Duncan STK-T3 in the bridge and the STK-S2 in the middle position. They are incredible. It is hard to find the STK-T3 in music stores.

Brent's Tele has a Gibson mini-humbucker in the neck position. It is a good humbucker, but I get the slightly noise from it then I do the Seymour stacks. I have been playing Telecasters live for about 30 years and this is biggest step in the noise free direction I have ever seen. These pickups have 2 coils that need to be wired in series with the correct phase to achieve the noise cancelling feature.

The Feb 2000 Guitar Player magazine has this information about Brent Mason's guitar in it.

Terry

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Terry Downs
http://nightshift.net
terry@nightshift.net