General Gear and Tab Season IV: Can it play barre chords?

[Cider]

Jaicen, I have a quick question regarding electronics: The tone control of the Cort is acting up - adjusting the knob doesn't change the tone anymore. The guitar still outputs sounds, but there's a very loud noise/ hum that doesn't go away when I touch metal parts.

 

I'm guessing that I need to reheat the solder on some parts, but I want to narrow down which to concentrate on. Any ideas?

[Jaicen]

I'm guessing it's a bad earth somewhere. Probably one of the wires that's flexed over time. I'd rewire it with quality wires to be sure.

[eh-D]

Jaicen, I have a quick question regarding electronics: The tone control of the Cort is acting up - adjusting the knob doesn't change the tone anymore. The guitar still outputs sounds, but there's a very loud noise/ hum that doesn't go away when I touch metal parts.

 

I'm guessing that I need to reheat the solder on some parts, but I want to narrow down which to concentrate on. Any ideas?

 

Turn the volume all the way down. Is it dead quiet? I'm probably a jerk for asking but did you try another cable? I'd also check the jack too. That's a weak spot for every guitar I've owned and in my experience more likely to be a culprit.

 

Take the back plate off and with the guitar plugged in start moving the wires that go from volume to tone and the hot wire to the jack a little bit. touch the back of the volume pot and see if the hum goes away.

 

I love a complete gut and rewire as much as anybody but it might be a simple deal.

[Cider]

Turn the volume all the way down. Is it dead quiet? I'm probably a jerk for asking but did you try another cable? I'd also check the jack too. That's a weak spot for every guitar I've owned and in my experience more likely to be a culprit.

 

Take the back plate off and with the guitar plugged in start moving the wires that go from volume to tone and the hot wire to the jack a little bit. touch the back of the volume pot and see if the hum goes away.

 

I love a complete gut and rewire as much as anybody but it might be a simple deal.

 

It's not dead quiet when the volume is turned all the way down - there's still some hum. I don't have another good cable to try, but the other guitar with a P90 isn't as noisy as this when plugged in with the same settings. I'll check the wiring later today. Good idea to touch things around, eh_D. I'll try that first before resorting to rewire - been too busy these past couple months.

[james90]

Jaicen

 

http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/jimi-hendrix-signature-strat-set

 

What do you think? It sounds #dodgy at best

 

in March of 1968, Jimi Hendrix asked a young Seymour W. Duncan to walk his guitar up onstage. That Strat was loaded with pickups Seymour had wound just for Jimi

 

especially because the article it links to says:

 

someone from back stage brought him out a white Fender Jazzmaster. Jimi hooked it up and wailed through several more songs and the show closed. At the time, I had no idea who the tech was that brought Jimi the Jazzmaster, but it turns out the guy that brought Jimi the Jazzmaster was Seymour Duncan.

 

It'll still sell though. Don't you worry.

 

 

Also, do you know of any manufactures that make the tele (flat top chrome) neck pickups in strat size? I suppose I can go for one of those danelectro lipstick things, but the guitar I'm replicating is a strat that had a tele neck pickup in the middle... but the one I bought is too small, and I'm guessing that's the standard size.

[james90]

I'm guessing it's a bad earth somewhere. Probably one of the wires that's flexed over time. I'd rewire it with quality wires to be sure.

 

Quality wires?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDJibf8uZnQ

 

Turn the volume all the way down. Is it dead quiet? I'm probably a jerk for asking but did you try another cable? I'd also check the jack too. That's a weak spot for every guitar I've owned and in my experience more likely to be a culprit.

 

Take the back plate off and with the guitar plugged in start moving the wires that go from volume to tone and the hot wire to the jack a little bit. touch the back of the volume pot and see if the hum goes away.

 

I love a complete gut and rewire as much as anybody but it might be a simple deal.

 

Stop buying cables by that brand I can't mention or I'll get stalked on twitter.

 

And yes that's true. Sometimes it's easier to gut the entire thing and start from the beginning... I've considered doing that with the rust relic as I've had to repair the original wiring three times (thanks to a broken FF switch), but I don't think I'm quite experienced enough to wire up a piezo and fuzz factory.

 

It's not dead quiet when the volume is turned all the way down - there's still some hum. I don't have another good cable to try, but the other guitar with a P90 isn't as noisy as this when plugged in with the same settings. I'll check the wiring later today. Good idea to touch things around, eh_D. I'll try that first before resorting to rewire - been too busy these past couple months.

 

If the tone pot isn't working, then there isn't a whole lot that needs troubleshooting. Check the first diagram on this page. I'd start by checking the capacitor connections, the grounds on both pots, and the wire that goes between lug 1 of the volume, to lug 3 of the tone

 

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Learn_About_Guitar_Pickups_and_Electronics_and_Wiring/Metric_3-way_Toggle_Switch.html

 

Assuming it's wired in a similar way (with the exception of the kill button)

[Cider]

So I did what eh_D suggested: opened up the cavity, made sure that things didn't touch one another and stuff. The hum goes away if I touch the back of the tone pot, but gets louder if I touch the capacitor connecting the volume and tone control?

 

Anyway, after twisting things around for a bit, the tone control works now (yay). There are still *some* ground issues, as the little bit of hum does go away if I touch the strings or metal parts of both guitars (so it's not exclusive to the Cort, at least)

 

I honestly believe there's nothing to be done to the grounding as of now - we know for a fact that there are grounding issues in our apartment (like, if I'm on my laptop and my bf's on his ipad and both devices are plugged in and we touch each other, we would feel a weird current running between us ) I guess this also explain the little bit of noise that goes away when I touch the metal parts/ strings of my guitars?

[eh-D]

Aside from a power conditioner you're probably gonna have to live with it. I'd bet that the tone cap touched the shielding paint in the cavity. Glad you got it figured out, lots of times it's easy to assume the worst.

[Jaicen]

So I did what eh_D suggested: opened up the cavity, made sure that things didn't touch one another and stuff. The hum goes away if I touch the back of the tone pot, but gets louder if I touch the capacitor connecting the volume and tone control?

 

Anyway, after twisting things around for a bit, the tone control works now (yay). There are still *some* ground issues, as the little bit of hum does go away if I touch the strings or metal parts of both guitars (so it's not exclusive to the Cort, at least)

 

I honestly believe there's nothing to be done to the grounding as of now - we know for a fact that there are grounding issues in our apartment (like, if I'm on my laptop and my bf's on his ipad and both devices are plugged in and we touch each other, we would feel a weird current running between us ) I guess this also explain the little bit of noise that goes away when I touch the metal parts/ strings of my guitars?

 

That sounds like classic grounding problems, you'll probably find the tone control works its way round and stops working again fairly soon. As I said before, i'd have it all redone properly.

I'd also be looking at either moving or re-wiring your apartment, as that sounds like there's something fundamentally wrong and potentially dangerous with your mains set up. That weird current is one or more of the devices leaking current through your body.

 

James, those strat pickups are so far from legit, I don't even know what to say. I've never heard anyone mention SD winding Jimi's pickups.

[Jaicen]

 

And yes that's true. Sometimes it's easier to gut the entire thing and start from the beginning... I've considered doing that with the rust relic as I've had to repair the original wiring three times (thanks to a broken FF switch), but I don't think I'm quite experienced enough to wire up a piezo and fuzz factory.

 

 

Send it to me, i'll fix it. You'll totally get it back..

[james90]

James, those strat pickups are so far from legit, I don't even know what to say. I've never heard anyone mention SD winding Jimi's pickups.

 

Me neither. I was always under the impression that he used stock pickups in his guitars.

 

Plus his best sounds were from before that time anyway.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzZxuLklH-o

 

Send it to me, i'll fix it. You'll totally get it back..

 

Heh, it's fine at the minute with the exception of that hum that goes away when you touch the pickups.

 

Another reason I don't want to change it is because it has one of those extra #dodgy fuzz factories like in the original mirror

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkhtGMdNDfI

[Jaicen]

#dodgy?

[Cider]

That sounds like classic grounding problems, you'll probably find the tone control works its way round and stops working again fairly soon. As I said before, i'd have it all redone properly.

I'd also be looking at either moving or re-wiring your apartment, as that sounds like there's something fundamentally wrong and potentially dangerous with your mains set up. That weird current is one or more of the devices leaking current through your body.

 

James, those strat pickups are so far from legit, I don't even know what to say. I've never heard anyone mention SD winding Jimi's pickups.

 

Yeah, the fix is definitely only temporary. I'll set money aside for new parts and try to have it redone soon. So the noise going away when I touch the strings is classic grounding issues too?

 

I'll see what I can have done about the apartment. it's only temp housing and I've called maintenance so many times because of various problems

 

Stop buying cables by that brand I can't mention or I'll get stalked on twitter.

What brand is that? Sounds like a cult

[james90]

What brand is that? Sounds like a cult

 

Remember that time Dean From Instagram said he didn't think a certain expensive pack of strings was worth the money, and then they tracked him down?

 

Same people.

 

#dodgy?

 

I think special might be a better word. It doesn't adjust the oscillation smoothly if that makes sense. Not sure if it was a bad batch of pots or something else, but I want it to stay that way.

[Jaicen]

Remember that time Dean From Instagram said he didn't think a certain expensive pack of strings was worth the money, and then they tracked him down?

 

Same people.

 

 

 

I think special might be a better word. It doesn't adjust the oscillation smoothly if that makes sense. Not sure if it was a bad batch of pots or something else, but I want it to stay that way.

 

Makes sense. Z switched pot suppliers after Plug in Baby made the FF huge, as people were wearing out the stab pots. True story. If the pictures i've seen are correct, some of the older ones are linear, but the new ones are definitely reverse log ©. Personally I've never had a problem wiring a log pot backwards, but it is what it is.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, demz TOANZ is awesome. I think he should bring back the real amps.

[nerd herd]

Remember that time Dean From Instagram said he didn't think a certain expensive pack of strings was worth the money, and then they tracked him down?

 

Same people.

 

Is that the same people who tweeted Olly about his broken cable or something like that? Can vaguely remember you telling me about them tracking him down too. If it is, I stopped using those cables and haven't had a dodgy connection since.

 

Makes sense. Z switched pot suppliers after Plug in Baby made the FF huge, as people were wearing out the stab pots. True story.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, demz TOANZ is awesome. I think he should bring back the real amps.

 

 

This. Kempers are really difficult to tell from real amps, but his guitar has sounded a bit odd at times since T2L tour. Could be something other than the amp though, the whole rig is digital now isn't it?

 

Edit: going to see Biffy again tonight

[james90]

Makes sense. Z switched pot suppliers after Plug in Baby made the FF huge, as people were wearing out the stab pots. True story. If the pictures i've seen are correct, some of the older ones are linear, but the new ones are definitely reverse log ©. Personally I've never had a problem wiring a log pot backwards, but it is what it is.

 

EDIT: Forgot to mention, demz TOANZ is awesome. I think he should bring back the real amps.

 

Wasn't he using a POD in 2006? He needs to bring back the Soldano.

 

And yes I remember that, but I think it always sounded like this. I swear I heard that extra-broken sounding fuzz factory when he used the mirror for the earls court shows (which is when it was first used)

 

I'm not sure what's in this guitar, but it's probably whatever was in a mid-late 2004 fuzz factory.

 

Is that the same people who tweeted Olly about his broken cable or something like that? Can vaguely remember you telling me about them tracking him down too. If it is, I stopped using those cables and haven't had a dodgy connection since.

 

 

 

 

This. Kempers are really difficult to tell from real amps, but his guitar has sounded a bit odd at times since T2L tour. Could be something other than the amp though, the whole rig is digital now isn't it?

 

Edit: going to see Biffy again tonight

 

The very same. To be fair though, they did replace them from what I remember, but still... it's all a bit awkward.

 

Any examples of the odd sounds?

 

How many times have you seen them now? I've only seen them three times (two of which were opening for #musedrones) but I don't think that's too bad considering they rarely tour the US. Crazy to think that they headlined reading festival in 2013, and then they come over here a month later and are playing 500 people venues.

[nerd herd]

The very same. To be fair though, they did replace them from what I remember, but still... it's all a bit awkward.

 

Any examples of the odd sounds?

 

How many times have you seen them now? I've only seen them three times (two of which were opening for #musedrones) but I don't think that's too bad considering they rarely tour the US. Crazy to think that they headlined reading festival in 2013, and then they come over here a month later and are playing 500 people venues.

 

No specific examples, but some of the distortion sounds haven't been as good as his old ones. That could be down to the videos though, every time I've seen them his guitar has sounded amazing.

 

This'll be the the second time. Really wish I'd gone to at least one of the Barrowlands gigs in 2014 though. How different was it seeing them in a small venue?

 

I'll try to keep the "how can a metal zone sound that huge?!" Posts to a minimum tomorrow

[james90]

No specific examples, but some of the distortion sounds haven't been as good as his old ones. That could be down to the videos though, every time I've seen them his guitar has sounded amazing.

 

This'll be the the second time. Really wish I'd gone to at least one of the Barrowlands gigs in 2014 though. How different was it seeing them in a small venue?

 

I'll try to keep the "how can a metal zone sound that huge?!" Posts to a minimum tomorrow

 

I think it is. I first saw them in 2007, and the videos at the time sounded a bit like that one I linked above (not my favorite of his sounds) but it sounded absolutely massive in real life. Nothing like the videos.

 

I actually can't remember much of the guitar sounds at the other shows I went to, as strange as that appears. I guess I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to it, but also the last three (?) shows I was wearing ear plugs. They're the musicians ones, but they seem to cancel out a lot of highs. To give you an idea, at the psycho tour show, I didn't even realize he did that maniacal scream thing towards the end of psycho. I couldn't hear it.

 

Which venue tonight? And it was different, but not quite as different as seeing Muse with the full stage production at a 20,000 capacity venue compared to a psycho tour show. If that makes sense.

 

And I want to hear all about it! When I last saw them, the tech played a drop tuned version of kashmir when he was checking one of the guitars.

 

Basically this

 

[james90]

Wait

 

Why aren't you queuing?

[nerd herd]

Which venue tonight? And it was different, but not quite as different as seeing Muse with the full stage production at a 20,000 capacity venue compared to a psycho tour show. If that makes sense.

 

And I want to hear all about it! When I last saw them, the tech played a drop tuned version of kashmir when he was checking one of the guitars.

 

Basically this

 

 

They were playing at the Hydro last night. Definitely one of the best gigs I've been to.

 

Re the metal zone "wtf"ness, the chorus in friends and enemies stood out as particularly huge sounding (since there's no bass in that part).

 

Wait

 

Why aren't you queuing?

 

Got there about 45 minutes after the doors opened, so there wasn't a queue by that point. The floor was strangely empty though, so there were only 2 people between where I was standing and the barrier... at first at least.

[james90]

They were playing at the Hydro last night. Definitely one of the best gigs I've been to.

 

Re the metal zone "wtf"ness, the chorus in friends and enemies stood out as particularly huge sounding (since there's no bass in that part).

 

 

 

Got there about 45 minutes after the doors opened, so there wasn't a queue by that point. The floor was strangely empty though, so there were only 2 people between where I was standing and the barrier... at first at least.

 

He also uses a mega distortion or whatever it's called. No idea what for though, but when it's the metal zone... you know it's the metal zone

 

And that's odd. Was one of them wearing a fox hat?

[nerd herd]

He also uses a mega distortion or whatever it's called. No idea what for though, but when it's the metal zone... you know it's the metal zone

 

And that's odd. Was one of them wearing a fox hat?

 

Unmistakable toan. I think the mega distortion is for the not as high gain sound (need to rewatch the episode of That Pedal Show with his rig to check).

 

...fox hat?

[haze015]

Unmistakable toan. I think the mega distortion is for the not as high gain sound (need to rewatch the episode of That Pedal Show with his rig to check).

 

...fox hat?

 

I'd be surprised if it was for low gain sounds, although it is weirdly cool to set the gain low on one, tone and low end right up, neck pickup for a fat as fuck, yet attacking tone.

 

Either its for any of his Strats that might be thinner sounding or solos. It is a similar pedal to the MT2, just a different approach to tone/EQ.

[james90]

Unmistakable toan. I think the mega distortion is for the not as high gain sound (need to rewatch the episode of That Pedal Show with his rig to check).

 

...fox hat?

 

I think I know what you're referring to. The one he used for animal style?

 

And yes, but I think he was before your time.