Posted: 6/5/2006 8:05:25 PM EDT
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I got a Hamer Strat (dunno what model #, got it for my birthday. No markings anywhere). Anyway, the thing has a really bad noise issue. It used to be bad only in distortion but now i hear a loud hissing even in clean. I used to have a kustom amp now i got a Fender stage 1000 cause i grew out of the practice one and i thought it was an amp problem, but apparently it isnt. i cant take this amp beyond volume 3 without getting horrible feedback/squealing. I had a mid pickup that had some of the coils exposed so i took that off and it still didnt help. I also notice if i touch any metal on my guitar it gets a little quieter. I dont wanna shell out $200 on new pickups and take it to some snobby guitar store guy install them, but i will if i have to. This is my only guitar and i love the shape, color, and fretboard (24 frets Here http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/2294/guit02341tu.th.jpg http://img105.imageshack.us/img105/8786/guit02365tn.th.jpg http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/5848/guit02376hn.th.jpg http://img484.imageshack.us/img484/9395/guit02359gv.th.jpg |
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Could be a dirty pot (knob). Try turning all the knobs back and forth a few dozen times. If touching something metal, like the strings or bridge or trem seems to quiet it a little bit, it may be a bad ground on your amp. I doubt there are any bad solder connections... buzzing is usually a grounding issue... also if you get a lot of feedback and squeal, you might try potting your pickups, or replacing them with good quality potted pickups. |
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"Hamer uses the Seth Lover pickups in this and some of their Artist series guitars. These pickups are very rich and thick, but because they're unpotted have a tendancy to squeal at high volume levels, particularly the bridge pickup. This one is no exception. You can have them potted, but that will change the sound. It has been suggested to me that by removing the magnet and potting just it, most of the squeeling issues can be eliminated. I'm going to see if I can learn to live with the occasional feedback squeal, and if not try potting the magnet only. I wish Hamer could find another pickup for their guitars that had the Seth Lover tone but didn't have the occasional squealing issue." The ground issues can be in house wiring too if it's an old house like mine. |
You might want to replace it. The pot could be worn out. Not very difficult if you know how to solder! |
Time to gut that puppy, put new pots and switch in, and new pickups for sure (Hamer PU's suck) - they can be had very reasonably. Shielding would be a good idea, once you have it gutted. www.stewmac.com for the parts. |
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Well a subject here that I am well versed in! I used to be a tech for Ibanez in between my night gigs as a bar manager. Maybe I can help. First, the stock P/U's are likely crap. Unless you have a high end axe I would even doubt they have been potted(soaked in molten wax). Second, you have a grounding problem as indicated when it quiets as you touch a metal part on the guitar. Start with a proper 3 prong outlet in a service that is grounded properly. If that doesn't help try a good quality cable, like Monster. If still get the same problem it could be the amp, so try another. Then finally it could be the guitar itself but not likely. Look for loose wires in the guitar(the green one to the tremelo guts especially) and loose coils on the pups. One more thing, not much of an issue with humbuckers but more with single coil pickups like you have in the neck spot. The single coils do not cancel out noise generated by flourescent light ballasts, dimmer switches, PC monitors, TV sets, neon bar signs and SOlID STATE AMPS. Try eliminating the neck pickup. I bet it quiets down when you do. DiMarzio makes a stacked humbucker that will fit into tthat spot and sound great and cancel noise.. I think a 250k will work in the volume spot just fine. But the problem is most likely the pickups. Like I said they are probably crap and not potted. The new amp is probably a bit hotter in terms of gain and that is making things worse.. IIRC it's a 100 watt 1x12" solid state right? You'll need some distance between you and the amp at any reasonable volume if you have unpotted pickups or just crappy ones all together. So I would scour eBay or something and find a decent set. SD and DiMarzio make decent mid level pickups in various configurations. They are not too expensive as you can find pull outs from new axes that guys want to install ones of their liking.. And a pencil style soldering tool from Wally World will work just fine. |
I agree with Swingset. Also, this may be simple but have to triend another cord to connect to your amp? I've had those go bad before too. |
First i'd like to thank you for all the great info. I've kinda narrowed down my problem, but im to much of a noob to take it from here. I just finished potting my single coil pickup and it works alright, but the noise is still there. I just used one of my surge protectors on the amp and it says the wall is grounded (has a little "ground" l.e.d.). One thing i noticed is that my amp is totally silent if i dont plug a cable into it. When i plug in any cable it goes HISSSSSSSS, so annoying....especially in distortion. When i plug in the guitar it just does it alot louder. So im wondering if its the amp or the cable. I dont wanna buy new pickups if its still gonna sound like shit hinking.gif any info would be great if it is the cable can someone recommend me a good noiseless cable |
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Cables, cheap ones, can be a source of noise. I've got Mogami cables. If you get a chance to take the guitar into a place like Guitar Center you might be able to test a bunch of things to narrow down the problem and find some good cables. They carry Mogami and Monster and then some cheaper ones. Here's a place a guy recommended for good quality, reasonable prices. www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&&DID=7&CATID=46&ObjectGroup_ID=77&sm=0&so=0 |
+1 to everything posted by Valkyrie. Basically, everyone is advising you to narrow down the problem. There is probably only one or two easily identifiable issues. Is it the amp? Play clean at a moderate volume. ...electrical outlet? Try another outlet on the other side of the house. ...electrical noise from lights? Turn off the neon beer light. Is it the guitar cable? You might not need a $20 Monster, but the molded plastic ones you get free with every guitar are trash. Is it the guitar? Plug in your buddies with all other cords and amp settings the same. Which pickup(s)? Try each seperately. My number one vote goes to... Microphonic pickup(s) you mentioned feedback/squealing and secondary ground problem touching any metal makes it quieter. What is a microphonic pickup? The short explanation is that it works like a microphone instead of a magnetic pickup. Again, trying each pickup independantly: Turn the guitar wide open with the amp at moderate volume. Stand to the side of the amp. Speak into the pickup as if it were a microphone. Yes, this is awkward. If your voice comes out of the amp you have a microphonic pickup. Remove/replace it. It is better to have one good pickup than three bad ones. Do this first and it might solve the secondary ground problem. |
Shameless link to an EE ad. Gibson on EE Meanwhile, keep saving your $ for an American Gibson or American Strat. Both have excellent entry level models in the ~$500-$750 range. Until you start gigging across the fruited plains, skip the hardshell and opt for a THICK bag. That will save you ~$100 towards the guitar. |
The lower case "i" where it should be "I" just annoys me.  It's not hard to do it right.Be sure to mark wires / take pictures / draw diagrams before removing components. The value of the pot should be marked on it. If not, usually there are three terminals. Got a multi-meter that will measure resistance, right? By trial & error you can figure which one is the armature (where the resistance changes to both the other terminals as you turn the knob). Then the resistance between the other two terminals is the maximum value of the pot. Usually the center terminal is the armature. (Ignore the dots) .....measure .......here ......../\ ......./..\ ....../....\ ...../......\ ....O..O..O <-------terminals The other thing is the "taper" of the pot, meaning how quickly the value changes as you turn the shaft. You need to match that to the original. If it's not marked, you could try graphing the values at half-rotation, quarter-rotation, etc. "Audio taper" is one example. Sometimes a shot of electronics cleaner will help if the pot is just dirty inside, but some of the pots are made cheaply enough that the rubbing inside will actually cause wear-through. This might help a little: www.provide.net/~cfh/strat.gif |
Um, NO. This is an electrical instrument that you play with your fingers, sometimes sweaty. If you play in a band through a PA system, it's even more dangerous. Never, EVER fuck with the ground in your electric instruments and amplification. And if you are using a PA system with it, make sure everything has a common ground and everything is on the same circuit. If it's a subwoofer for your TV that you don't touch, that's one thing. But people have been killed by this type of shortcut. |