Strat pickups out of phase??

Hi All,

I am wiring up a strat and have buzzing when I touch the front and bridge pickups. Almost like a reverse grounding issue in that it is quiet (60 cycle hum) when it is alone and then when I touch a finger or screwdriver to the polepiece it hums loudly. I have gone over everything checking for cold joints or poor grounds and can't find anything. Anyone have a clue to this? BTW it is a set of GFS Alnico II pickups.

Cheers,
Mike

Mike,
I am by no means an expert but I had similar behavior after putting the original WR humbuckers back into my 72 tele thinline guitar. On the Fender wiring diagrams they show a ground wire running from pot to pot, soldered to the back side of the pots and then it goes up under the bridge. This is the same wire that connects to the ring of the output jack. My guitar did not have this wire. While I had it apart I put this ground wire back in and all the humming/noise went away.

I have no idea really if what I did solved the problem I just know it no longer hums when I touch the pickups.

maybe just something to check.

someone else on the forum who knows what they are talking about will possibly have other ideas.

Steve