Tele Bigsby reverse buzz question

Hello and what a great site!

Quick question hopefully you can help me out. Just finished up a tele project consisting of a 62 Bigsby loaded Ebay body with a broadcaster in the bridge and a GFS Alnico in the neck, also has a 4 way switch. Got a nice neck of a fellow TDPRI'er and used all the tips by you guys to put on the tuners and mount the neck without messing up the job, plays great (unplugged ) When I get it plugged in, all the pup setting are working as they should as well as the tone... BUT as soon as I touch the strings, I get this nasty electrical buzz... I opened it up and the cavity is copper shielded and looks like the pots are new and the wiring is neat and looks correct as well as the output jack wiring... but why would I get this almost electricity buzz. I played another couple of guitars through an amp on the house circuit and nothing there so I know it isn't that circuit. Any ideas would be wonderful! Also a little side note, for a string tree with a Bigsby, would you recommend a roller tree or just plain ones? Thanks again and Happy 'almost' New Year. I can also take a picture of the innards if that helps. I was thinking of just reversing the output jack wires but just didn't seem like that would be it... but I'll defer your expertises.

John

Did you run a ground wire to the tailpiece or bridge? Without the pickup mounted in the Tele bridge plate, your strings are ungrounded.

Hey MM,

Thanks for the response. The actual tailpiece is not grounded, however the bridge pup is in its own little metal plate similar to a regular tele and I guess that I just presumed that it grounded it off that way. Maybe I'll take a scrap piece of wiring and go from ground to the actual tailpiece and see if that works. But what is weird is that the buzz takes place when actually touching the strings and does not go away when touching a metal part of guitar etc...

Update ... fixed it. prior owner had the jack input wired backwards... thanks

I think this is going to be my mantra for ground hum questions: "Double check the jack leads"

BTW - Mike...I hope things are going well. The last time I saw you was at a show in either Maynard (my friends in Memphis Train opened for you) or the Yardrock in Quincy back in 1996. yea...it's been awhile :wink:

You don't have to ground the Bigsby, just go from the bridge plate, as is normal. That way no messy wires. The bridge saddles then ground the strings, and the Bigsby.

To check the fault, temporarily run a bit of wire from the control plate (presumably earthed) to the bridge plate (clamp it under the plate, twist it around a string), Does the buzz stop?

You don't have to ground the Bigsby, just go from the bridge plate, as is normal. That way no messy wires. The bridge saddles then ground the strings, and the Bigsby.

To check the fault, temporarily run a bit of wire from the control plate (presumably earthed) to the bridge plate (clamp it under the plate, twist it around a string), Does the buzz stop?


I question that. The bridge is mounted to the inserts that are in the 3/8" holes drilled into the wood. I generally run a strand of bare copper from the bottom off the hole to the pickup cavity and over to the baseplate which gets grounded as usual.

On a B5 install unless the install job was done poorly and things are touching that shouldn't be, there is no ground path to the strings. The B16 is a different story.

What I figured out during the troubleshooting and help from you guys.

1. The output jack wires were reversed (corrected)
2. The copper shielding under the neck pickup and control cavity were not grounded
together - that made a huge difference
3. The added ground on the neck pup for the 4 way switch was jacked

I fixed the above problems, put in a 62 reissue neck to compliment the broadcaster in the
bridge - and wow! - the sustain and bell like overtones the Bigsby adds are killer -

Thanks again for all your help - hopefully can pay it forward here someday.

I question that. The bridge is mounted to the inserts that are in the 3/8" holes drilled into the wood. I generally run a strand of bare copper from the bottom off the hole to the pickup cavity and over to the baseplate which gets grounded as usual.

On a B5 install unless the install job was done poorly and things are touching that shouldn't be, there is no ground path to the strings. The B16 is a different story.

chucksmi, We appear to be divided by a common hymn sheet. ;-)
When I've earthed tunomatics and jazzmaster bridges, like you, I run a ground wire into the side of the insert hole (use a bradawl internally), then drive in the insert, the bridge 'to the bridge plate' then earths the strings and hence the Bigsby. The strings ground the Bigsby. No unsightly external wiring to the Bigsby is needed.

This rather assumes you do not have plastic roller saddles. I have one such. Then it is a case of ground the tail piece, fortunately already drilled. Same with most jazzbox.