Joe Barden, earth problem (probably)

[Telecaster001]

Hello

Awsome! A forum for tele-lovers

I just bought a set of Joe Bardens T-style (new) and I have solded them on as the instructions says.

Now my problem is that there is a hum noise coming from the pickups and there is coming no click sound when i hit them with a pick. The dealer says that it's probably the copper strip not being correctly installed.

I just wonder if this could be the error?

The guitar I'm using is a fender tele classic 50s and I have solded the black wire that goes from the volume-pot to the tele-jack on to the tone-pot instead (as it says in the joe barden instructions) Is this a possible source of the error?

Need help. Thanks in advance

Martin

[sjtalon]

Welcome to the forum


The copper strip is a bridge plate ground so wouldn't have anything to do with them not working at all.

Is this the diagram?
http://www.joebarden.com/Products/Wi...ms/T-Style.pdf


The black wire is a ground (negative) so it wouldn't matter which pot you solder on the back of really.

Check everything over carefully

Your pick is plastic....... use a paperclip or small screwdriver to test

[tele12]

I just installed a set, at first they didn't work. So I touched up all the solder joints and put it back together and it worked. I'm not sure but I think one of those bare wires might have been touching something.

[Telecaster001]

Thank you for your replys.

I hit the pickups with a paperclip as you said and yes, the pickups are working. I can hear the click sound now.

But the hum still remains. Though, I can't hear any hum when i have the tone backed of completely. It's when I crank the tone the hum appears. Could it have anything to do with the ground or the tele-jack wiring?

Yes sjtalon, that is the wiring diagram.

[Telecaster001]

Still humming, though the black tele-jack is on the volume pot.

I have the bare cable totaly separeted from the green cable because the instruction says that the bare cables not should contact any connections.

In the diagram it looks a bit like the green cable and the bare cable are solded into one joint. Damn, I can't understand what the problem is!

[Guitartom_ca]

I had this happen once. i had the wires reversed on the output jack, after i changed the wires around it fixed the problem.

usually you can join the bare and the green together. they both are ground.
also make sure the red and white wires are joined together good and not grounded out.

[sjtalon]

Yes it's right the bare and green together (one joint-earth) they are BOTH grounds.

The statement about "the bare cables not should contact any connections"

just means that if the bare wire contacts any of the other connections on say the switch or pots it would ground them out = dead pickup.


As far as the jack being wired backwards if that was the case, you would get a hum when you TOUCHED the strings. Then the noise would go away when you leave go of the stings.

Normally single coils will buzz or hum a little and when you touch the strrings it will quiet it down some.

Is the bridge grounded with the copper strip or some other way ?

How bad is this hum? REAL LOUD ? is it more of a BUZZ ?

If you can kill it with the tone it can't be that bad ??

[sjtalon]

I thought may be you should lift your pickguard up while it's plugged into the amp and see if the noise goes away. That might mean the bare wire is touching up under the pickup, maybe the positive wire connection.


Did you do any wiring changes (re-wiring) to the pots connections or are they like they where before

[GuitarJonz]

Originally Posted by sjtalon

The statement about "the bare cables not should contact any connections"

just means that if the bare wire contacts any of the other connections on say the switch or pots it would ground them out = dead pickup.

So why use bare wire? I love Bardens, but have never understood the bare wire thing, and have had to adjust/move that wire to stop ground out problems, and eventually wrap that wire with tape to prevent problems in the control cavity. Why use bare wire?

[sjtalon]

I agree, strange deal.

[Telecaster001]

Thanks for more great answers and let me explain the humming once and for all.

The humming appears when I play high frequencies, when the tone-pot is turned half way or more. And I can hear it more clearly when I play distorted.

The hum sounds similar to the single coils the guitar had when I bought it. Stock single coils I guess

And thanks Guitartom_ca, I will check on the connections on the tele-jack.