...and then I plugged it in...

[Twang Tone]

Well I went to my local store today as they'd just got in a shiny, new (orange-looking) AV52RI Tele.

Now, I'm holdin' out for a Nocaster, but I thought I'd play this AV52RI anyways, just to get a feel.

When I pulled it off the wall, I was surprised how light the ash body was... "Great!" I thought.

And while the tec set the amp up, I noodled unplugged, as you do, and it sang and chimed... "Great!" I thought.

...and then I plugged it in...

The tone, I could not fault - it was sweet and sustained for days, but, (and here's the crunch), there was the loudest buzz from the amp I ever heard when I let go of the strings.

So I tapped the chrome control plate, and "Kack!" it went, as if the thing was not earthed properly.

So I asked the guy in the store to explain, and was given the usual "that's how they're made" blurb, but he said (and this is where you guys come in), that originally there would have been a brass strap fitted in the control panel to which the pickups would have been earthed, but this was removed by Fender for the sake of authenticity?!

So tell me, fellow TDPers, is this true, or did I just play a "Friday" Tele?

Can this "excessive buzzing" problem be resolved without wrapping the bridge pickup in copper tape?

Lastly, I oughta mention that she buzzed no matter what position the pickup selector switch was in.

Any thoughts....?

[editorjuno]

Originally Posted by Twang Tone

Well I went to my local store today as they'd just got in a shiny, new (orange-looking) AV52RI Tele.

Now, I'm holdin' out for a Nocaster, but I thought I'd play this AV52RI anyways, just to get a feel.

When I pulled it off the wall, I was surprised how light the ash body was... "Great!" I thought.

And while the tec set the amp up, I noodled unplugged, as you do, and it sang and chimed... "Great!" I thought.

...and then I plugged it in...

The tone, I could not fault - it was sweet and sustained for days, but, (and here's the crunch), there was the loudest buzz from the amp I ever heard when I let go of the strings.

So I tapped the chrome control plate, and "Kack!" it went, as if the thing was not earthed properly.

So I asked the guy in the store to explain, and was given the usual "that's how they're made" blurb, but he said (and this is where you guys come in), that originally there would have been a brass strap fitted in the control panel to which the pickups would have been earthed, but this was removed by Fender for the sake of authenticity?!

So tell me, fellow TDPers, is this true, or did I just play a "Friday" Tele?

Can this "excessive buzzing" problem be resolved without wrapping the bridge pickup in copper tape?

Lastly, I oughta mention that she buzzed no matter what position the pickup selector switch was in.

Any thoughts....?

The salesdrone was full of beans. If the buzzing largely goes away when your hands are in contact with the bridge, control plate, or strings, that's normal Tele behavior -- there's always going to be a certain amount of residual hum from the pickups. If it's still obnoxiously loud compared to other Teles through the same amp in the same shop, there's some sort of grounding problem in the '52 RI that needs to be fixed before the guitar is sold.

[Bob Arbogast]

Originally Posted by Twang Tone

there was the loudest buzz from the amp I ever heard when I let go of the strings.

So I tapped the chrome control plate, and "Kack!" it went, as if the thing was not earthed properly.

If the buzzing disappeared when you touched the strings, then the guitar is wired properly. Single coil pickups are prone to pick up stray electromagnetic hash from the environment (power transformers, fluorescent lighting, neon displays, etc.). Two tests to conduct: see if other single coil-equipped guitars do the same thing, and see if the '52RI has less buzz in a different environment.

So I asked the guy in the store to explain, and was given the usual "that's how they're made" blurb, but he said (and this is where you guys come in), that originally there would have been a brass strap fitted in the control panel to which the pickups would have been earthed, but this was removed by Fender for the sake of authenticity?!

Nonsense!

Bob Arbogast

[Flaco]

My MIM 50s classic did this and it drove me crazy. On some guitars the buzz will not go away when you touch the strings. If that is the case then the bridge is not properly grounded. In my case the grounding was correct but I still had the buzz. I lined the back of the pickguard with regular aluminum foil and left a little piece that went under the front screw for the control panel. This completely silenced the buzz.

[lewis]

Any guitar shop that sells single coil guitars should be void of flourescent lights, dimmer switches, or anything else that might cause buzzing.