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Nashville Deluxe Ground issue???

Discussion in 'Telecaster Discussion Forum' started by cbroadway, Dec 2, 2020.

  1. Dec 2, 2020 #1
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    I have a 2016 Nashville Deluxe (with the noiseless pickups). There is a loud buzz sound when I have enough gain on my Vox to get it dirty. I run direct to the amp. The buzz goes away when I touch anything metal (tuners, strings, bridge plate, volume, even the amp power and standby switches. Here is what I know or am pretty sure of:

    EMI causes issues, but not like this and me touching the metal shouldn't make EMI go away
    I have checked every ground wire for continuity and they all look good
    I have check the 1/4 cable ground and that looks good
    It is wired per the Fender diagrams online

    I totally get that noiseless doesn't actually mean noiseless, but when I touch metal that is the sound the pickups should have. Anyone have this experience before?
     
  2. Dec 2, 2020 #2
    RedRhino

    RedRhino TDPRI Member Silver Supporter

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    Any electrical devices nearby? Lights?
     
  3. Dec 2, 2020 #3
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    I've turned everything off, moved around the house, verified thee outlet has a good ground
     
  4. Dec 2, 2020 #4
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    Also, my S-Style partscasater I built with Seymour Duncan JBs and Jazz has no hum or buzz.
     
  5. Dec 2, 2020 #5
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    Also, though I am now sure...to me it sounds like a 120hz hum, not even really a hum...more like a veery loud buzz. much higher pitch than a lower freq hum
     
  6. Dec 3, 2020 #6
    Butch Snyder

    Butch Snyder Tele-Afflicted

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    You might check the ground to the bridge assembly. Starting in 2016, Fender completely revamped the Deluxe Nashville series. Replaced the Tex Mex pickups with Vintage Noiseless pickups. The bridge pickup should have a metal eyelet that comes off the ground wire and connects to one of the mounting screws underneath the bridge assembly. That grounds the bridge assembly and keeps that buzz away. I would check that.
     
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  7. Dec 3, 2020 #7
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    There is a ground connected to the pickup mounting screw and the bridge, saddles, and strings pass a continuity test.

    I do see that all the wiring in not wound together and using standard crappy wire. I have ordered some new wire (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JYJFE72/?tag=tdpri-20) and will replace the junk inside and twist the positive and negative together.
     
  8. Dec 3, 2020 #8
    rocker71

    rocker71 TDPRI Member

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    I had the same with my Nashville.
    A slight annoying buzz, even with the noiseless pickups. I didn't like it and brought my guitar to my luthier and he fixed it. He did some extra shielding and some more magic ... ;)
     
  9. Dec 3, 2020 #9
    Piotr

    Piotr Tele-Afflicted Silver Supporter

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    I'd use a multimeter to check the continuity between strings (and other elements) and jack, for starters.
     
  10. Dec 3, 2020 #10
    tah1962

    tah1962 Friend of Leo's

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    Usually if the buzz goes away when you touch the strings, or other metal parts, it’s not a grounding issue. Time to shield your guitar. Copper tape, shielding paint, etc.
     
  11. Dec 3, 2020 #11
    jfgesquire

    jfgesquire Tele-Afflicted

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    My Squier SSH has two stacks and a mini humbucker, it is the quietest guitar I have ever played.

    I play it through a 1st gen 1965 Vox Cambridge tube amp that doesn't have a 3 prong ground plug, but still has the polarity reversal switch on it.

    Don't give up. It should be VERY quiet.
     
  12. Dec 3, 2020 #12
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    They all tested good and beep for continuity
     
  13. Dec 3, 2020 #13
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    I have foil in all the cavities to create a faraday cage....that didn't help
     
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  14. Dec 7, 2020 #14
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    Update:
    Though the standard Fender shield paint was throughout the body cavity area, I foiled the inside (as I did with my Strat with humbuckers). I removed all the wiring and replaced it with vintage pullback cloth wiring. The buzz is still there. I don't mind a low hum, but this buzz is horrible and once I kick on an OD, is louder than playing. I'm confused why it goes away when I tough the metal.
     
  15. Dec 7, 2020 #15
    Butch Snyder

    Butch Snyder Tele-Afflicted

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    Something isn't grounded. If you touch the control plate or bridge and the buzz goes away, it's not a shielding issue. It's a grounding issue. Something isn't grounded. I ask again, is your bridge grounded?
     
  16. Dec 7, 2020 #16
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    Yes, the bridge pickup ground connects to a common screw that is against the bridge plate. I did notice the neck pickup cover had some of the chrome plate removed where the ground touches. Could it be that the bridge plate doesn't have a bare spot? I'm thinking about disconnecting the pickups again and testing after each gets reconnect. Maybe this will identify the problem area.
     
  17. Dec 7, 2020 #17
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    Update:

    I disconnected the middle pickup, still buzz
    I disconnected the bridge pickup, buzz
    I disconnected the neck, buzz
    I disconnected the 5 way switch, buzz
    I disconnected the volume to tone pot connection, buzz

    The only thing actually connected is the input jack to volume. When I touch metal, the buzz goes away. When I touch the foil lined cavity, the buzz goes away. I cut the input jack ground and pinched it, the buzz went away. I then touched the ground wire to the foil cavity and other places that a made the buzz go away, the buzz did not go away. Where's the gif for stabbing my eyes out? This is confusing me.

    When I touched the input jack positive cable body, it hear a spike in buzz.
     
  18. Dec 8, 2020 #18
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    I'm now leaning towards the environment (as some suggested already). Here is a youtube video I saw that explained it well... . I'll troubleshoot from that perspective now. Looks like I torn my electronics apart for no reason maybe....:(
     
  19. Dec 8, 2020 #19
    wavytech

    wavytech TDPRI Member

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    I just finished shielding a 52 AVRI Tele that dramatically reduced EMI noise. I paid close attention to grounding the pickup and routing compartment shields to the control compartment shield housing the pots and switch. You can check this on your guitar by checking for ground between the control compartment and the pickup compartment shields. The back of the pickguard is also shielded over the compartments and connected to ground by running copper foil to only one screw in the pickguard to prevent ground loops. The compartments are grounded to each other with brass tubes inserted into the wiring channels between compartments with the ends of the brass tubes soldered to the compartment shields. This shields the wiring between compartments. Others have simply passed an additional ground wire between compartments and soldered the wire to the compartment shielding.

    I also installed a 4-way switch that required separating the neck pickup cover ground from the signal ground. The neck pickup pole polarity was flipped to south using 1/2 in. neodymium magnets so that they would be hum-cancelling when reversing the leads combined with the bridge pickup.

    Finally, grounds from each pickup along with the output jack ground are soldered to the back of the volume pot, which connects to the shield ground on the back of the control cover plate which was covered with copper foil. This forms a star ground which prevents ground loops.
     
  20. Dec 14, 2020 #20
    cbroadway

    cbroadway TDPRI Member

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    UPDATE

    The problem was indeed the dimmer switch in my house. Everytime I was troubleshooting, they were on (though in a different room of the house). So for anyone in the future reading this....Low hum = ground, mosquito/hornet "buzz" = EMI

    So now that I have rewired everything and soldered horribly, two of my pickups are good...but the third is not working.

    If I use the 1/4 inch cable to troubleshoot...I have the negative lead on the sleeve and the positive on the tip with these results:
    Ohms
    working neck pickup- 12.xx
    working bridge pickup- 14.xx
    Not working center pickup- .9

    I'm thinking the switch/knob plate side is good, but I screwed up the pickup when soldering......

    Anyone have thoughts/suggestions?
     
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