somebodyelseuk
Strat-O-Master
Not important to me, at all.
Your idea sounds a lot like the dummy coil method that has been done before - apologies if that's not the case.
How important is it for you to eliminate single-coil noise?
- Thread starter maxdm
- Start date
Your idea sounds a lot like the dummy coil method that has been done before - apologies if that's not the case.
donm1104
Strat-Talk Member
Not to disagree, but Rene Martinez said that he had put a dummy coil in SRV's guitar (at least #1). He said that he removed it after Stevies' death because he thought of it as his invention, and I believe he wanted to see if he could sell the idea.
lbpesq
Senior Stratmaster
Hi, very professional looking product! If I can inquire, what is that thing you are using in the installation video to keep the strings in line? It looks like a couple of tongue depressors with velcro in the middle? Did you buy these or make them yourself? If you bought them, where? They look ingenious ... I want a few!
Bill, tgo
Bill, tgo
StratUp
Most Honored Senior Member
Some guys use a capo at the first fret, or just velcro to the neck at the first, and/or 15th, etc. But velcro glued to tongue depressors would get you to what's in the video. That's more flexible for some work than having the strings attached to the neck. I'm guessing that's what it he used.
StratUp
Most Honored Senior Member
My dude: Strings are like electing the "new guy" to political office. As soon as he gets into office, he's an incumbent! Those strings were worn out the days after you installed them. Get to changing them and doing the shielding!
StratUp
Most Honored Senior Member
You could try shielding it by covering it with aluminum foil. Foil will need to be grounded. See if it cuts the noise. It may also cut the communication when the power company comes by.
Also, try just moving to the other side of the house. As far away as you can get from it. If the noise drops, that's a good indication that it's noisy. It could also be the power lines themselves.
Well…if the guy who’s trying to sell that says it, it must be true lol
Maybe it is..who knows, but I’ve see a lot of SRV and he always seemed to have plenty of 60 cycle hum onstage.
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donm1104
Strat-Talk Member
I know what you're saying, I can only take him at his word, but like you say, who knows. When I saw him in the 80s, the arenas were so noisy, and I was so stoked to see him, I wouldn't have noticed anyway. I know a lot of people around here are against it, but I always have RWRP middle pickup in my Strats. Though, I have thought about installing an Ilitch backplate.
It's similar, in the sense that it is essentially a hum-bucking (antenna) coil, but it's wound in a way that it has low capacitance and inductance, so that it will not affect the tone, audibly when in the circuit.
Most 'dummy coils' make the pickup sound dull, as you probably know.
The reason I am making it available publicly is not because it has not been done before, but because, to my knowledge, there aren't any versions of this kind of device which are easy-to-install, relatively cheap devices on sale, which will do the job. I also was concerned with not altering the guitar, thinking of vintage Strats in particular, which some systems require you to do.
After having spent a month looking for a ready-made solution (for myself), what I found available online was too expensive and difficult to obtain, for my tastes.
For now I build them by hand, with 3d printed enclosures. If I sell enough of them I plan to invest in having them built in a factory setting, enabling me to lower the price substantially, which would be cool.
Mind Flayer
Strat-O-Master
There definitely is a market for this. Fender wouldn’t make noiseless pickups if there wasn’t. Looks like you have a cool product, stick with it!
Thanks! Sometimes I think I'm crazy to keep working on it, but as you said, why would humbucking pickups exist?
I'm here with a heads up on the Quiesound VST1 - I posted this on The Gear Page forum but decided to open a profile here so I can give my opinion (after all... this is the place where I found out about this system).
It works really well, but with a little caveat... I'll get to that later.
The pickups on my No1 Strat are GFS 64 vintage Grey bottom staggered - I really like the sound but wanted to go noiseless...
I was very close to ordering a Mojotone or DiMarzio Area set, but stumbled upon this and decided to give it a go.
If I was unhappy with my pickups in the first place I'd probably buy a noiseless set, but I really like the sound of my pickups so this was the simplest solution (especially since I'm in the EU so didn't have to worry about customs fees)
Initially, since the middle pickup in my set is RWRP we tried to make it work using the Schaller Megaswitch M with the provided schematic but we just couldn't get hum cancelling to work. The maker was extra helpful but we couldn't make it work (truth be told the middle RWRP schematic is very complicated but I am very confident that my buddy who did the wiring for me did it right since he makes Fender Marauder copies which have 4 pickups with 5 switches and 4 pots and all the crazy combinations).
Then my buddy suggested that he will wind me a non-RWRP middle pickup which matches my specs and if it works we'll use that, and if not he'll use it for one of his projects.
Lo and behold, once everything was done I must say that I am a believer.
This thing is as quiet as humbuckers on other guitar that he had laying around in his workshop (generic "Duncan design" humbuckers without cover) and much much quieter than my Strat before the mod, or compared to another strat with Texas specials specs he had there in the workshop (he wound those as well).
We tried it on a fully cranked Fender Blues Junior.
I fully recommend this product, especially if your middle pickup is not RWRP... If it is it will be much more difficult to make it work with the Megaswitch M (according to the maker it works for other people that way - perhaps something is different with the way GFS pickups are wound).
Once I record something I will post a video, until then, here's a picture of the device itself and with the megaswitch for RWRP (you can see it is quite complicated that way)...
I didn't take pictures with normal 5 way switch because the guitar was already assembled... The VST1 is wired between two com lugs of the switch.
It works really well, but with a little caveat... I'll get to that later.
The pickups on my No1 Strat are GFS 64 vintage Grey bottom staggered - I really like the sound but wanted to go noiseless...
I was very close to ordering a Mojotone or DiMarzio Area set, but stumbled upon this and decided to give it a go.
If I was unhappy with my pickups in the first place I'd probably buy a noiseless set, but I really like the sound of my pickups so this was the simplest solution (especially since I'm in the EU so didn't have to worry about customs fees)
Initially, since the middle pickup in my set is RWRP we tried to make it work using the Schaller Megaswitch M with the provided schematic but we just couldn't get hum cancelling to work. The maker was extra helpful but we couldn't make it work (truth be told the middle RWRP schematic is very complicated but I am very confident that my buddy who did the wiring for me did it right since he makes Fender Marauder copies which have 4 pickups with 5 switches and 4 pots and all the crazy combinations).
Then my buddy suggested that he will wind me a non-RWRP middle pickup which matches my specs and if it works we'll use that, and if not he'll use it for one of his projects.
Lo and behold, once everything was done I must say that I am a believer.
This thing is as quiet as humbuckers on other guitar that he had laying around in his workshop (generic "Duncan design" humbuckers without cover) and much much quieter than my Strat before the mod, or compared to another strat with Texas specials specs he had there in the workshop (he wound those as well).
We tried it on a fully cranked Fender Blues Junior.
I fully recommend this product, especially if your middle pickup is not RWRP... If it is it will be much more difficult to make it work with the Megaswitch M (according to the maker it works for other people that way - perhaps something is different with the way GFS pickups are wound).
Once I record something I will post a video, until then, here's a picture of the device itself and with the megaswitch for RWRP (you can see it is quite complicated that way)...
I didn't take pictures with normal 5 way switch because the guitar was already assembled... The VST1 is wired between two com lugs of the switch.
Attachments
I don't know if you caught my link,
How important is it for you to eliminate single-coil noise?
. Show a way to install without soldering (soldering frightens some/many players who do not mod). Option for crimp connectors could do it. Possibly a switch option to turn it off and on when desired. See if you can get one of the youtube channel people to demo it, phil Mcknight or 60 cycle...
There are people in rural areas who have created their own grounding points using a copper or steel pole into the ground on their land and then running a heavy duty cable to the mains supply box. These days best done by a qualified electrician. No amount of guitar screening or gadgets can remove all noise if the ground path to Earth is faulty :/
Mustrat
Strat-Talker
Volume knob is still the answer.
StratUp
Most Honored Senior Member
I don't know if you caught my link,
How important is it for you to eliminate single-coil noise?
. Show a way to install without soldering (soldering frightens some/many players who do not mod). Option for crimp connectors could do it. Possibly a switch option to turn it off and on when desired. See if you can get one of the youtube channel people to demo it, phil Mcknight or 60 cycle...www.strat-talk.com
There are people in rural areas who have created their own grounding points using a copper or steel pole into the ground on their land and then running a heavy duty cable to the mains supply box. These days best done by a qualified electrician. No amount of guitar screening or gadgets can remove all noise if the ground path to Earth is faulty :/
Required by code in the USA. Two 6' copper rods driven into the ground to the box.
When I was still working, it was very important to me, so much so that I loaded my Strat with EMG X-series pickups.
Telecaster582
Strat-Talker
I used to care after I got my first single coil guitar (before I had mini humbuckers and regular humbuckers) but I've since gotten used to it
We did the same thing using a reverse wound dummy coil. However, I don’t think the single coil noise is really that big of a problem.
Hasn’t really ever bothered me, and I’m not enough of an electronics wiz to try to remedy any electrical noise.
That said, my building was built in the 80s. I know many NY musicians living in prewar buildings that say their gear gets veryyyyy noisy.
