Maplecaster
- Thread starter FIXXXER
- Start date
StefTD
Member
ground issues? not sure if I got it right, but I think you need a ground connection to the bridge or
something like that-sorry, I have no clue about that stuff, sorry
something like that-sorry, I have no clue about that stuff, sorry
You may have wired the jack the other way around (ground-hot)? Check your connections, and draw a schematic of your wiring. I bet you can hide a kill switch somewhere (probably right next to the jack), i think it would be nice to have.
I'm curious as how it will sound, I think it might just be too harsh on the highs..
Great project either way, kudos!
I'm curious as how it will sound, I think it might just be too harsh on the highs..
Great project either way, kudos!
MarcusGHedwig
Member
Looks totally professional man (though I couldn't live without a tummy and forearm cut) - I may have missed it between the pics, but did you say what pickup that was?
@hsinn3r
thanks!
i have tried every possible connection, unfortunately without any effect.
i also had a cable under the bridge connected to the ground pole of the jack,
this should actually work to get rid of any hum/noise...not in my case.
i have to try a new jack, maybe another pickup.
@MarcusGHedwig
thanks!
i think it looks just better without any shapings, it's for home use only so i can live with that.
it's also damn heavy, i guess that's waht makes it sound so good (unplugged)
the pickup i used is a cheap made in china high output humbucker.
before i reworked the guitar i did a few quick sound checks, it sounded absolutely celar and defined, a bit sharp but not that much as i've expected.
not sure if the noise has an influence on the overall sound though.
thanks!
i have tried every possible connection, unfortunately without any effect.
i also had a cable under the bridge connected to the ground pole of the jack,
this should actually work to get rid of any hum/noise...not in my case.
i have to try a new jack, maybe another pickup.
@MarcusGHedwig
thanks!
i think it looks just better without any shapings, it's for home use only so i can live with that.
it's also damn heavy, i guess that's waht makes it sound so good (unplugged)
the pickup i used is a cheap made in china high output humbucker.
before i reworked the guitar i did a few quick sound checks, it sounded absolutely celar and defined, a bit sharp but not that much as i've expected.
not sure if the noise has an influence on the overall sound though.
Lado built a signature guitar for Adrian Smith that is all maple back in the day, the Lado Earth.
Bosnian Maple is usually heavily quilted, but afaik this has to do with quartersawn pieces of wood. It's pretty much the most expensive tonewood there is.
Bosnian Maple is usually heavily quilted, but afaik this has to do with quartersawn pieces of wood. It's pretty much the most expensive tonewood there is.
@hsinn3r
basically i know nothing about wiring, the pickup has two cables,
the jack has two connectors, so basically there is not much i can do wrong right?
i connected the guitar and just tried to connect the cables holding
them to the jack connectors, just to see if i get any sound. one combination
remains completely silent, so i connected it the other way around^^
i am just soldering it again, then i'll post some samples!
@kvoid
it's preferably used for classical instruments so i thought if bosnian maple
is good for violins and stuff, then it has to be great for guitars also
does the way, the wood was cut affect the tonal quality of the wood, or is it just optics, any idea?
cheers
S.
basically i know nothing about wiring, the pickup has two cables,
the jack has two connectors, so basically there is not much i can do wrong right?
i connected the guitar and just tried to connect the cables holding
them to the jack connectors, just to see if i get any sound. one combination
remains completely silent, so i connected it the other way around^^
i am just soldering it again, then i'll post some samples!
@kvoid
it's preferably used for classical instruments so i thought if bosnian maple
is good for violins and stuff, then it has to be great for guitars also
does the way, the wood was cut affect the tonal quality of the wood, or is it just optics, any idea?
cheers
S.
Uhh no. One wire from the pickup is hot, one wire from the jack is hot, these get connected. The other's are both ground wires, they both need to be connected to the main grounds (I think). Did you manage to get it working?
damn, i really do not know anything about electrics^^
which is the HOT wire, the inner wire or the wire that's wraped around?
i connected it the only way i could get a sound out, one way the guitar
remains completely silent, the other way i get sound, so i thought that it's correct that way to connect it
when i touch the strings or bridge the hum remains. when i touch the screw that holds the pickup the hum is
almost completely gone (i guess there is abit of hum always, especially when playing with distortion)
maybe this can help a bit!?
@mili9152
i planed to get an 81 in there but the pickup is way to expensive to put it into a guitar that's just a DIY project.
if i get it working, and set up correctly, i may swap the pickups but atm it's not an option
cheers
S.
Hot will be insulated (plastic wrapped around it), ground will be bare. Something I noticed with your pic is there is too much wire uncovered, which could lead to the 1/4" cable touching them, which could cause issues as well. I would suggest snipping off the ends so they are new again and try to remove less of the shielding on the hot wire, and try to use a shorter ground or get something called heat shrink to cover the part not being soldered, basically insulating the ground wire like the hot. Anyway, if you wire it properly, and with less bare wire exposed to lessen the chance of your cable touching, you will still need to ground everything to the bridge. If you do all that, it should be good to go and have a normal amount of noise instead of being unusable.
Also, with a guitar that is maple like that I wouldn't put an 81 in it, would be incredibly bright in a bad way. I would suggest either 85 or 89, preference to the 89.
Also, with a guitar that is maple like that I wouldn't put an 81 in it, would be incredibly bright in a bad way. I would suggest either 85 or 89, preference to the 89.
not sure if this will help. the first time i soldered it i had almost no blank cables.
the first time i tried it i also connected the bridge to the ground with an extra cable but it had absolutely no effect.
i also removed the black paint from the bridge to make sure that the cable really touches the metal part of the bridge.
when i touch the bridge i also do not get any change but when i touch the screw that holds the pickup in place, the hum almost disappears.
it also disapperas when i touch the outer part of the cable connection
cheers
S.
the first time i tried it i also connected the bridge to the ground with an extra cable but it had absolutely no effect.
i also removed the black paint from the bridge to make sure that the cable really touches the metal part of the bridge.
when i touch the bridge i also do not get any change but when i touch the screw that holds the pickup in place, the hum almost disappears.
it also disapperas when i touch the outer part of the cable connection
cheers
S.
Well the bridge MUST be grounded with passive setups, period. If it is and you are still getting too much noise then there remains a grounding issue elsewhere. Like I said, try redoing the connection to the 1/4" jack using less bare wire. It seems like you have the hot and ground soldered to the correct contacts since you get sound, but you only need like 1/4" or so of bare wire from the hot. It looks like you took off about 1" of insulation off of it in that pic above. If the jack is touching bare wire when it is plugged together that will cause problems. Is it touching bare wire when you plug it in?
i just isolated the bare cable with tape but it has no effect at all,
i'll try to re-solder everything but i doubt that it will help
The tape is ok to do for the meantime while you narrow down the cause.
