bad vol pot?

[tubenit]

Help, please.

I need to do something to resolve this dilemma. Both of my guitars when the volume pots are dialed to "8" have a noticeable hum thru the amp. Pickups are DiMarzio humbuckers and it doesn't matter how I have the 5 way switches set.

There is not hum at "7" or above "9.5" ........... but between those there is a obnoxious hum that sounds like a grounding issue.

In other words, I can dial the volume to "10" and it's dead quiet at idle. Dial it down to "8" and I get a hum. It is the noisiest on "8".

Are there some really good potentiometers that would eliminate that as a problem?

Both guitars do the same thing with all 3 amps.

With respect, Tubenit

[jjasilli]

Checkout:
http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/281392-hum-goes-up-volume-pot-goes-down.html

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/squier-strat-forum/33886-cv60-strange-hum.html

[Willabe]

Huh. That's interesting what their talking about. Thanks for posting that jjasilli.

Wonder what tubenit will find?


                     Brad         

[tubenit]

Wow! That first link describes what's happening right on the mark!  UGH!!!!

Not sure about the idea of going from 500k to 250k pots?

I may experiment with paralleled resistors and see what happens?

I was hoping it was a "bad" pot and replacing would resolve the issue.

Thanks, Tubenit

[jjasilli]

This has me wondering about possible solutions:

1.  A series resistor to the signal out jack inside the guitar -- might decouple capacitances, and attenuate hum.  Anything from maybe 1K up to 1/10th the value of the pot might work.

You say you have a 5-way SW with humbuckers;  usual gibson wiring has the resistance of the vol pots isolating the PU's from ea other.  Fender wiring lacks this, so the PU's load one another.  Maybe this affects your hum problem?  It may help to put a series resistor between ea PU and its SW lug.

2.  Balanced line:  Balanced line phono plug @ guitar jack > balanced line cable > Balanced line phono plug into amp

3.  Buffer between guitar & amp; any effects pedal might work.

[G._Hoffman]

It maybe that, but I would try cleaning the pot first.  You'd be amazed at what cleaning a pot can do.


Gabriel

[Ritchie200]

Ummm, helloooo...  All you have to do is look at the shape of the body.  It is wrong in so many ways, I'm surprised they play at all - oh wait....

Yer pal,
Jim

[tubenit]

Ummm, helloooo...  All you have to do is look at the shape of the body.  It is wrong in so many ways, I'm surprised they play at all - oh wait....

....................... they're strat pickups!! 

'Nit

[Ritchie200]

It's hard to fly like an eagle when you are surrounded by a turkey.

Thought for the day...
Jim

[tubenit]

It's hard to fly like an eagle when you are surrounded by a turkey.

[John]

That must be some turkey!