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pickguard static

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8/24/2005 7:46 AM

pickguard static

Hello,

I have just replaced Kent Armstrong P-90 pickups with Jason Lollar P-90 pickups in a Don Grosh Hollow Flat Top Custom. It is a very standard setup with a neck + bridge + 3 way toggle + 1 volume + 1 tone. It appears that I followed the original wiring perfectly and everything works just as it did before... Except that now I when my fingers come in contact with the tortise pickguard there is a very noticable amount of static that is amplified. I can continually run my fingers on top of the pickguard and the noise is always there. As long as you do not touch the pickguard everything is fine, but obviously something is wrong...HELP!

Thanks,

Dean

8/24/2005 9:01 AM
Spence	It's probably you. You'll have to earth yourself or something. I had a conversation about this with a luthier yesterday and he reckoned that fat people are more susceptable to this problem. Don't wish to be size-ist....just objective. Perhaps you just never noticed this with your Kent Armstrong's before. In any case, good luck with your quest.

8/24/2005 1:50 PM

Thanks for the info... I am not sure about the weight theory, (I am 5'10" - 160 lbs), but I do believe that certain people are more prone to this effect than others. Certain guitars do make a difference. I have experienced this problem in the studio and the producer made me change guitars and the problem was solved. If anyone has any thoughts on grounding or shielding that might help, it would be greatly appreciated.

8/24/2005 9:43 AM
Earl	try rubbing a drier sheet (like bounce) on the pick guard. It removes static.

8/24/2005 10:01 AM
Mark Lavelle	I would try changing pickguard materials.

8/24/2005 10:00 AM

quote:
"I had a conversation about this with a luthier yesterday and he reckoned that fat people are more susceptable to this problem."

I'd love to hear that guy's "reckoning"! It's such a totally bogus idea that I'm sure it would be tons of fun to tear apart his theory...

8/24/2005 12:14 PM

There you go. It's an observation made over thirty years of handling more guitars than most of us non luthiers. No one said it was a theory.
But I'm pretty sure it's got nothing to do with Jason Lollar's pickups.
I've never had static problems myself but I have come across people who do seem to struggle with taming it. I've never made any wieght/static problem observations myself but I'll be on the lookout in future. Meanwhile, I'm looking forward to hearing all the non-bogus theories.

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