Precision Pickup Buzz

[funkychicken]

Hello all. The pickup on my precision emits a death buzz when I touch any of the polepieces on the treble-side pickup. This buzz goes away when I touch either the controls, the jack or anything in the signal chain.

I'm assuming it's a grounding problem, but it doesn't happen to the bass-side pickup.

Please help, thanks!

 

[Andy Daventry]

This is fairly normal. The solution is simple:

Don't touch the pole pieces.

 

[funkychicken]

Yeah...unfortunately I use that end of the pickup as a 'table-top' and pluck down onto it.

The intermittent buzzing is nice if I'm playing Beck, but not much else.

 

[Andy Daventry]

Well, you could change all the connections around so that the hot wire is now ground etc. This might have the effect of making the other half buzz, or not buzz at all (don't trust me on this! I am repeating half garbled something I heard years ago).

 

[funkychicken]

Have found the culprit after looking carefully. The ground cable running from the bridge is hanging by a sliver.

Thanks for your time.

 

[Andy Daventry]

My time is yours...has the buzz been cured?

I mean, mine buzz even with a tight ground if you touch the pole pieces.

 

[Rod B.]

I was going to post check the bridge ground, but see you caught it.

I had a similar buzz problem and everybody kept saying it was normal. I knew I couldn't live with it and tore apart the bass and found the bridge ground dangling.

It's normal to get a buzz if only the pole it touched. But if any metal part is then also touch it should be grounded and the buzzing stop. Mine does just that, now.

(BTW, if a person finds the wires seem connected, a bad solder on the pot(s) could be the problem.)

 

[funkychicken]

Yeah that's what I meant. Exactly the same problem. It buzzes but when I touch any other metal part it stops.

The E string also has weak output, as compared to the other strings. Not overtly noticeable but it's not punching through as much as the rest.

 

[Rod B.]

When I say metal part I'm including the strings. You shouldn't get a buzz if the strings are being touched.

 

[blipndub]

I'm having P bass grounding problems too. But I don't have a bridge ground wire because it's an aftermarket body. Does it matter where the ground goes, can i drill in a screw and ground to that?