First wiring attempt not exactly successful - Squier Strat.

Cano

Hi,

I recently picked up a cheap Squier Strat to use during lockdown while my other guitar is at a tech having some work done.
Lockdown boredom set in and I started tinkering and now need some help.

The guitar needed a new volume pot and I think the Tone pots too as they didn't seem to do anything. The pickguard was also aged so I just decided to load up a completely new pickguard with new but cheap pickups, CTS pots and a CRL 5 way switch.

I went with dual capacitor wiring as when I bought the pots the tech at the store gave me two caps so I took that as a suggestion to use both.

It kinda works. I get a different tone from all 5 switch positions and they are using the pickups that you would expect from each position. However, the EM interference buzzing is significantly worse than the original AND I get an awful high pitch feedback style noise when I use a gain channel on an amp OR turn up the volume on the clean channel. The EM buzzing stops if I turn the lights off in the room, the feedback doesn't stop though.

The feedback noise is both when I am touching and not touching the strings BUT it does stop when a note is played.

It's there for all 5 switch positions too. As it is, it's pretty much unplayable.

Initially I didn't ground the 3 pots together simply because that connection wasn't shown in the wiring diagram I used, so I added those 2 wires last night but it hasn't fixed the issue.



My soldering is shockingly bad and I am almost certainly going to try and redo most of it, but as I am getting the 5 pickup configs, the volume and both tone pots are working as expected, I'm not sure if my shoddy soldering it the main issue.

My current thoughts are:

1) I've got a bad solder or a short somewhere on the pickup side of the switch, maybe shorting 2 or all of the pickups.
2) I've damaged a pot or capacitor 
3) I've got faulty pickups - but I would surely have to be very unlucky to have all 3 faulty so I suspect this is the most unlikely cause.
4) a problem with the output jack. I used a new one for this build, may put the original back on and see what happens.

Photos here https://imgur.com/gallery/BsoK4Su

I've tried it on 2 amps. Nothing special just a Katana Mini and a Blackstar AM2plug. However both have the same results.

I've ordered a multimeter and helping hands but they won't be here for a few days.

Thanks

Cano

prowla

Sounds like a dodgy pot to me.

Try disconnecting the tone pots and see if it stops.

Neat soldering, though.

Cano

Will give that a try. Just the middle connection on each pot I presume? 

ICBM

Don't disconnect the tone pots - the wiring appears to be correct.

The pots are not damaged if they basically do what they're supposed to.

You also appear to have a ground wire to the tremolo claw so it's not that, unless it's come off at the claw end - it can be hard to solder.

Did you replace the jack, and did you wire it the wrong way round? The black wire should go to the centre barrel connection.

Also, you should twist the wires to the jack round each other - a twisted pair reduces noise - although that probably wouldn't cause the level of problems you're having.

That might explain the buzzing noise - but probably not the feedback. That might just be microphonic pickups - if they're all constructed in the same way it's quite possible all three have the same issue.

Funkfingers

Are you room lights on a dimmer switch? If so, that will explain some of the noise issue. Proximity to mains transformers and computer monitors are other likely causes.

The squealing feedback is due to microphony in or around the pickups. Mounting with rubber tubing sections rather than metal springs might reduce this. More likely is that, if your “new but cheap” pickups have had any wax potting at all, it has not penetrated the coils very well.

Cano

These are the pickups https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/132080613079

No idea about the wax potting, how would I check? 

prowla

Cano said:

Will give that a try. Just the middle connection on each pot I presume? 

The wire from the switch, so the pot is totally out of circuit.

ICBM said:

Don't disconnect the tone pots - the wiring appears to be correct.

The pots are not damaged if they basically do what they're supposed to.

You also appear to have a ground wire to the tremolo claw so it's not that, unless it's come off at the claw end - it can be hard to solder.

Did you replace the jack, and did you wire it the wrong way round? The black wire should go to the centre barrel connection.

Also, you should twist the wires to the jack round each other - a twisted pair reduces noise - although that probably wouldn't cause the level of problems you're having.

That might explain the buzzing noise - but probably not the feedback. That might just be microphonic pickups - if they're all constructed in the same way it's quite possible all three have the same issue.

I suggested it because I had that exact thing happen (coincidentally on a Squier Strat) and it was one of the tone pots.

I replaced the pot and it was fine.

prowla

Funkfingers said:

Are you room lights on a dimmer switch? If so, that will explain some of the noise issue. Proximity to mains transformers and computer monitors are other likely causes.

I've had that happen too!

Cano

OK, so plan of action is to disconnect the tone pots and retest. Then I'll take the pickups out and swap them with the originsls. I guess I should try the old pickups on my new pickguard AND the new ones on the old pickguard. That will either rule out or confirm an issue with thr new ones.

99.99% sure I've got the jack connections the correct way aroun .

Thanks

Funkfingers

Cano said:

99.99% sure I've got the jack connections the correct way around.

Check anyway. A few seconds with a screwdriver could save a whole bunch of unnecessary soldering iron work.

If you absolutely MUST take the soldering iron to your guitar, I suggest the volume pot grounding lug to chassis connection.

Cano

Funkfingers said:

Cano said:

99.99% sure I've got the jack connections the correct way around.

Check anyway. A few seconds with a screwdriver could save a whole bunch of unnecessary soldering iron work.

If you absolutely MUST take the soldering iron to your guitar, I suggest the volume pot grounding lug to chassis connection.

I hear your. I've e kept the original pickguard loaded and untouched ready to drop back in if i hit a dead end with the new one . 

Cano

Funkfingers said:

Cano said:

99.99% sure I've got the jack connections the correct way around.

Check anyway. A few seconds with a screwdriver could save a whole bunch of unnecessary soldering iron work.

If you absolutely MUST take the soldering iron to your guitar, I suggest the volume pot grounding lug to chassis connection.

Only just got around to checking as I finally got a multi meter and battery today. I does inded look as if I've wired the jack socket terminials the wrong way around.

I was getting continuity between the tip and all my earths, alarm bell one. Then a closer look and it's obvious l've got them wrong.

To add insult to injury, the solder on the live wire was so bad and brittle that it snapped off and I lifted the jack out of the cavity...

That'll teach me to solder up a whole circuit at 11pm at night after a tired 16 hour day of looking after the kids.

I may fix it tonight or probably will wait until the weekend when I should be able to steal half an hour of free time to do it wihout distraction.

Thanks!!

Cano

Cano

Couldn't wait until the weekend. Funkfingers was on the money, it was the jack connection wired up in reverse. All fixed now, earths acting as they should re continuity and the feedback and buzzing are gone  

Thanks again, you have one very happy new member here  

Funkfingers

Cano said:

Funkfingers was on the money

I still am. I’ve been addicted to it for decades. 

Seriously, though, your jack socket needed to be right before you could check any of the other electronic components through an amplifier. 

It would be a royal PITA to dismantle most of your wiring only to discover that the problem could have been solved in two shakes of a soldering iron.

LastMantra

9 times out of 10 it's tiredness and missing something obvious! 
Glad you got sorted.