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The problem
Bought a new Les Paul 2020 Standard. Playing it direct into a DV Mark using a new top of the range Fender cable I get hum and a clear and distinct crackle as I run my finger down the strings. I also get an occasional loud and slightly alarming cracks through the amp. The hum and crackle are mitigated somewhat if I put a finger on the screw holding the relevant pickup.
I play an Epiphone Sheraton II Pro through the same rig without any issues.
Attempts at a diagnosis
My question
How do I make this go away! The problem is consistent but seems to require both me and my home location to manifest itself. I'm baffled.
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Comments
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Try touching a radiator or something before playing to discharge the static, wear a different shirt, take off your watch?
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
If you do have a large charge, the discharge often will be seen and heard and can sting quite a bit. Using the key means it doesn't hurt.
It must be to do with my physiology as, like the OP, the same guitar won't have issues for other people.
I'm kind of resigned to either avoiding nitro or just living with the extraneous noise. Like anything, playing at home amplifies the severity of a lot of noise issues and while annoying it would be less of an issue with a band.
Sorry, just pulling your leg, I couldn't resist.
- Shouldn't a £2k guitar just work out of the box? Shouldn't there be something in the construction, earthing etc that mitigates this, nitro or no nitro?
- I gather that the nitro effect wears off after a while. How long is a while? Are we talking years of playing attached to a lightning conductor!
PS Thanks to all. Seems like a friendly bunch in hereI think so, but it appears a lot of guitarists disagree. In fact, many are willing to pay more for it.
For that matter, shouldn't guitar companies get into the late 20th century - let alone the 21st - and stop using primitive passive electronics which do things like this? Perfectly good solutions to this and other electrical problems have been available since at least the 1980s.
But we like our old-fashioned, noisy high-impedance pickups because they seem to sound 'right', which the active ones somehow don't to a lot of us... problems like this are the penalty.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I can't really say you can blame the guitar or Gibson for the static.
Now that we know the problem, we need to work towards a solution, since the solution is nothing to do with the guitar and you can't have a brain transplant then we need to look at other options. Since the radiator trick works then the next logical step is one of the anti-static wrist bands. Sure it isn't the most ideal but if it works with a simple fix, it's worth giving it a try, you never know, it might just be something in your diet.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Low levels of humidity can cause real problems with static build up & discharge. Get a cheap humidifier or a few plants around the place
https://www.est-static.com/static.php