I recently purchased a lovely hand wound pickup, it has 2 leads, I have it wired very simply to the jack. When I touch the jack it pretty much stops. I believe my connections are good(i think) Please pardon my ignorance on this I relize this has been discussed before. Seems like grounding issue but not sure where or how to ground. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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  • 'when I touch the jack it stops...'
    Dude you need to earth your strings an it'll go away.
    Ps its not a hum it's a nasty buzz am I right?
    • Yes, Buzzy hum, I realize its a grounding issue, Im just trying to figure out the best way to do that with my setup.
      I use a domino & brass allthread.
      Thanks
      • Brax,

        Can you send a pic of your setup? How are your strings attached to the box?
  • Braxton,

     

    Forgot something; try twisting the leads from the pup into a braid. Make sure you connect + and - to the appropriate lugs on the jack. It won't cure the source of the hum, which is definitely a grounding problem, but it will provide cheap shielding to prevent other problems after you solve the grounding issue. 

    • Thanks so much
  • Braxton,

     

    Yep, you've got a grounding problem. No volume pot, huh? First thing one normally does is...go back and make sure your solder joints are good on the jack. I know, I know, you've checked 'em already. Do it one more time, very carefully, just to be sure. You'd be surprised at what you can miss the first two times around.  Next, check your wiring at the bridge and the jack. How did you attach the wire to the bridge? Brass bridge, eh? Hmm. It should be just conductive enough.What about attachment screws? Try running a wire from the screw, instead of the bridge, to the negative lug on the jack.

  • Forgot to mention, I tried running a wire from the neg on the jack to bridge, it's brass though, so it probably isn't conducting.
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