Electrical Interference or Arcing?

[Rick1114]

I've always had this weird problem in apartment when I strum like funky 16th/32nd notes I would get a crackling noise. I noticed it when recording direct into my soundcard AND when playing my DRRI so I figured it was cheap electrical wiring or even the cell phone towers we lease on top of the building. It still happens with all the dimmers off and everything, and is more prominent at night and it only happens with my single coil pickups even though they are Dimarzio Area "Noiseless" technology. Anyway, I hadn't noticed the problem in a while when playing the DRRI since I had swapped out a bunch of components in the amp PCB to make it less bright. The amp was still a bit stiff, so I opened her up one last time to put in Ceramic 250 Treble Cap in the vibrato channels tone stack.

After this, I noticed the crackling was back & a bit more prominent. It starts happening as soon as the tubes warm up, so I was thinking maybe there's a cold solder joint from when I replaced the bypass caps recently. I went through and re-did some of the joints - some of the the cheap PCB solder pads were a little banged up but all joints are solid & testing fine with a multimeter. I cannot get the amp to crackle with humbuckers, only single coils so I'm wondering if it's just interference. It happens on both the vibrato and the normal channel when the amp is warmed up (could the ceramic cap I installed cause this on both channels?).

Does this sound like arcing or is it the electrical interference I had experienced before?

[Jag]

It could be static build-up on the pickguard of the guitar. I only mention this because you said it only happens with single coils and I assume it's a Strat or Tele type of guitar. I've had that happen on a few Strats and Tele's.

Try wiping down the pickguard with a Bounce sheet and see if the problem goes away. If it does that's the problem. There are two options I have used to resolve this issue. You can use sheilding tape on the bottom of the pickguard, or keep wiping down the pickguard with a Bounce sheet before playing.

[Rick1114]

It could be static build-up on the pickguard of the guitar. I only mention this because you said it only happens with single coils and I assume it's a Strat or Tele type of guitar. I've had that happen on a few Strats and Tele's.

Try wiping down the pickguard with a Bounce sheet and see if the problem goes away. If it does that's the problem. There are two options I have used to resolve this issue. You can use sheilding tape on the bottom of the pickguard, or keep wiping down the pickguard with a Bounce sheet before playing.

I'll try the bounce tonight and let you know. I have a feeling it's not that though because I just swapped the strat pickguard for a new color this weekend and don't think it made a difference!

[Don Moose]

I just swapped the strat pickguard for a new color this weekend and don't think it made a difference!

If it wasn't a different _material_ the new color won't change the electrical properties any - unless the new one is a high-carbon black.

Humidity, what you're wearing and what the floor covering is made of all affect how quickly you and whatever you're holding build up a charge - and it can be tens of kV (virtually no current). Stroking a plastic pickguard with a sleeve made of synthetic material is a great static charge generator.

Hope this helps!

[Rick1114]

If it wasn't a different _material_ the new color won't change the electrical properties any - unless the new one is a high-carbon black.

Humidity, what you're wearing and what the floor covering is made of all affect how quickly you and whatever you're holding build up a charge - and it can be tens of kV (virtually no current). Stroking a plastic pickguard with a sleeve made of synthetic material is a great static charge generator.

Hope this helps!

I was a skeptic, but holy cow batman the bounty worked!!! I've spent the last 3 years scratching my head about this mysterious electrical interference problem - turns out to be just your run of the mill static electricity - no idea a pickguard could be responsible for this.

thanks guys

[Dave Curtis, dB AudioTech]

I was a skeptic, but holy cow batman the bounty worked!!! I've spent the last 3 years scratching my head about this mysterious electrical interference problem - turns out to be just your run of the mill static electricity - no idea a pickguard could be responsible for this.

thanks guys

I have the same problem with a very cheap plastic pickguard I put on an equally cheap Squire Strat. Someday I'll try shielding the back side, or just put the stock pickguard back on.

[Jag]

Forgot about this thread. Glad it worked out.

My wife is a singer who also plays guitar. It took me years to convince her to buy some static guard to spray around the floor before a gig to avoid static shocks when walking up to the mic. She's never had that issue since.

[Enzo]

In another life in another industry, back in the 1980s when Pac Man was a huge hit, everyone and his brother opened arcades expecting huge incomes. Anyway, people were having lots of trouble with the games rebooting/resetting. SOmeone would walk up to a game, insert their quarter, and poof, game reboots - quarter lost. In some cases, customer gets excited, jumps up and down, then touches the control panel and... reboot.

It was like pulling hens teeth to convince these folks to make a dilute Downy fabric softener in a spray bottle and spray the rugs. ANd then tell the company that cleans the rugs to add anti-static to the mix in the future. Because static was the problem.