Single Coil Noise Tricks?

[big_teee]

Anyone got any Single coil Tricks they do to make Single coils quieter.
I have noticed that a Tele neck pickup, that has a potted and grounded cover is much quieter than a standard strat pickup.
Which does prove to me at least, that full pickup shielding does cut down on noise.
Maybe not the 60hz noise, but the rest of the noises jumping around the room.
Post any hints here!
T

[eschertron]

Anyone got any Single coil Tricks they do to make Single coils quieter.
I have noticed that a Tele neck pickup, that has a potted and grounded cover is much quieter than a standard strat pickup.
Post any hints here!
T

Yes! I turn off all the lights when I play to minimize radiated noise. It may not sound better, but I look better!

[big_teee]

That might help indeed.
I have a ceiling fan in my guitar/bedroom with twisty florescent bulbs.
It does raise hell with SCs.
The Thread was really shooting for pickup maker tips to reduce noise!
And to generate some conversation here, it has been too quiet, for too long in the B/H area.
T
**Edit
BTW you looking better with the light off?
Is similar to my guitars always sounding much better, when someone else is playing them. :<)

[eschertron]

I understand, Big Tee. I was simply unleashing what little sense of humor I have left!

I (very nearly) never play a SC by itself, but only in parallel with a RWRP pickup. I know it sounds different than just one SC, but I can't stand the noise I get otherwise! I will be watching this thread to see if there are indeed tips and tricks a simple mortal like myself can use.

[big_teee]

Sense of Humor Welcome!
Same here, I start my bedroom playing with single coil guitars, but usually end up with my Humbucker guitar and basses.
Noise really gets on my nerves when playing a bass in clean mode.
Jump in anytime!
T

[big_teee]

Here's an experiment to try.
Take a standard strat guitar and a tele guitar with a metal covered neck pickup.
I have a noisy room, and if I compare the strat with a neck Single Coil to a Tele Neck single coil the Strat is always the Noisist.
That tells me that the Tele metal shielded cover, really does do a lot to block noise, even seems to work better on 60hz noise.
Granted the 60hz is there, and will always be there, but seems to be reduced compared to the un-shielded Strat neck pickup.
On my two test guitars both have shielded pickguards.
So why as a group, can't we get someone to make a neck tele pickup cover to fit a Strat pickup?
I have seen some similar larger SC covers in the past on some Jap guitars.
It would be like a lipstick pickup, but use regular strat parts, with a solder on shielded cover, shaped like the Tele neck pickup?
Also BTW, I can make the Tele neck pickup sound IMO as good as the Strat pickup, which is always the complaint about tele neck pickups.
Any practical Input welcome.
T

[Chuck H]

I have fully shielded the inside of a plastic strat type SC cover with copper tape and grounded it. It does cut maybe 30% of the noise. The downside is that the close proximity copper shield seemed to F with the inductance of the pickup creating an audible bump in the hairy treble range. Not at all offensive for cleans but not good for clipped tones.

I always thought it would be a fun experiment to add a 60Hz generator with adjustable phase, level and wave "square-ness" to a guitar rig. Theoretically you could dial in the phase until noise got quieter and then fiddle with the shape and level for maximum noise cancellation.

I think the Sure system is a pretty cool idea. I've never heard one before and after up close though. Perhaps changes to things when a parallel coil is added sucks out some tonal authenticity other than noise. I dunno.

[big_teee]

Like Chuck mentions, you can foil the inside cover, but then it has to stay put in the pickguard to stay grounded.
A bare nickel cover could be an integral part of the pickup, with permanent ground.
Also the covers could be silk screen painted, if you wanted to make them a particular color.
I would like the cover to have holes so the magnets could stick through just like on a plastic cover.
accept with bendable tabs on the bottom, like on a Tele neck pickup, and solder the start lead to ground the cover.
This cover in a chrome type cover, would give some of the lipstick pickup effect, but be the rock solid fender strat pickup design!
I think it would be very attractive?
T

[big_teee]

I threw the tele type cover for a Strat pickup, at a few manufacture folks.
Will wait and see if they think it is smash or trash!

[Jazz P Bass]

Water jetting or punching the holes is easy enough.
The bending part will most probably require a die.