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Les Paul R8 Tone Gone South


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My 2013 LP R8 Custom has started to really sound like crap. There is lot of static and noise, even more than my single coil Fenders and P90’s. The bridge pickup treble is harsh and brittle, bass strings are farty and muddy. The neck pickup is so muddy and dark that it is almost unusable. Overdrive and fuzz pedals have become unusable because of all the noise.

 

I play through a Carr Skylark. I have adjusted the amp in every conceivable way, and I have adjusted the guitar tone and pickup height and pole pieces in every conceivable way. All to no avail.

 

Could it be?

 

- Bad pickups?

 

- Bad cap/pots?

 

- Ground or other short?

 

- All of the above?

 

Next step is to the tech. I have some Arcane Inc. 57 pickups on order. Going to put those in and give it a good check out by someone who knows what they are doing.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Wooly

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Hello there....

 

Id try the basic stuff first... Its odd if the guitar suddenly shows these symptoms....

 

Has anything in your guitar environment changed? Its well known that electrical systems can cause interference.. Tube lights, dimmer switches even the electrical system itself if not grounded properly can all effect the output...

 

Also another even more basic question.. Do you play with your phone in your pocket? Ive found many times that since my phone is often in my right pocket its directly behind the guitars controls.. this can also cause interference...

 

Cables as well.. Try a different guitar cable.. and amp if you can find one or have a spare.. See if you get the same symptoms.

 

Hmm, the only other thing I can think of is maybe theres just a cold solder joint somewhere which has come a bit loose? Try taking the control cavity off and wiggling the joints.. If they are loose that could cause issues.. Also the input jack, check those joints too...

 

All things you should check first before taking drastic action... Also if theres a grounding issue often you can tell by touching the strings when its plugged in.. if the noise increases when you touch the strings its probably a grounding issue.

 

Well I hope that helps a bit..... Let us know how you get on [thumbup]

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Hello!

 

Excuse me for hijacking the thread for a moment.

 

I have recently moved (well, in March) and in the new apartment, I have some kind of grounding issue as well. Does anyone know a cure for this?

 

All my guitars are noisy, thru all my amps. Until I touch a metal part on the instrument, the amp hums. The same equipment works well at other places. It's a blockhouse flat, I am renting it. So, I can't make any modifications to the electrical system. Is there any kind of gadget that can cure this?

 

Thanks in advance and sorry again!

 

Best wishes... Bence

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Hello!

 

Excuse me for hijacking the thread for a moment.

 

I have recently moved (well, in March) and in the new apartment, I have some kind of grounding issue as well. Does anyone know a cure for this?

 

All my guitars are noisy, thru all my amps. Until I touch a metal part on the instrument, the amp hums. The same equipment works well at other places. It's a blockhouse flat, I am renting it. So, I can't make any modifications to the electrical system. Is there any kind of gadget that can cure this?

 

Thanks in advance and sorry again!

 

Best wishes... Bence

Hey Bence,

 

This is a tough one..... If the hum goes away when you touch a metal part of your guitar then at least your guitar is grounded properly (that's whats meant to happen, you are the ground which is why hum goes away).

 

If you look up on Google "Gibson forum 60 cycle hum" you will see many discussions on this....

 

Some say that maybe if you shield the control cavity and the back of the control cover this helps... Some say try turning off lights in your home and see if that helps, but what does seem to help is some kind of noise gate pedal like this

 

heres a thread on it http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/75702-single-coil-60-cycle-hum/page__st__40

 

Hope that helps both of you a bit.. Hum is bloody annoying... ive always been pretty lucky with my homes where I haven't ever had that issue..

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Thank You, Rabs!

 

I am using a noise gate, not much success with it though :(

 

Cheers... Bence

Hmmm.. Well im no expert on electrics...

 

Id suggest that either one of you bring this up in the Les Paul Section or even the Lounge area... You will get way more replies and probably a much better answer than I can provide as we have amp builders, pedal builders and all sorts of clever people on here :)

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My 2013 LP R8 Custom has started to really sound like crap. There is lot of static and noise, even more than my single coil Fenders and P90’s. The bridge pickup treble is harsh and brittle, bass strings are farty and muddy. The neck pickup is so muddy and dark that it is almost unusable. Overdrive and fuzz pedals have become unusable because of all the noise.

 

I play through a Carr Skylark. I have adjusted the amp in every conceivable way, and I have adjusted the guitar tone and pickup height and pole pieces in every conceivable way. All to no avail.

 

Could it be?

 

- Bad pickups?

 

- Bad cap/pots?

 

- Ground or other short?

 

- All of the above?

 

Next step is to the tech. I have some Arcane Inc. 57 pickups on order. Going to put those in and give it a good check out by someone who knows what they are doing.

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks,

Wooly

 

Have you tried another amp or tried your other guitars through that amp? Are you sure it's not an amp issue?

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