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Static charge on new Gibsons


premiumplus

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Dear Gibson,

In 2015 I bought a nice SG, the standard model that went for around 1400 dollars. It's getting better with time, but it had horrible static issues.

This year my wife bought me a 2017 Firebird T and I absolutely LOVE that guitar. But I can't move my hands up and down the neck or move the guitar against my clothes without hearing the snap crackle and pop of static discharge. I've done everything to eliminate it. Rubbing with dryer sheets helps for a bit, but they leave residue behind.

What's going on? Is it the fact that you charge your bodies with a negative charge to attract the paint, like powder painters do? I know it will go away with time, but it's frustrating as hell to spend this kind of money and get an instrument that you can't really crank and play hard without getting the pops of static discharge.

Frustrated in Swartz Creek Michigan...

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Dear Gibson,

In 2015 I bought a nice SG, the standard model that went for around 1400 dollars. It's getting better with time, but it had horrible static issues.

This year my wife bought me a 2017 Firebird T and I absolutely LOVE that guitar. But I can't move my hands up and down the neck or move the guitar against my clothes without hearing the snap crackle and pop of static discharge. I've done everything to eliminate it. Rubbing with dryer sheets helps for a bit, but they leave residue behind.

What's going on? Is it the fact that you charge your bodies with a negative charge to attract the paint, like powder painters do? I know it will go away with time, but it's frustrating as hell to spend this kind of money and get an instrument that you can't really crank and play hard without getting the pops of static discharge.

Frustrated in Swartz Creek Michigan...

 

 

Hey premium;

 

The static as you mentioned I think is likely being aggravated by lack of humidity in the winter air, don't think your Michigan winters are too different than here in Canada and the air is brutally dry right now. If possible I'd try humidifying your environment and see if that helps. Avoiding synthetic shirts while playing could also reduce the static.

 

Powder coating charges the powdered paint and the parts painted must be grounded to attract the paint. Liquid automotive paint is also charged in most OEM applications.

Wood can not be grounded and Gibson does not charge their nitro, it is applied with a conventional spray gun.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Johnny

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we all deal with this -- keep a few dryer anti static sheet that have gone thru one cycle, and rub that where you're getting static,, this helps a little. but nothing will remove it unitl the RH reaches a more comfortable level. very dry here in the North East..

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I used to get a similar thing with my Studio, when I played it in my basement in winter. I think it was from the plastic piece on the back covering the pots. It would rub against my shirt and build up a charge and whenever I moved a certain way, there would be a creaking type sound. Like a door that needed it's hinges oiled.

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Before winter when it was hot and humid outside and cool inside, no issues with static. Now, during winter, with cold dry air outside and warm dry air inside, static. Happens on both my Standard with the nitro finish and Tribute with satin finish. Humidifiers really help.

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I've had that problem with 3 new Gibsons. It went away after about a year. My personal opinion is it is a combination of the finish, the home environment, the weather and my electric personality. Cleaning the guitar also seems to help temporarily.

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Whether or not you have static problems is probably slightly complicated. I live in Oregon. It's warm and VERY dry in the summer, it's cold and VERY wet here in the winter. Spring and fall are a mix. I've never had any static problems on my guitars, or anything else.

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On the 2015 SG Std. basses, Gibson changed the Control Plate, Back Plate Cover, to a Stainless steel infused polycarbonate for Electrostatic Discharge Protection. I wonder what was going on there. :rolleyes: My 2018 SG Std. has the upgraded Control Plate, Back Plate Cover as well.

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I am an electrician by trade and that is all that electricity is, just magic. Or PFM (Pure F-ing Magic).That POP as you say is called getting shocked. Many people say electrocuted, but that is getting shocked to death.

 

I hear dryer sheets work.

 

 

Are you an IBEW sparky?

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I see this is yet another thread where a new member posts a query, gets 2 pages of responses, and never comes back to read them.

I don't get that, but

---- what evah.......

 

 

Been reading them all so far brother.

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