dr.lizardo Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Hello, I am new to the forum. I just got my new SG Standard yesterday, and noticed that when I touch the strings or any of the metal components I get a popping sound. This doesnt happen with my other guitars so I dont think it is my amp or other gear. It is more noticeable when I am using a lot of gain. It seems to be a grounding problem. Is this something that is inherent with an SG, or do I need to return this one for another? I have only played single coil guitars up to this point and didnt know if the higher output of the humbuckers would cause this either. Any help or advice is appreciated. Thanks! :- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Thats not normal for an SG or Gibson. It sounds like a grounding problem to me too. I'd say have a tech look at it. It's probably a simple problem. By the way Dr. Lizardo is a SWEET name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted October 10, 2009 Share Posted October 10, 2009 Check your "Lead," or patch cord, first. Bad cords can do that. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 This is the electrostatic charges in your body being sent to earth. it shows your ground connection is fine. It happens because modern Gibsons are badly shielded, and the SGs with PCBs are amongst the worst. The electrical components are picking up the electrostatic noise. When you touch a metal part, your charge is shunted to ground, and the guitar picks this up. Gibson know how to shield guitars. From the mid 1960s onwards, many guitars were fitted with very effective shields in the control cavity. My 1980 LP Custom has one. Gibson seem to think they are not needed anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr.lizardo Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Great thanks for the responses. 80LPC, this is probably going to happen with all new SG's right? Would there be any use in exchanging this one for another? Would lowering the bridge pickup lessen the sound? I have noticed it is louder with the bridge and the pickup is really close to the strings. Thanks again for the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinosauria Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Some pickguards hold a bit of a static charge, some people use static wipes on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LPC Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Yes this will happen with all new SGs, so if you are happy with the guitar in other respects keep it. It's possible that the close proximity of the bridge pickup to the strings could make the sound louder. However, the bridge p/u is also closer to the control cavity. I think it would be worth dropping it slightly to see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr.lizardo Posted October 11, 2009 Author Share Posted October 11, 2009 Thanks! You saved me the trouble of having to return it for another. Maybe someday I will try shielding it. I have a strat that shielding worked wonders for. :-$/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boston004681 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Mine doesn't do that. ??? I'm confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackie Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 Yeah I have no problems with any of mine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted October 11, 2009 Share Posted October 11, 2009 My SG came shielded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drumrnmuzik Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Hey, no poping noises out of my 2009 SG... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laney1566 Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 MY 05 and 06 Standards disagree. They tell me that they will never pop...Just not a proper thing to do after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnolivos Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 Search some of my recent posts from 2009... I had purchased ~3 SG new Standards, the ones with silly PCB board in the control cavity, and had that pop on all of them, as well as a hummm.... I ended up getting a 2004 model (used), with no PCB, and all is fine, even though it is NOT shielded either. In the end I am not sure what I concluded, but I was certainly suspicious of the PCBs..... however I did try a non-PCB SG that had the same problem at the store (GC). Like I said, check my recent threads, one of them deals with this issue and explains what I found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackie Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 mine is an 09 with pcb......no pop Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uyasgali Posted October 12, 2009 Share Posted October 12, 2009 I don't have that problem with my SG but I did have it with my LP Studio. I fixed most of it by repairing a broken solder joint. It all went away when I changed the pups and pots... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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