Some kinks in my Les Paul

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

I am having some troubles with my Les Paul Custom. When everything is cranked up to 10 it makes a horrible loud screeching noise when I am not playing.... None of my other guitars do this. Also, the bridge pickup is quieter than the neck pickup. The bridge pickup is backwards, so would this make it quieter? I think the neck pickup may be microphonic as well, but I'm not sure. Also the toggle switch crackles a little when I switch between pickups.

[Blackie]

Sounds about normal to me.

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

Is that sarcasm? Or are you being serious? Can't tell.

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

However, I'm assuming you are being sarcastic, because it SHOULDN'T be doing any of these things.

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

Damn this forum is useless.

[Nick Beach]

I'm 99.9999999% sure the pickup selector just needs to be cleaned.

 

No the bridge pup being backwards will not affect the volume.

 

Have you checked your ground? I had this awful screeching and it was caused by my ground wire coming unsoldered.

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

It's a 1989, and no it's not fake. I've had it for a few weeks, bought it off a friend. The problems are not that bad, they just annoy me.

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

I've potted both pickups already. Still screeches. Maybe not as much screeching as it was, I can't really tell. I need more time to mess around with it, which I don't have very often because people always ***** about the noise. And I will probably have to buy a new toggle switch, preferably Switchcraft. I just wanted a little input from people who know more about Les Pauls than me. I've always played a Strat.

[El_Jeffe_Solid]

I'm 99.9999999% sure the pickup selector just needs to be cleaned.

 

No the bridge pup being backwards will not affect the volume.

 

Have you checked your ground? I had this awful screeching and it was caused by my ground wire coming unsoldered.

 

How do you clean the pickup selector? And which wire is the ground? Thanks a lot for the help!

[Nick Beach]

How do you clean the pickup selector? And which wire is the ground? Thanks a lot for the help!

 

Spray contact cleaner on it then work it back and forth quickly.

 

The ground wire will be the one that is connected to your neck pup tone control and then looks liek it just goes into the body and disappears but its connected to the bridge.

[NeoConMan]

Potting a microphonic pickup isn't a cure-all.

Did you vacuum pot it?

Are you sure the wax was at the proper temp?

 

The pickup may simply be at the end of its useful life.

It can be rewound if you choose that route.

Any number of companies can do it - I've had good service with Lindy Fralin.

 

As far as being installed "backwards" it makes no difference.

Ted McCarty himself said that they were placed in the guitar with the screw heads oriented as they are

for no reason other than they thought it looked best.

 

If the selector is 20 years old, don't mess with it.

Get a new one from Switchcraft.

While you're at it, you may want to start shopping for your replacement pickups.

I recommend 57 Classics, but there's dozens of choices that would all work very well.

 

Keep the old ones, of course, just bag 'em up and put them in a drawer someplace.