ES339 Noise

[Dick912]

I have a mild crackling/poping noise on my ES339 when the volumes up and it only seems to happen when

high E,B,G are played or vibrating. Any ideas?

[Dynadude]

I always suspect cords and jacks when I hear popping/crackling noises.

 

Make sure that the jack in the guitar is not loose, same with your amp. I fit persists, try another cord.

 

You could also listen to the guitar unplugged to get a fix on any loose hardware.

[badbluesplayer]

Hmmm.. I get a similar crackling sound on my 339- seems like some kind of static discharge - once in awhile. It gets to the point where it pops a little when I just wave my hand back and forth over a certain part of the pickguard.

 

Some kind of static? Whassup with that?

[Dynadude]

Oh, ok.

 

I know that sound. I get it from my Tele sometimes.

 

I'm considering ways to draw off the static charge from the plastic gaurd, but I keep putting it off.

 

I'm thinking of grounding it via some shielding foil on the back, then grounding that through the neck pickup base.

[bobv]

I get some static noise from my fingers brushing against the pickguard, but the circumstances have to be just right so it doesn't happen too often. I think rubbing a fabric softener sheet on it is supposed to work but I felt too silly to try it.

[Col F]

Electrical static type noise can either be static electric discharge (like your hand touching the pickup cover??), or more likely the intermittant connection type noise from electrical contacts, like cable/cord plug in contact with the jack, or potentiometer (volume/tone controls), switches (pickup selector) or a loose wire or cold solder connection on any of those electrical components. Sometimes one of those components only will be suspect when it is vibrating sympathetically at certain frequencies. (The pitch and volume of sound causing the instument and everyting in it or on it to vibrate at certain frequencies/cycles, resulting in the electrical connection being intermittant, just like tugging on a loose wire). You may need to physically manipulate each switch, pot, jack, pickups and all of the electrical leads attaching to each of them in order to find an intermittant. Sometimes, lightly tapping each of them with the plastic handle of a screwdriver might produce the static noise that will help in isolating the source of the problem component (of course you must be plugged in with amp on). Worst case, let a decent repair technician take a look. With any intermittant electrical issues, diagnosis can be very tedious and frustrating.

[Ken Rayba]

I would get that crackling sound on my Tele, went to the Fender site, and people complained on the Tele forums of the same thing. What I was told to do, put one of those dryer sheets under the pick guard, it works. I don't have that problem anymore, it was a quick fix too. I guess in the future if I hear the crackling again , just "change the sheet". LOL. It works!

 

Never had that problem on my Gibson Hollowbody's, any of them. I think this topic was on another thread months ago, but I'm not sure.

[Chuckbluz]

Yes, this is static - I have it on my ES339 as well. It happens when I brush my hand against the pickguard, but also on the rear of the guitar behind the controls. I had a similar pickguard issue on my archtop that I solved by placing copper tape on the back of the guard and connecting it with a thin wire to the ground of the output jack. I'll have to do the same with the 339. The static from the rear of the guitar is an interesting problem. I can see that some of the wiring is laying on the wood of the back - not sure yet how I'll solve that.