My first guitar build - WIP

[Sebastiaan56]

Where are you Scuzy? Im in Lapstone.

[scuzyboy]

Hey Sebastiaan56 I'm in Valley Heights

[Shedhand]

Hi all. This is to anyone who has a good knowledge of wiring an electric guitar.

I'm having all sorts of problems - some creepy - so some advice would be very welcome indeed.

I bought an ALLPARTS Les Paul EP - 4140 - 000 wiring kit for the guitar I've built.

I have the usual Humbuckers. (new)

I've soldered everything in place exactly as depicted in the Wiring Diagram that came with the kit.

I tuned the guitar unplugged then plugged it in to my amp.

All I got was a loud hum. Picked the notes and there was no discernable sound in or over the hum.

The amp is new and the leads are a couple years old (Hotline Professional Audio Line) and everything is great with my LP Gibson.

I've rechecked all the wiring to make sure they're soldered where they should be. They are (according to the supplied diagram).

When I hold the braided wire which goes from the centre pole on the 3-way switch to the Jack the hum goes away.

When I touch the metal body of the the 3-way switch the hum gets louder.

When I touch the body, back of the pots or the PUPs I get a hum. When I touch the strings or PUPs on the UNPLUGGED Gibson sitting next to me while tuning the new one to it the amp hums in response (which I think is creepy) am I a living power cable?

I'm at my wits end. I could take the guitar to a shop to get it done but I want to learn how to do everything myself as I want to make more guitars.
Love to hear from anyone who knows what is happening here and how to fix it.

Thanks in advance
Sheddie

[IWieldTheSpade]

Might be a grounding issue, are all the necessary grounding connections made?
If you're having trouble with reading the schematic, I find the Seymour Duncan site has most of the standard wiring diagrams you'll ever want in a pretty easy to read form.
Here's the one for a les paul to cross reference, check if all the sames connections have been made:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support...ic=2h_2v_2t_3w

[Shedhand]

Might be a grounding issue, are all the necessary grounding connections made?
If you're having trouble with reading the schematic, I find the Seymour Duncan site has most of the standard wiring diagrams you'll ever want in a pretty easy to read form.
Here's the one for a les paul to cross reference, check if all the sames connections have been made:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support...ic=2h_2v_2t_3w

Thanks for the response mate.

Yes, I've looked at that diagram already in my search for answers.

4 Things

1. I don't have all those coloured wires, my wires are metal braided with a single wire core, a white cloth covering and a black cloth covering between the core and the braid.

2. The 3 - way switch in the SD diagram shows 4 wires attached. The switch I have has 3 single poles on one side to which the Jack, front and rear Volume pots are connected. There are two poles close together on the other side of the switch to which nothing is attached and the diagram shows nothing attached.

3. The SD diagram shows a ground wire coming from the bridge to the neck and bridge tone pots ???

4. The SD diagram shows the Capacitors soldered to the centre pole of each of the tone pots then soldered to its same pot whilst the LP diagram shows them soldered to the outer pole of the volume pots and the centre pole of the tone pots.

All very confusing. Maybe I'm just dumb as dirt Jethro.

If you see my earlier post you'll see my hand drawn schematic which is as per the Les Paul Wiring diagram.
Cheers
Mike

PS. I'm a total virgin when it comes to wiring, any wiring. The only wiring I can do without frying myself or some appliance is when I have to connect the jumper leads to my flat battery. Just 2 wires ..easy peasey. Why cant everything have just one red and one black wire.

[Cliff Rogers]

the usual Humbuckers

No such thing.

Where'd ya git yer 'buckers from?

There are some non-standard colour codes for the wires, particularly ones made in China.

This page lists the known brands.
http://www.planetz.com/wp-content/up...lor_codes1.jpg

[Shedhand]

Where'd ya git yer 'buckers from?

There are some non-standard colour codes for the wires, particularly ones made in China.

This page lists the known brands.
http://www.planetz.com/wp-content/up...lor_codes1.jpg

Hey Cliff. How goes it on PLANET FNQ?

My Buckers have braided wire hanging out of their guts. Only one wire inside the braid.

[Cliff Rogers]

Wet up here, bit sick of the rain.

Where'd the humbuckers come from?

They don't sound like what you call 'the usual Humbuckers'

They sound more like a P90 copy than a modern humbucker.

Look up a wiring diagram for P90s & try that instead.

[Cliff Rogers]

Sorry, I just looked at the wiring diagram for the Allparts Les Paul EP - 4140 - 000 wiring kit & it should work with what you have.

Go over it all again, there is either a mistake or a crook solder joint.

[Shedhand]

Wet up here, bit sick of the rain.

Where'd the humbuckers come from?

They don't sound like what you call 'the usual Humbuckers'

They sound more like a P90 copy than a modern humbucker.

Look up a wiring diagram for P90s & try that instead.

Dunno I threw the boxes out. They're rectangular chrome things with a single row of screws poking up which I assume are the magnets or attached to magnets and underneath the screw threads poke out about 1/8th inch or so. I think they're WRM or something like that. Anyway I'll check out P90s.
Thanks for the info Cliff. Raining here too but only 8 degrees or something stupid.
Cheers

[Cliff Rogers]

OK, I have studied the kit you have, is there any chance that you have the braid & centre conductor of the wire from the output socket on the wrong terminals?

The braid goes on the short lug near the centre of the socket & the centre wire goes on the longer lug on the outside of the socket.

If you had them the wrong way around, you would get the result that you are describing.

[Shedhand]

OK, I have studied the kit you have, is there any chance that you have the braid & centre conductor of the wire from the output socket on the wrong terminals?

The braid goes on the short lug near the centre of the socket & the centre wire goes on the longer lug on the outside of the socket.

If you had them the wrong way around, you would get the result that you are describing.

Yup! That's how I've got them.

[Shedhand]

Yup! That's how I've got them.

Errr. I just noticed something. On the diagram it shows the Jack output wire connected at the 3-switch to what looks like 2 poles squeezed together. between to single poles which are for the volume pots. On my 3-way switch - which I assume is the same depicted in the drawing there is only 0ne pole in the middle and the two separate ones or on the opposite side of the switch. Should I solder the jack wire to the two separate ones maybe?

[Cliff Rogers]

Pull the lead out of the guitar & with the amp on, play around with the plug, when you touch the tip, it should hum, when you touch the sleeve, it shouldn't hum, when you touch both at once, it may hum a little bit.

If it doesn't do that, there is something odd with your lead.

Armed with that knowledge, you should be able to plug it in again & work out which bit is connected to the tip of the plug by touching it to see if it hums.

The centre wire of all your internal wiring is the signal path & should hum if you touch it.
The braid is the earth & should not hum if you touch it.

[Cliff Rogers]

Errr. I just noticed something. On the diagram it shows the Jack output wire connected at the 3-switch to what looks like 2 poles squeezed together. between to single poles which are for the volume pots. On my 3-way switch - which I assume is the same depicted in the drawing there is only 0ne pole in the middle and the two separate ones or on the opposite side of the switch. Should I solder the jack wire to the two separate ones maybe?

That could be the problem.

The diagram doesn't match the picture of the switch.

I bet that centre tab on the side with 3 tabs is actually the ground of the switch.

The 2 on the other side of the switch should be joined together & your hot wire to the output should go on there.
Connect the braid to that centre tab that you currently have your hotwire on.