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Author
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Topic: TrueTone problem
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Ad Kersten
Member From: Beek en Donk, The Netherlands
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posted 08 September 2005 11:11 AM
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I recently installed a TT pick-up on my Zumsteel S-12 Universal. It is wound at 19.5K as recommended for the 12 strings. The TrueTone pick-up is definitely an improvement for the sound of the guitar but I have some problems with it.1. The higher strings can not be tuned with the electronic tuner in my Peavey Tubefex. Strings F# and G# give a certain frequency that keeps the same, whether I turn the tuning pegs or not. Also more or less volume with the pedal has no effect.
2. Also the pickup is micro phonic. If I play loud I get feedback. The feedback gets louder when I put my hand around the pickup. What could be the cause? Is this the Barkhausen (?) effect? I don’t think this normal and I checked this with Jerry. He though it might be an overloading problem so I took every effect, including tone control and Matchbox, out and went directly to the amp. This did not diminish the problem. The signal level is not the problem.
Jerry then suggested it might be a ground problem or the lead and ground wires reversed. I checked both but they seem OK. I did notice that the aluminium neck is not earthed. When I touch it, I hear a light buzz. This also happens if I touch the plastic part of the pick-up. I have not noticed this with the George L’s hum bucker that was on the guitar before. Earthing the neck did not reduce the feedback, however. Anybody got an idea?? Ad
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Zumsteel S12U
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Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 08 September 2005 11:31 AM
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How is the truetone you put in; Grounded to the strings???
Did you just wire the pickup straight to the input Jack> both ground and hot??
If so; than you have not grounded the pickup to the strings. You need to run an extra wire from the ground of the input jack; to a screw or mouning or spring mount, that is direct contact with the fingers where the strings lay.
Also 3/16" height to the strings is a great height for a single coil pickup. The Humbucker you took off is NOTHING like the truetone> completely wound different and grounded different...so there is no comparison to what was before and what now.
Check it out.
Ricky[This message was edited by Ricky Davis on 08 September 2005 at 11:32 AM.] |
rpetersen
Member From: Tipton, Iowa
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posted 08 September 2005 01:44 PM
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Also - look underneath and make sure that the hot side of the input plug is not touching the changer or something else - Maybe it needs to be turned - I had that happen once - Weird things happen - I couldn't even tune it with a tuner------------------
Ron Petersen &
The Keep'n Tyme Band
Mullen Universal 12 - LDG SHO BUD - 1975 Session 400 - Vegas 400 - ETC.
[This message was edited by rpetersen on 08 September 2005 at 01:44 PM.]
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Ricky Davis
Moderator From: Spring, Texas USA
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posted 09 September 2005 12:22 PM
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That's a VERY Good point Ron> good call man.
Ricky |
Joe Alterio
Member From: Fishers, Indiana
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posted 09 September 2005 12:45 PM
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I will add that with my True Tone pickup, I almost never could get the tuner to read the signal on the top three strings when I was out on a gig....although I never had a problem at home. Weird.....Joe |
Brad Sarno
Member From: St. Louis, MO USA
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posted 09 September 2005 02:27 PM
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Remember that a single coil pickup will always be passing a 60Hz tone from the AC field in the air around us. It's a very flat B note. When a tuner isn't being fed a strong musical note from the strings, then it defaults to the strongest note which is the 60Hz hum tone. I've found that many tuners are finicky about finding the fundamental note of the string being picked. Picking a high string with a metal pick gives off lots of higher overtones. Try picking the strings with the most mellow, muted tone possible. Try picking with your ring finger skin with no pick on it. That will make the fundamental note more readable to the tuner and should overpower the hum tone. I'm guessing that on those strings that your tuner is dancing around trying to pick which note to lock on to. This kind of thing happens a lot to people who switch from a humbucker to a single coil. Brad |
Jim Peters
Member From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
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posted 09 September 2005 04:17 PM
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Could you be picking up false harmonics from the pickup(magnet) being too close to the strings? Happens on 6 string a lot,though usually with single coils. Maybe try lowering the PU. Just a thought. JP |
Michael Johnstone
Member From: Sylmar,Ca. USA
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posted 10 September 2005 09:57 AM
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I have a TrueTone 17.5 on my Excel 12 string and I use a Peterson tuner mounted on the right front leg. I come straight out of the guitar's output jack into a custom made Bosstone-sized A/B switch box with one cable going down to my volume pedal and the other one - a 6" GL cable going to the Peterson input(I don't use the thru feature on the Peterson because even tho it's not supposed to,it in fact does degrade the signal). When I tune,I simply flip the mini-toggle switch routing the steel to the tuner and use the 12th fret harmonics on every string but the 3rd(G#)which I hit open. This method allows me to tune silently and also eliminates the tracking problems in question - in my case anyhow. The other thing to bear in mind is to keep fresh batteries in your tuner. -MJ- |
Ad Kersten
Member From: Beek en Donk, The Netherlands
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posted 10 September 2005 11:42 AM
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Thanks for the comments guys.
There is less hum when I ground the element to the strings as well but this does not solve the feedback nor the tuning problem.
Today I found out that when I switch the hot and the ground lead, there is a little less feedback. Is there a way to tell whether hot and ground leads are reversed in a pick-up. Does it actually make a difference?Ad ------------------
Zumsteel S12U
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Ad Kersten
Member From: Beek en Donk, The Netherlands
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posted 13 September 2005 01:45 PM
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I found out that when you switch the hot and ground lead from the pick-up. you get a lot of hum if you touch the poles of the element (gee, why didn't I think of that earlier??  ). So I kept the leads as they came out of the pick-up.
I soldered the ground also to the changer and to the aluminium neck. The nett result is less hum, so that's good. 
The feedback remains however. Also some hum when I touch the plastic housing of the pick-up. Is this normal for a single coil?  Ad ------------------
Zumsteel S12U
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