1962 Strat Reissue hiss problem

[ChoppinBroccoli]

Hi there,

I'm thinking about buying a used 1962 Reissue Strat, so I went and tried playing it but it had this weird hissing sound when I plugged it into the amp.

The next day, the owner told me it was due to the amp being plugged into an unproperly grounded outlet. So he tried it somewhere else and says it worked fine. Except when the volume knob is between the 5 and 7 position it will hiss, but outside that position it sounds fine. So he says that taking it into the shop to fix up that volume switch should make things pefect.

Anyways, long story short. I'm kind of iffy about buying this guitar now. Am I getting too worked up or are these common problems that I'm just expected to come across? Also, I'm meeting him tomorrow to check out the guitar (it will be fixed tonight), are there any special tests I can do to make sure it's all working properly?

Thanks

 

[goldtopchas]

Did it do it on each pick-up setting, or just one? If only one pick-up was causing it to hiss, I would say it has a problem. A bad winding issue or faulty wiring. If all the settings caused it to hiss, maybe it was the a/c or amp.
It all boils down to him proving to you that it doesn't do it anymore. If it still exhibits this problem, plug another strat in and listen to it. If it doesn't hiss like the one you're buying,tell him to let you know when it is fixed.
Beyond that, I would say make sure the output is equal from all three pick-ups.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

It did it on all pickup positions. I'm just hoping there might not be anything else wrong with the guitar since it's my dream one. Also, does anyone know how to check to see if the pickups, body, and neck are authentic '62 Reissue parts?

 

[goldtopchas]

What year is this guitar supposed to be? If it's recent I doubt anyones "hacked" this thing up ( swapped necks, pick-ups, and so on.) You could check the serial # on line to see if it's what it's supposed to be.
On the subject of the "hiss".... It's probably a matter of the control cavity not having enough shielding. Strats are notorius for this. It's easy to remedy though. You can do it yourself. Get a shielding kit( basically some copper foil tape) and put on the interior of the control cavity. Overlap the sides and put it on the back of the pick guard too, so when it is installed it contacts the cavitys shielding. It will need a wire from the shielding to ground to work.
Of course, you could have this done at a shop too. It wouldn't be expensive. If you want to do it yourself, I've seen the tape available from Carvin. www.carvin .com .....looks like good stuff.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

The guitar's supposed to be only 2 years old. The serial number's V137XXX. Which does verify it's a genuine US reissue. He really is an honest guy and he's going through all this trouble to fix it up even when he's getting a VERY clear impression from me that I'm starting to shy away from buying it.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

Actually just to follow up on the sheilding issue. I phoned him and suggested that,and he said he'll check with the repair guy. But the weird thing is that the hum only occurs when the volume is between the 5 and 7 volume levels. Everywhere else it apparently doesn't hum. Do you know why it would only hum in this range?

 

[goldtopchas]

Well, if he wants to make a sale, he'll probably fix it. No one is going to be too thrilled with a guitar that sounds like a python when your not playing it.

 

[goldtopchas]

It's hard to say, but I use humbuckers with a coil tap switch and when it's a noisy room( flourecent lights, dimmers etc. it hums more in single coil position when I turn the volume down.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

Yea the room wasn't noisy at all. Lights all turned off since it was daytime. Guess I just gotta wait and see tomorrow then. Thanks for the help, I truly appreciate it.

Also if anyone wants to learn more about sheilding, I found this link right now that can help:

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php

 

[notCardio]

Hey ChoppinBroccoli

Check your PM.

 

[ChoppinBroccoli]

CardoidPoint -- I think your mailbox is full, but yes, it was an SNL sketch I get my name from. Dana Carvey played this musician pretending to make a song up on the spot to impress record execs. He also used it in his old standup routine.

Goldtopchas -- He ended up replacing the volume pot to a better one (one that's even better than the one fender makes apparently). There was still a SMALL hum so we decided to go to the music shop i found a simiar guitar at that didn't hum. The funny thing is, it was late and the store was empty and quiet and the guitar I thought was good actually had a hum to it as well. So both guitars sounded exactly the same, long story short.

Quick quick question tho. Is it unreasonable to ask for a guitar/amp that will produce no hum whatsoever?

 

[acorec]

CardoidPoint -- I think your mailbox is full, but yes, it was an SNL sketch I get my name from. Dana Carvey played this musician pretending to make a song up on the spot to impress record execs. He also used it in his old standup routine.

Goldtopchas -- He ended up replacing the volume pot to a better one (one that's even better than the one fender makes apparently). There was still a SMALL hum so we decided to go to the music shop i found a simiar guitar at that didn't hum. The funny thing is, it was late and the store was empty and quiet and the guitar I thought was good actually had a hum to it as well. So both guitars sounded exactly the same, long story short.

Quick quick question tho. Is it unreasonable to ask for a guitar/amp that will produce no hum whatsoever?

Yes. Passive single coid pickups are going to hum and do many other tricks like buzz, pick up AM radio stations etc. Fender never shielded the guitar properly in the 50 odd years they have been making them. The pots, caps and wiring should go into the trash and replaced with the best stuff along with proper shielding if you want the guitar to sound good. I re-wire all my guitars to be done with it. These days, parts in all the guitars from Fender are cheap. The Mexican models are super-cheap. It is added cost and work but in the end, it beats the hum, buzz and AM radio sound.

The best test to determine if the Strat is the problem is to plug in a Gibson Les Paul or similar hum-bucking guitar. If the hum goes away, the amp is grounde properly.