Grounding Issue

[skeeterbuck]

As Joe Friday would say...."Just the facts."

I have a Fender CS Esquire. The guitar was totally stock. The guitar had the usual single coil hum that we all know and love. Hums until you touch the bridge,strings etc. and then the hum goes down.

I installed a RS vintage tone kit (pio .047 cap and .0047 mallory 150 series cap for the former bassy setting) over the weekend exectly as the instructions indicate. Everything after the installation works correctly.

But......Now when I touch the strings the hum doesn't decrease any. I have re-checked all my solder connections and all are good. I also checked the continuity from the bridge to the output jack and all test fine.
The volume pot is one of the 280K superpots the tone pot is the stock 250K.

This one really has me stumped. I thinking of returning the volume pot back to the stock 250K.

Any ideas? :confused:

[EADGBE]

I think the previous hum when touching the strings, bridge, etc. was a bad solder connection. The way it is now is the correct way. How does it sound?

[skeeterbuck]

I sounds OK. It's just that I have more hum now than I had before the conversion. I would think that it sould be the same as before.

If it was a bad solder connection as you suggest, I would think that the hum would have remained the same like it is now instead of decreasing. Just to be clear.....

Before... hum went down when I touched the strings.

Now...hum remains the same when I touch the strings.

[EADGBE]

I see. I'm not sure what it is. Some pickups are noisier than others. Have you thought about shielding the compartment with copper foil tape?

[zamsden]

Hum that goes away when touching the strings is usually because you don't have a string ground. Maybe it was loose before and you disturbed it back into place? Or maybe you had a ground loop that is now eliminated.

I would expect slightly more hum with a higher volume pot value, as you are placing the signal further off ground, so the noise will increase as well.

[skeeterbuck]

I would expect slightly more hum with a higher volume pot value, as you are placing the signal further off ground, so the noise will increase as well.[/quote]

I think that your right. Yesterday, I removed the superpot (280K) and replaced it with the original 250K CTS pot and the hum level is back to the original level. I plan on keeping it this way for now.

[Rosewood]

If this guitar is depending on the foil shield as grounding as some of these do this may be your problem. Make sure the pot casings and out put jack are all grounded together with wire, also don't forget the bridge ground.

[EADGBE]

Yesterday, I removed the superpot (280K) and replaced it with the original 250K CTS pot and the hum level is back to the original level. I plan on keeping it this way for now.Yeah CTS pots are great. That's all I use.