NGD but with issues

S

Spartacus GR77

New Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2014
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25
Hey All!

Just got my first PRS! A custom 24 with quilt faded whale blue top, Ebony fretboard, flame maple neck and 59/09's. Guitar plays and sounds amazing! However, yesterday (day 2) I noticed I am getting quite a bit of buzz and hum. When I touch the guitar strings or body it goes away.

Obviously there is a grounding issue or a bad volume or tone pot. Needless to say not happy with a $4K guitar having this issue.

So I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts? I'm probably just going to buy anothe volume and tone pot from RS guitar works unless someone believes there is better? Thanks

https://www.dropbox.com/s/94j6wr732ahei7o/2015-12-07 15.41.22 HDR.jpg?dl=0
 
It might be a bad ground to the output jack or even the cable to your amp. I wouldn't sweat it. Should be an easy fix.

And congrats. That's a sweet looking guitar.
 
I have ran into that before as well. Sometimes it is as simple as two wires running parallel in the guitar cavity. Check the cavity and tug on the wires to make sure all of them are firm. Also check and make sure that the ground on the trem claw is firm. That sounds like it may be the issue.
If the guitar is dead stock from the factory, then I would suspect it is a cable or the amp. Does it hum in clean mode on your amp or just at high gain? My guitar hums at high gain as expected but is dead silent in clean.
 
Slown down for a sec.

It's normal to have some buzz when you aren't touching part of the string path. If it's extreme, there may be a wiring issue. If you bought it new, that's what the warranty is for. It will be made right.

If you bought it used, you or a tech need to do a bit of investigating to verify the wiring is connected as it should be.
 
Spartacus GR77 said:
Hey All!

Just got my first PRS! A custom 24 with quilt faded whale blue top, Ebony fretboard, flame maple neck and 59/09's. Guitar plays and sounds amazing! However, yesterday (day 2) I noticed I am getting quite a bit of buzz and hum. When I touch the guitar strings or body it goes away.

Obviously there is a grounding issue or a bad volume or tone pot. Needless to say not happy with a $4K guitar having this issue.

So I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts? I'm probably just going to buy anothe volume and tone pot from RS guitar works unless someone believes there is better? Thanks

https://www.dropbox.com/s/94j6wr732ahei7o/2015-12-07%2015.41.22%20HDR.jpg?dl=0
Click to expand...


So you say the buzz goes away when touching the strings? To me it sounds like normal hum :) What am I missing?

In any case, I seriously doubt installing the RS stuff helps in any way. The electronics in PRSs are to a high standard. I guess there COULD be a dud, but I don't think that has anything to do with your experiences.
 
So thanks for the replies! I first checked my other guitars and there was no issue. That rules out the amp and cable!

Secondly, I opened up the cavities and ALL wires are soldered tight, nothing loose. The first day it was completely fine, it was yesterday that it became noticeably annoying.

At this point, I'm just going to swap out the vol and tone pot. I have a brass trem claw I will be installing so that should take care of the ground on the trem. The RS stuff is just what I will be using to replace the PRS stuff, I wasn't implying it would bring my tone closer to Dave Gilmours.

Im not worried just somewhat disheartened at what I paid and what I have to deal with. Warranties are wonderful but for something like this, it doesn't warrant sending it to Maryland when I can do it myself, not to mention the shipping charges.

Thanks
 
If it's warranty work, PRS will pay for the shipping both ways. At least they did for me when I had a finish issue. You can contact their customer support to find out for sure. The only problem is being without the guitar for a few weeks, there shouldn't be any out of pocket expense.
 
Is it new or used?
Have you talked with the dealer?
Have you talked with PRS?

I'm just having a hard time understanding why you want to tear into it yourself and possibly void a warranty when there should be a free repair in the offing...
 
rugerpc said:
Is it new or used?
Have you talked with the dealer?
Have you talked with PRS?

I'm just having a hard time understanding why you want to tear into it yourself and possibly void a warranty when there should be a free repair in the offing...
Click to expand...

Exactly this.

If there is a problem, you can't tell by looking at it unless you can identify an obviously cold solder joint.

Remember that guitar circuits are primitive and are basically antennas for noise. Shielding helps, but it can very tough to eliminate all noise.
 
That sucks, beauty of a guitar though. At the very least the dealer should be told about it. PRS should know about it too, even if you decide to fix it yourself. Quality is important to them, so if they see trends they can find a solution. I understand not wanting to part with a new guitar for something you can take care of. Just make sure they're aware of the situation.
 
guitar is new. Dealer however is in CA and I am in MA. so again not worth the call because Im not going to send it back for something I can fix myself. I highly doubt changing a pot or pickups will void warranty. In fact, when I had my Archon there was a bad pot and PRS told me i can have it fixed and it would not void warranty. Its no biggie. Just wondering if this was a common thing. thanks
 
Nice looking piece.
If you're an experienced guitar guy and know the basics of guitar wiring you can go thru the cavities and check the wiring, if not, and it's a new item, I'd go back to the dealer or PRS. If you paid a chunk for it you should get some service on any issues of your purchase.
Most of the time hum has to do with grounding and shielding, so I'd get to the bottom of the issue before I'd go guessing and replacing pots.
 
Count me in as skeptical that changing out the pots will help... If it does, it'll be more likely to do with the fact that you're in there working on the wiring rather than the pots themselves.

Regardless, I definitely get not wanting to deal with a warrantee return. Heck, I live in Maryland, and I still do stuff myself unless it has to do with finish (and I've never had a finish problem on a PRS anyway.)

However, if you had a problem on day 2, but didn't have the problem on day 1, is there a chance that the pickup selector isn't working? If you're stuck in a single coil setting, you'd expect exactly what you describe.
 
Well I did a google search and found i am not the only one with a PRS with this issue. I am almost beginning to wonder if it is a microphonic pickup? Either way I already ordered the PRS \m/ pickups and new pots and switches. With stuff like this I dont really care. When I spend $4k on a guitar I care much more about the construction and quality of the instrument rather than electronics. Electronics is an easy fix.
 
Spartacus GR77 said:
Well I did a google search and found i am not the only one with a PRS with this issue. I am almost beginning to wonder if it is a microphonic pickup? Either way I already ordered the PRS \m/ pickups and new pots and switches. With stuff like this I dont really care. When I spend $4k on a guitar I care much more about the construction and quality of the instrument rather than electronics. Electronics is an easy fix.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't think it is microphonic on the basis of what you describe. Can you hear a difference between single coil settings and humbucker settings? Or for that matter, is it the same with both pickups and in the center position?
 
Ok so thankfully it's not the guitar!! It's the god darn Christmas tree lights!!!!! Guitar is crystal clear!! I'm getting interference of sorts!!
 
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