PRS Special 22 hum w/single coil

[JoeG]

Hey there,

First post here...sorry it's a question

I have a special semi-hollow 22, and when I coil tap it in the neck or bridge position, the hum is so loud through the speaker, and I'm running a really clean amp. I've tried a bunch of things; plugging into different outlets...running through a furman power conditioner...trying a completely new location...ground lift on the amp.

I'm wondering if there's anything else I can do (how well are the pickups shielded in general)? Or what you might suggest. It hums through the speaker so loud that unless I'm strumming, it's noticeable.

 

[Bsic]

I just got one-- I dont get a lot of hum through mine. Im not using a TON of gain, but a decent amount of plexi style distortion.

Mine however seems to have a different wiring issue, middle pickup seems to be out of phase, i get a massive amount of volume and tone loss in positions 2/4.

 

[JoeG]

I just got one-- I dont get a lot of hum through mine. Im not using a TON of gain, but a decent amount of plexi style distortion.

Mine however seems to have a different wiring issue, middle pickup seems to be out of phase, i get a massive amount of volume and tone loss in positions 2/4.

Weird. I definitely don't get volume and tone loss in 2/4. I feel like the middle pickup adds a bit of an acoustic guitar quality to the tone in those positions, but definitely no volume loss.

Mine might be that I'm just really not used to single coil sounds...but it was my understanding that this guitar had some of the second coil still wound, so I would have assumed it would minimize the hum

 

[sergiodeblanc]

First post here...sorry it's a question

 

[Ovibos]

I kinda always hear single-coil hum no matter the guitar. Lighting fixtures have a lot to do with it, maybe having your phone in your pocket, etc...

 

[bodia]

I kinda always hear single-coil hum no matter the guitar. Lighting fixtures have a lot to do with it, maybe having your phone in your pocket, etc...

Sergio played my 509 today and hummed liked a hooker in the backseat of a Pinto. It’s never done that before.

 

[Ovibos]

Sergio played my 509 today and hummed liked a hooker in the backseat of a Pinto. It’s never done that before.

What's with all the posts about beans today?

 

[jm9239]

No issues with hum or any volume or tone loss across positions with my 22 SSH.

 

[Rider1260]

Sounds like a call to PTC is in order, my levels are constant across all the positions with 2 - 4 being louder depending on the selection and height of the narrowfield pickup.

 

[JoeG]

No issues with hum or any volume or tone loss across positions with my 22 SSH.

Like no hum at all, or an amount you're ok with?

 

[Mozzi]

I have no hum with mine BUT I am playing at bedroom levels and not with exceptionally high gain. I don't get hum from my 58/15 LT's either but I would expect less chance with the tapped 58/15's. I really don't know what to suggest. The easiest would be to try playing your Special at a friends house with a different rig and see if you get hum there. I would think its more environmental myself but maybe not. By trying it somewhere else that's isolated or more shielded - particularly from interior wiring, you can easily determine if its the guitar or not. If its not the guitar, then it comes down to working out where the Hum is coming from. If it's the guitar, have you checked to see if the wax has melted?

 

[JoeG]

I have no hum with mine BUT I am playing at bedroom levels and not with exceptionally high gain. I don't get hum from my 58/15 LT's either but I would expect less chance with the tapped 58/15's. I really don't know what to suggest. The easiest would be to try playing your Special at a friends house with a different rig and see if you get hum there. I would think its more environmental myself but maybe not. By trying it somewhere else that's isolated or more shielded - particularly from interior wiring, you can easily determine if its the guitar or not. If its not the guitar, then it comes down to working out where the Hum is coming from. If it's the guitar, have you checked to see if the wax has melted?

Some good ideas here. I've tried it in different locations and with different rigs, including going straight into a pretty clean amp. It's consistent in all the scenarios I've faced, but I'm starting to think maybe I'm really not used to single coil in general. I just thought being coil tapped rather than split, it wouldn't be much, if any hum. How would I check if the wax has melted? Sorry, I'm not sure what that even is

 

[garrett]

Some good ideas here. I've tried it in different locations and with different rigs, including going straight into a pretty clean amp. It's consistent in all the scenarios I've faced, but I'm starting to think maybe I'm really not used to single coil in general. I just thought being coil tapped rather than split, it wouldn't be much, if any hum. How would I check if the wax has melted? Sorry, I'm not sure what that even is

When you go to single mode it is a true single coil, so it will hum. Hard to judge what's normal since you don't seem to have a good frame of reference. Maybe compare with a buddy or at a shop with some other single coil and HSH guitars and see how it compares.

 

[JoeG]

When you go to single mode it is a true single coil, so it will hum. Hard to judge what's normal since you don't seem to have a good frame of reference. Maybe compare with a buddy or at a shop with some other single coil and HSH guitars and see how it compares.

It's not a true single coil. It's coil tapped rather than coil split, so there's still some of the second coil wound into it

 

[garrett]

It's not a true single coil. It's coil tapped rather than coil split, so there's still some of the second coil wound into it

Here's how it works. There are two tap points on the pickup. Slug coil is overwound compared to screw coil. There is a tap wire there on slug and also one between slug/screw.

Humbucker mode: Slug coil is tapped so that you have even winds/output on both coils
Single mode: Shifts the tap points so screw coil is cancelled and the full wind of slug coil is active

 

[JoeG]

Here's how it works. There are two tap points on the pickup. Slug coil is overwound compared to screw coil. There is a tap wire there on slug and also one between slug/screw.

Humbucker mode: Slug coil is tapped so that you have even winds/output on both coils
Single mode: Shifts the tap points so screw coil is cancelled and the full wind of slug coil is active

So it's not a true single coil...

 

[garrett]

So it's not a true single coil...

To be pedantic, it's a tapped humbucker no matter how it is wired. But practically speaking, what is active is a humbucker in one position and a single coil in the other.

 

[JoeG]

To be pedantic, it's a tapped humbucker no matter how it is wired. But practically speaking, what is active is a humbucker in one position and a single coil in the other.

It's not pedantic...there's literally a difference between coil split and coil tapped.

 

[garrett]

It's not pedantic...there's literally a difference between coil split and coil tapped.

There is indeed.

Bottom line is single coil mode on the pickup is the SLUG COIL ONLY. The screw coil is not active. There is nothing in place to counteract any of the hum.

 

[JoeG]

There is indeed.

Bottom line is single coil mode on the pickup is the SLUG COIL ONLY. The screw coil is not active. There is nothing in place to counteract any of the hum.

It sounds like you know what you're talking about, but that's just not true on this guitar. While it's true that not all of the hum is counteracted...it has some of

There is indeed.

Bottom line is single coil mode on the pickup is the SLUG COIL ONLY. The screw coil is not active. There is nothing in place to counteract any of the hum.

It's almost as if you think this guitar is coil split?