Static Electricity

[Claudio Delcioppo]

I have a huge amount of static electricity on my PRS Vintage Cherry Thinline. It happens when I go from playing sitting position and turning the guitar so it faces upwards. I get crackling. What can I do to eliminate this? Is it the finish? Grounding issue? My room? More humidity. I have 6 other guitars and no issues.
Thanks,

 

[RallyFanatic]

Sounds ridiculous, but try a dryer sheet. Had the same on my silver sky and giving it a light rub down with a dryer sheet eliminated it.

 

[Claudio Delcioppo]

Sounds ridiculous, but try a dryer sheet. Had the same on my silver sky and giving it a light rub down with a dryer sheet eliminated it.

It won't damage the finish?

 

[László]

It won't damage the finish?

Depending on what it's made of, could cause swirl marks.

 

[Maxime Bousquet]

I have the same problem on a fender 56 limited edition torrefied wood, after a few minutes the hairs on my forearms are lifting! I hear the sparkle in the amp! to help I use a guitar wax, it works for a while!

 

[docteurseb]

Sounds ridiculous, but try a dryer sheet. Had the same on my silver sky and giving it a light rub down with a dryer sheet eliminated it.

It is but that's what you get when manufacturers decide not to shield the control cavity and you are in a somewhat dry environment.

The first guitar I had doing that (static by dragging finger on the finish) was a Gibson Custom Shop LP: it didn't have any shielding in the control cavity.
Eric Clapton Strats do the same if your hand/finger rubs against the 1-ply pickguard right above the mid-boost circuit. Shield the pickguard in that area and the static is gone.

And then I discovered PRS, also with unshielded control cavities.
It's not been annoying enough for me to be willing to remove the electronics just to shield the cavity (let's face it's a bit of a pain to do that on a $4-10k instrument) but annoying nonetheless when it happens.

Maybe I'll try the dryer sheets as band aid next time...

 

[The Dragonator]

It is mostly low humidity. Move to the South.