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Post new topic Weird noises on my Rik B6
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Author Topic:  Weird noises on my Rik B6
Mike Schway

 

From:
Washington, USA
Post  Posted 10 Jun 2020 3:01 pm    
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Sure, there will always be weird noises with my playing, however....

I'm the very proud brand new owner of a '38 Rik Bakelite with metal plates and a tone control on the player side. Wonderful instrument, and I consider myself fortunate to get to play it.

But...

Whenever I apply even a little extra bar pressure AND my right hand is NOT touching either lower plate, I hear the faint sound of frying bacon. (unfortunately, I don't get the aroma of frying bacon) Smile As soon as I either lift the bar or touch either lower plate or the horseshoe with my right hand, the bacon goes away. (waaah!) Hum isn't an issue, even with the single-coil p/u; just the random faint sizzle.

This guitar has strings-through body with an integrally molded bakelite bridge so the strings cannot be grounded...at least not at the bridge end. My educated guess is that my body serves as an antenna for a few microvolts of stray RF noise, which then is conducted close to the pickup coil by the strings. Either grounding myself (by touching the plate) or disconnecting the antenna by lifting the bar gets rid of the noise.

Curious that it gets noisier when I increase bar pressure. Wound strings are worse in this regard.

Anybody else experience this, and should I be wearing a grounding wrist strap? Smile
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Jeff Highland

 

From:
New South Wales, Australia
Post  Posted 10 Jun 2020 3:36 pm    
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Check that there is no magnetic debris on polepieces or magnets and that there is enough clearance from strings to polepieces
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Steven Paris

 

From:
Los Angeles
Post  Posted 10 Jun 2020 3:52 pm    
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Does a grounding wrist strap work?
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Mike Schway

 

From:
Washington, USA
Post  Posted 10 Jun 2020 4:42 pm    
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Steven Paris wrote:
Does a grounding wrist strap work?


My actual strap is over at my shop, but grabbing a clip lead connected to the instrument plug's outer barrel (at the guitar end) in my bare hands eliminates the nose. My amp is grounded, so that lead should be at earth ground.


Last edited by Mike Schway on 11 Jun 2020 6:12 am; edited 1 time in total
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Mark Helm


From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jun 2020 12:12 am     Demonic Possession?
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If all else fails, you might consult a priest! Laughing
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Steven Paris

 

From:
Los Angeles
Post  Posted 11 Jun 2020 10:38 am    
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Seems that you need to find a way to ground the strings. Grounding the tuners might work, but it's kinda impractical. The bakelite bridge won't conduct, so that's out. How about a grounded thin metal plate to where the ball end of the strings attach? Just a thought......
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Mike Auman


From:
North Texas, USA
Post  Posted 11 Jun 2020 11:37 am    
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Some of us make pretty good antennas. I'm one of those, the same guitar is noisier when I hold it then when anyone else holds it.... so grounding yourself might be simplest, an ESD wrist or ankle strap might do it, and the built-in 1 Meg resistor adds some safety. Mike
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