I have a 91-92 Fender Stratocaster. When i play a string, and let it ring for a bit, it makes a wah wah sort of noise, almost as if it is cutting in and out, but the noise is constant. I have checked my grounds and re-soldered them, it happened on a new pickup as well as the old ones. I have tried it on a different amp and a different cord. It bothers me very much. Could a bad pot give me this noise? Im not sure what to do, i have been looking online and cannot find anyone with the problem.
Also, when i changed a pickup, the ground from my bridge came off, i didnt see exactly where it came from so i searched online and ended up soldering it to the volume pot, does it have to go to a certain place on the pot or is anywhere good?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
the bridge ground should be soldered to whatever is the common grounding point in the control cavity -- often that is the back of one of the pots.
your description is a bit confusing. are you saying the signal (string notes) is decreasing and increasing in volume as if you are turning the volume up and down? or as if you are using a kill switch (hard on-off)? or ... ? is this intermittent (and unpredictable) or happening in a predictable, repetitive cycle? and despite this, you say the background "noise" is constant. what do you call "noise"? powerline hum (60 Hz, 120Hz ...)? fluorescent light buzz?
assuming, but you should confirm: no effect pedals, amp tremolo is "off."
your description reads as if you replaced a pup. did your guitar have this problem before you replaced the pup?
you may need to record this phenomenon and post a link to that recording for us to understand the problem.
-=tension & release=-
Sorry for the bit of confusion. The signal sounds like it is increasing and decreasing in volume(slightly, not hard on-off) randomly, the pitch doesn't seem to change. And the "noise" that im talking about is the (assumed) volume problem, sorry for that mix up. There is no certain pattern, and sometimes it worsens or gets weaker. I am not using an effects pedal, and my amp has all effects off. I have tried it on a different amp with a different cord in a different house. The bridge ground is connected to the common ground point (the volume pot).
I did change a pickup, im not sure if it was happening before, because i didnt play it that much before i did it. I think that i just noticed it when i changed the pup because it was a higher output duncan hot rail, but i noticed all pups doing it when i listened closer. I put the original pup back in and checked my connections. I know the sound is abnormal as i have been playing for a few years, im just basically a guitar electronics noob :|
I will try to get a recording to put on here.
Thanks a lot for your time in trying to help me figure this out.
Thanks,
Bryan
as it's a Strat, the pups should be paired in hum cancellation mode when the pup switch is in positions 2 or 4. when you switch to either of those positions, does the hum disappear? if not, that may indicate a polarity issue with one of the pups. which pup did you replace?
also, if there is any spray-on shielding (usually grayish) or shielding foil in the pup cavity and/or around the pup cavities, this needs to be attached to the ground system. if not, the guitar is more susceptible to electrical interference.
-=tension & release=-
No there is no shielding, i changed the bridge pup, the noise isnt just feedback or a regular hum, it sounds smooth like an effect, which i am 100% sure none are on. The regular hum does disappear when selected in 2 or 4 like it normally should w/ the reverse wound pup in mid.
Ill try to get a recording tomorrow.
Thanks again,
Bryan
Shoot. I saw "Help w/ noise, please," and I was getting ready to make some.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
