Static on Acoustic Electric...Please Help? :)

I had that problem with my old Ibanez electrostick. There is hundreds of reasons it could be happening. Most common i've found are problems with the input jack, or problems with the wiring.

If your confident to check yourself then go for it, but if not, take it to the shop and ask them. I'd advise changing the jack because that pretty much solved it for me. But like i said, there is a ton of reasons it could be happening.

Most common i've found are problems with the input jack, or problems with the wiring.

+1; the jack is the first thing that came to mind.

I posted a while ago about a Taylor guitar that zapped one of my guitarists. The problems with that guitar (which has the Taylor "Expression" system - piezo and mic, like yours) started with static noises that I believe came from the jack, then he'd lose the connection and get loud pops while playing ... and then finally the preamp went nuclear.
http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=47299

Thanks guys. It does seem like a logical place to start. So......

I did have to replace one on my ESP LTD once. I had also purchased a switch, but installed the input jack first and it fixed the static/cut-out problem. Not sure why I forgot about that. Duh!

OK, so I removed it and had a look. Everything appears intact. All the wiring looks good, the soldering clean, etc, etc. One thing I don't like is how close all this exposed wiring and soldering points are to each-other. Maybe that's just a concern for higher voltage electrical things? One of these prong pairs are 3/32nds apart from each other.

So with no visible damage or defect, is there any real way to test this theory out other than the 'ol replace and hope it works method? Not opposed to doing this, but if there's a way it can be done with reasonable effort, I'd like to try.

I think as long as the soldering points inside the guitar aren't touching then you are fine. It shouldn't have any effect on the tone of the guitar, or any bad additions of sound. All the wiring and soldering points on the old ibanez were really close together and that played a dream once the jack had been replaced.

I agree, so +2 or 3 for the jack, but I wondered if you added a new battery?

Oh, and your cord is now at a different angle than it has been on your electrics.

That happens to me, a good cord is suddenly stressed on an Acoustic/electric guitar.

+1 on check the battery first. and particularly if it's a 9 volter, make sure the contacts are clean and actually making good contact -- lots of 9V battery clips/contacts are marginal.

The problems with that guitar (which has the Taylor "Expression" system - piezo and mic, like yours)

a Expression system is supposed to use 3 magnetic surface transducers (contact mics) -- no piezos. that's one of the joys of that system, the no piezo part, that is.

Ah, I may have been thinking of the one he brought in as a backup ... the Expression is very different. :shock:

Hi Everyone, I did the battery already. I'll try a new end pin jack first as long as that doesn't violate any kind of warrenty. I'm still waiting on word from Fishman.

Roy, just to humor me, but I mean well and for your benefit, did you try a new & sturdy cord into the endpin jack?

You've alreay done a lot of work taking things apart and finding nothing visibly or structurally wrong inside the system.

The reason I offered this as a possibility, is because cords which are otherwise functional, can bend and begin to fail in this new, stress-producing, 180 degree angle or straight-out position?

Hi, 4 cords tried. Signal from piezo a total loss now. I took the Fishman unit out and had a look. It had been gotten into before. Big time. A wire was broke, another was frayed, the metal-ish back cover material had been misshapped and looked in rough shape. The screws to get the thing loose had even been gotten into before. The heads were a little stripped.

Early on I emailed and called both Fishman and Parkwood. Parkwood first. Parkwood was an answer machine and a little form (IIRC) online. No human yet. GC is dropping them like a hot potato. I suspect something quite fishy. The site is even hosted in Korea according to Google. Fishman resonded and said it was through the guitar manufacture that I must go. Makes sense.

I emailed the local GC manager explained to him the purchase situation, what I had, what I did, what I found, etc, and asked it he could help. He said that he would send it out for repair. That's my favorite option. So, we bring it back to the store this evening. I don't mind being without it for a while.

That's excellent! Hopefully it will come back perfect.

Ditto. Great forensic work and discoveries. She'll come back in ship shape, and sure to shine! :wink:

Wow Roy that's great that they are going to fix this for you for free..I guess I wish you were my neighbor too. When I bought my Epi LP from GC it was marked down from around $600 to around $400 and I noticed there was an ever so slight dent in it and the pickups had some scratches on the cover but they said if I sent it back for another one I'd have to pay full price.

So is there any houses in the neighborhood for sale..maybe a few, we have a whole clan that wants to move in!