Audiokill
Well-known member
I recently bought a 1984 Gibson Flying V (sans pickguard) off of eBay. The Dirty Fingers in it were beyond microphonic and were swapped out for an EMG 81/60 set. However, the microphonic-like noise persisted, though not as severe with the EMGs. Nevertheless, the noise is so bad that it can even be heard in the form of short whistles between notes while playing. Very annoying. It literally sounds like Herbert the Pervert from Family Guy whistling through the gaps in his teeth whenever he talks.
The noise is a loud, high-pitched microphonic whistle/moan that increases in intensity as volume and/or gain is increased. Proximity to the speakers is a factor in the intensity, as well, but I really need to be about 15-20 feet away with the guitar for the noise to be reasonably controllable. The noise is worst when the bridge pickup is selected and occurs only when the amp is on the dirty/lead channel. Muting all the strings generally stops the noise most of the time. Unplugging the guitar or fully turning down the guitar's volume always stops the noise. The sensitivity of the noise does vary somewhat between different amps. My Triaxis/2:90 makes a lot of noise with this guitar (I generally use lead 2 yellow). Mark III is also a bit noisy. The C+ isn't quite as bad. FYI, I use no pedals or effects. I should note that my gain levels are really quite modest. For example, the Triaxis's gain is only set to 6.0 and drive is at 3.0 ...much lower settings than most metal guitarists use. Volume is basically only loud enough to be heard along side drums and cut through the mix.
Thus began my, as of yet, fruitless search for a cure. Below is a list of attempts to diagnose/remedy the problem;
- Checked my wiring inside the guitar, including any possible grounding issues. All good.
- Applied shielding tape to the inside of the guitar's control compartment. Did nothing.
- Swapped out bridge pickup's only potentiometer (volume). Did nothing.
- Swapped out bridge pickup with another EMG 81 known to be good. Nothing.
- Swapped out tubes in the Triaxis with ones known to be good. No difference.
- Tried using a different cab. Same ****.
- Tried using different preamp and power sections with the Triaxis and 2:90. More of the same.
- Tried lowering Triaxis's gain and drive just to see what would happen. Noise reduces somewhat, but anything higher than 1.0 fails to remove the noise completely.
Things I haven't tried yet;
- Replacing pickup suspension springs with rubber ones. I'm skeptical this will work, though.
- Replacing bridge, selector switch, all wiring. Because I'm out of ideas.
I've pretty much narrowed down the culprit to this particular guitar. For some reason, the strings are interacting with the bridge pickup and the speakers in an overly sensitive manner. Leaving even one string unmuted for a brief moment results in instant feedback. Other guitars with the same pickups and construction being played through the same amp yield much quieter results, including my 1984 Gibson Explorer; same guitar in every way except the shape of the body. Normally, I'd just say screw it and put the **** thing back up on eBay, but aside from the noise, its tone is really, really good. This Flying V is definitely one of my top two axes in terms of achieving "that sound in my head." Plus, it's a **** cool looking guitar. I can't give up on her. Does anybody have any ideas?
The noise is a loud, high-pitched microphonic whistle/moan that increases in intensity as volume and/or gain is increased. Proximity to the speakers is a factor in the intensity, as well, but I really need to be about 15-20 feet away with the guitar for the noise to be reasonably controllable. The noise is worst when the bridge pickup is selected and occurs only when the amp is on the dirty/lead channel. Muting all the strings generally stops the noise most of the time. Unplugging the guitar or fully turning down the guitar's volume always stops the noise. The sensitivity of the noise does vary somewhat between different amps. My Triaxis/2:90 makes a lot of noise with this guitar (I generally use lead 2 yellow). Mark III is also a bit noisy. The C+ isn't quite as bad. FYI, I use no pedals or effects. I should note that my gain levels are really quite modest. For example, the Triaxis's gain is only set to 6.0 and drive is at 3.0 ...much lower settings than most metal guitarists use. Volume is basically only loud enough to be heard along side drums and cut through the mix.
Thus began my, as of yet, fruitless search for a cure. Below is a list of attempts to diagnose/remedy the problem;
- Checked my wiring inside the guitar, including any possible grounding issues. All good.
- Applied shielding tape to the inside of the guitar's control compartment. Did nothing.
- Swapped out bridge pickup's only potentiometer (volume). Did nothing.
- Swapped out bridge pickup with another EMG 81 known to be good. Nothing.
- Swapped out tubes in the Triaxis with ones known to be good. No difference.
- Tried using a different cab. Same ****.
- Tried using different preamp and power sections with the Triaxis and 2:90. More of the same.
- Tried lowering Triaxis's gain and drive just to see what would happen. Noise reduces somewhat, but anything higher than 1.0 fails to remove the noise completely.
Things I haven't tried yet;
- Replacing pickup suspension springs with rubber ones. I'm skeptical this will work, though.
- Replacing bridge, selector switch, all wiring. Because I'm out of ideas.
I've pretty much narrowed down the culprit to this particular guitar. For some reason, the strings are interacting with the bridge pickup and the speakers in an overly sensitive manner. Leaving even one string unmuted for a brief moment results in instant feedback. Other guitars with the same pickups and construction being played through the same amp yield much quieter results, including my 1984 Gibson Explorer; same guitar in every way except the shape of the body. Normally, I'd just say screw it and put the **** thing back up on eBay, but aside from the noise, its tone is really, really good. This Flying V is definitely one of my top two axes in terms of achieving "that sound in my head." Plus, it's a **** cool looking guitar. I can't give up on her. Does anybody have any ideas?