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Post new topic Sho bud scratchy sound??
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Author Topic:  Sho bud scratchy sound??
Jason Putnam


From:
Tennessee, USA
Post  Posted 28 Oct 2015 9:01 am    
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I'm stumped on this one. I have this scratchy noise when I move my volume pedal. It was that way when I bought the steel. I thought it was my pickup. Changed pickup. Thought it was volume pedal. Bought a new one. Still there. Tried my electric guitar through volume pedal and amp. Scratchy sound gone. So it's definitely something with the steel. Ground issue? It is only when I move the volume pedal. As long as it's in one position it doesn't do it. Thoughts?
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1967 Emmons Bolt On, 1995 Mullen PRP 3x5,Nashville 112, JOYO Digital Delay, Goodrich Volume Pedal, Livesteel Strings
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Ben Edmonds


From:
Greenfield, Massachusetts, USA
Post  Posted 28 Oct 2015 11:30 am    
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Are the wires getting hit by your right leg? I had that happen from a rush solder job I did. In my case it was bad joint at the jack
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 28 Oct 2015 1:43 pm    
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Probably cables or the soldering.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects
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Jerry Jones


From:
Franklin, Tenn.
Post  Posted 28 Oct 2015 2:23 pm    
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Maybe DC leakage? Try new cables and a different amp with no other effects in-line.

You might try posting over in the electronics section, too.
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Jerry Jones
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Ian Worley


From:
Sacramento, CA
Post  Posted 28 Oct 2015 9:00 pm    
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It's also worth noting that the output on your steel pickup is probably significantly higher than the one on your six string, which might exaggerate what you're hearing. Could it be a loose solder joint on the 1/4" female jack at the steel itself?
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Bill Ferguson


From:
Milton, FL USA
Post  Posted 29 Oct 2015 3:53 am    
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On something as old as a ShoBud, the 1/4" jack is probably dirty and corroded. That would be my first bet.

Plug directly out of your steel into your amp and see if it still does it. If so, then you know your volume pedals are ok.

Also try it with different cables.

There are so many places to generate noise
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AUTHORIZED George L's, Goodrich, Telonics and Peavey Dealer: I have 2 steels and several amps. My current rig of choice is 1993 Emmons LeGrande w/ 108 pups (Jack Strayhorn built for me), Goodrich OMNI Volume Pedal, George L's cables, Goodrich Baby Bloomer and Peavey Nashville 112. Can't get much sweeter.
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Georg Sørtun


From:
Mandal, Agder, Norway
Post  Posted 29 Oct 2015 4:30 am    
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Description sounds like DC charging / DC leakage, that of course gets worse if there's a bad connection/soldering.
Check for bad connections first, especially for the body/ground points.

Often what is known as a "scratchy pot" in the VP, relates back to DC charging / DC leakage in the steel as the large metal mass in a PSG gets charged up like a capacitor that leaks partly over to the signal-wire via the high-impedance PU. As a result there will be a small DC charge over the VP pot, something pots in general are not good at discharging evenly and quietly. The higher the VP pot's resistance (and steel VP usually are high resistance - around 500K), the more discharging DC while rotating the pot will tend to result in audible "spark/crackle" sounds.

A regular guitar has much less ground-mass and much lower PU resistance than a steel, and usually also built-in volume pots that drains DC charges well enough on their own, so there's usually much less tendency to build up a DC charge in a 6-string guitar.


A buffer-amp may solve a DC-charge problem - discharge the steel before the VP, but it all depends on how the buffer is built as some ways of constructing buffers may actually make the problem worse.
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Craig Baker


From:
Eatonton, Georgia, USA - R.I.P.
Post  Posted 29 Oct 2015 5:31 am    
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As usual, Georg digs deep and uncovers just about everything. As a last resort, if that particular Sho~Bus has the DC charging problem, a .1 blocker cap in series with the output jack might solve the problem. (might)

Craig
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