Flying V feedback woes

Reverend

My V is making lots of noise. I use an SD1 in to an overdriven amp so some feedback is to be expected but this gets really noisey. I don't think the pickup is microphonic as if ~i talk in to it it doesn't get amplified at all  but any tap or knock on the body results much more noise than on any other my other guitars. Any ideas or tips?

timmypix

What is said pickup? Is it wax potted?

Reverend

its a fairly new JB. I believe it is wax potted

Funkfingers

1) Replace the height adjustment springs with rubber tubing sections.

2) Pack compressible foam into the pickup cavities, beneath the humbuckers.

3) Both of the above.

JayGee

My experience is that Vs are quite “lively” for solid guitars so they’ll do the good kind of feedback at reasonable levels. They aren’t liable to nasty, uncontrollable, microphonic squealing or “handling noise” though. 

Your issue is much more likely to be with the pickups, their mountings, or something on the electrical side than anything “structural”. If it’s mechanical “handling noise” it could even be a loose jack socket, flaky pot, loose/bad solder joint, or some other connectivity thing…

OilCityPickups

Reverend said:

My V is making lots of noise. I use an SD1 in to an overdriven amp so some feedback is to be expected but this gets really noisey. I don't think the pickup is microphonic as if ~i talk in to it it doesn't get amplified at all  but any tap or knock on the body results much more noise than on any other my other guitars. Any ideas or tips?

Worth foam packing the pickup routs ... however ...

What can happen with Gibson Vs in particular if they have been fitted with aftermarket short leg pickups is that in order to raise the pickup high enough to be close to the strings, the springs get 'coil bound' and effectively become metal tubes ... having no damping action at all. I would check this isn't the case. Shorten the springs if necessary or replace with silicone rubber tube.  

Funkfingers

Reverend said:

its a fairly new JB. I believe it is wax potted

Production line, open bobbin, SH-4 and TB-4 model JB humbuckers have wax potted coils. 

Production line examples with factory fitted covers receive secondary potting inside the covers.

Antiquity JB humbuckers are not supplied with metal covers.

Reverend

Funkfingers said:

Reverend said:

its a fairly new JB. I believe it is wax potted

Production line, open bobbin, SH-4 and TB-4 model JB humbuckers have wax potted coils. 

Production line examples with factory fitted covers receive secondary potting inside the covers.

Antiquity JB humbuckers are not supplied with metal covers.

its a zebra one so id guess potted.

Reverend

OilCityPickups said:

Reverend said:

My V is making lots of noise. I use an SD1 in to an overdriven amp so some feedback is to be expected but this gets really noisey. I don't think the pickup is microphonic as if ~i talk in to it it doesn't get amplified at all  but any tap or knock on the body results much more noise than on any other my other guitars. Any ideas or tips?

Worth foam packing the pickup routs ... however ...

What can happen with Gibson Vs in particular if they have been fitted with aftermarket short leg pickups is that in order to raise the pickup high enough to be close to the strings, the springs get 'coil bound' and effectively become metal tubes ... having no damping action at all. I would check this isn't the case. Shorten the springs if necessary or replace with silicone rubber tube.  

cheers. any particular type of foam I should look for?

Roundwound

Reverend said:

OilCityPickups said:

Reverend said:

My V is making lots of noise. I use an SD1 in to an overdriven amp so some feedback is to be expected but this gets really noisey. I don't think the pickup is microphonic as if ~i talk in to it it doesn't get amplified at all  but any tap or knock on the body results much more noise than on any other my other guitars. Any ideas or tips?

Worth foam packing the pickup routs ... however ...

What can happen with Gibson Vs in particular if they have been fitted with aftermarket short leg pickups is that in order to raise the pickup high enough to be close to the strings, the springs get 'coil bound' and effectively become metal tubes ... having no damping action at all. I would check this isn't the case. Shorten the springs if necessary or replace with silicone rubber tube.  

cheers. any particular type of foam I should look for?

The black foam that comes in Seymour Duncan pickup boxes is ideal, and around the correct shape already.

Reverend

silly question perhaps, but where is best to get get the silicon tubing?

normula1

Axesrus or you can get it from Amazon, search for food grade silicone tube or medical tube

Philly_Q

Reverend said:

silly question perhaps, but where is best to get get the silicon tubing?

I've bought some just this week from this eBay seller:

1M Food Grade Clear Translucent Silicone Tube Beer Milk Hose Pipe Soft Rubber | eBay

It's maybe not quite as "squishy" as the ready-made rubber/silicone tubing "springs" you can get from Allparts, WD or Axesrus, but I think it'll do the job OK, and it's cheaper. 

The right size to use for pickup springs is, as far as I could determine, 3mm inner diameter and 7mm outside diameter, although I guess it's not too crucial (I was buying it to put inside trem springs to try to stop them buzzing/ringing, the 7mm turned out to be too big for that).