Humming ATE55

Steve Townsend · Jul 3, 2004

I bought a Tokai ATE55 in January this year. Was convinced that the tone-pot wasn't 100% ok but didn't do anything about it until May. Decided that it wasn't working so took it back for repair. Repaired tone pot ok but now the guitar hums like a beehive, especially at higher volumes until I touch a metal part or the strings. The hum disappears then. Took it back again but the repairer says he can't find anything wrong. Surely Tokais are better than this? Any ideas?

sun526 · Jul 3, 2004

Steve sometimes a just using a grounded plug or a grounded plug adapter on your amp if you dont have one can clear this problem up. I dont know if your in the UK and i dont know for sure the difference in the electrcal systems but i'm told there are differences between the UK and USA, so the grounded plug may or may not be an option. I'm not sure what p'ups are in your guitar but single coils can be noisey anyway and real noisey if you have a flourescent light on around the guitar. Now with having the easiest fixes out of the way, if its still buzzing, remeber all single coils will buzz. Even the expensive custom shop guitars do this too if they have single coil p'ups, that is With the exception of Lace sensors and Fender vintage noiseless p'ups. If what i mentioned above dont help then there most likely is a ground problem with either the p'ups or the tone and volume pots themselves. You might take your guitar to another luthier and have them track the ground problem, it could be something as simple as loose solder joint. 8)

Steve Townsend · Jul 4, 2004

Thanks for the reply Plucker

I am in the UK and I've tried the guitar on 3 separate amps (I'm nothing if not cautious) all of them earthed via the plug. I've also got a Fender (Jap) 62 tele custom re-issue and whilst even that does have a slight (no-where near as loud as the Tokai) hum, it doesn't go away when I touch a metal part of the guitar so I can accept that that's the normal level of hum from a single coil. The Tokai's hum audibly drops when I touch a metal part or I touch the strings.
Worst of it is that before I had the tone pot fixed, the Tokai hardly hummed at all.
Now the legal problem (

isn't there always one!!!) If I go to a different guitar tech, I'll invalidate the warranty on the guitar. I'm stuck with the guy who's already said he can't find anything wrong or with going back to the Tokai importer so...... it's back to Tokai. I'll let you know if I get anywhere.

sun526 · Jul 4, 2004

Steve, make the tech put in another tone pot, i've had them be junk from the factory. Its either the tone pot or a broke ground solder joint. In pot manufacturing, pots made by different makers can cause buzzing but very infrequently ie... smaller asian pots can create problems and difference in sounds when installed with larger American pots. My moneys on bad pot altogether or the bad solder joint. Let me know how this progresses 8)

little-odgie · Jul 4, 2004

could actuallt be a shot capacitor .. the little electrical part connected between the tone pot and volume pot ... get the tech to put a new one on .. electrical value is 0.022 (cash value is about 5 pence), also better tone gotten from a 250K tone pot and 500K volume pot, and check continuity of the earth between the bridge and the earth on the cable.

For the record, single coils hate any type of electromagnetic field, like the one being generated by your computer monitor or your telly. Some transformer driven stage lamps give this too ... I changed the P90's in my Goldtop for just this reason and now they're fine. Might be an idea to add some extra shielding to the inside of your control cavity and move to a house that's not under elecricity pylons!!

lee

deddog · Jul 4, 2004

A pound to a penny there is a problem with the earthing, probably a crappy solder joint as sun526 mentioned.
Legally your claim is against the shop you bought the guitar from in the first place or the repair guy if different (assuming your in the UK). Frankly any half trained monkey with a soldering iron could replace a pot. or a cap. so cut out the middleman and do the job yourself that way you'll know it's done right.

Steve Townsend · Jul 5, 2004

Hey, thanks for the input guys.

Glad to say it's good news.

The tech returned my guitar today. He was of the opinion that it is the Tokai's lack of shielding that was the problem. (why the humming wasn't there when the tone pot wasn't working is anybody's guess)

So... he shielded the pickup and control cavities. The guitar is now almost as quiet as my Fender Deluxe tele that has noiseless pickups. OK, it doesn't sound quite as good but at the price I'm now very, very happy with the Tokai.

If anyone else has problems with humming on a Tokai, I'd certainly recommend trying this out.

Thanks to all of you.

sun526 · Jul 5, 2004

Steve,

Glad you got it fixed I had a strat that i had to shield that way also 8)

Humming ATE55

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