Pickup buzzing on Eastman archtop

[Jonathan]

I have an Eastman archtop with the thin black humbucker, and on the bass side of the pickup there is a thin piece of felt. Is this supposed to be in contact with the top of the guitar (or glued to the top)? I occasionally notice some buzzing that goes away when I press on the pickguard (since that causes the pickup to separate from the top of the guitar).

Thanks,
Jonathan

[Mark Kleinhaut]

firewood?

[Jonathan]

Let me rephrase the question for clarity.
Is the felt on the floating pickup supposed to actually touch the top of the guitar, or should there be a small space?
I notice that the buzzing goes away when there's a small gap.

[GuyB]

Yes, the pickup is not suppose to be touching the guitar's top, it's a wild guess but I think that's why they're called "Floating Pickups".
Guy :)

[TD]

On Saturday, December 15, 2012 12:55:13 PM UTC-5, Jonathan wrote:

"Pickup buzzing on Eastman archtop...Jack Frost nipping at your nose..."

[Jonathan]

The felt on the underside of the pickup is what made me think that perhaps it was supposed to touch the top despite the adjective "floating." Perhaps it is just a protective measure.
Sadly, the guitar toppled while on a music stand some time ago, and perhaps the pickup was pushed down onto the top at that time.
Unfortunately, I don't remember what it looked like when I originally bought the guitar, and haven't had time to go to a music store and check.

Thanks,
Jonathan

[DanielleOM]

I have one as well with similar symptoms. I have never been able to
determine the source. Everyone tells to plug in and turn the volume
up. On mine the buzzing is intermittent and seems to come and go. I
even bought a mechanics stethoscope to try and resolve.

I have been tempted to pick up one without the pickup and without the
pick guard. I am often playing mine unplugged and seem to be of the
opinion that all that hardware screwed to the neck and hanging over the
guitar is just one big potential source for unwanted vibration / noise.


Danielle

[thomas]

Sometimes the cable inside an archtop can rattle. The worst problem to have is when a brace comes loose and rattles.

[Jonathan]

On Wednesday, December 19, 2012 4:27:03 PM UTC-5, DanielleOM wrote:

Danielle,

The buzzing is intermittent with my guitar as well, but it stops when I press down on the pickguard (which causes the pickup to separate from the guitar). Does yours exhibit that behavior?
This brings me to believe that cause of the buzzing might be that the "floater" is touching the top of the guitar.
At this point, it's just a working hypothesis, however :)

[Bill Williams]

Jonathan, is it a mechanical buzzing or an electrical one which you hear when it's plugged in? (I ask because my Eastman 805CE, which has a mounted humbucker, has had a hum/buzz when plugged in since I got it. It can be reduced by turning the tone knob to the limit or by touching the pickguard. I assume its a shielding issue but I normally play it acoustic so it hasn't got resolved yet).

[Jonathan]

On Thursday, December 20, 2012 5:35:33 AM UTC-5, Bill Williams wrote:
> Jonathan, is it a mechanical buzzing or an electrical one which you hear when it's plugged in? (I ask because my Eastman 805CE, which has a mounted humbucker, has had a hum/buzz when plugged in since I got it. It can be reduced by turning the tone knob to the limit or by touching the pickguard. I assume its a shielding issue but I normally play it acoustic so it hasn't got resolved yet).

Definitely mechanical.

[mark cleary]

"Jonathan" wrote in message
news:24664fad-ffab-4843...@googlegroups.com...

One way to attack this or at least how I do it is to get a few pieces of
felt or something to damp vibrations. Start playing to create the buzz and
then use the felt to wrap around, strings, tuners, peghead, tailpiece.
pickguards, anything that can buzz. Most of the time it is tailpieces.
Sometimes it can be machine heads. Many times it is pickguards and brackets.
Run the felt all over so see what eliminates the buzz. If you cannot get a
fix and going through everything, then remove the pickguard, pickup, and
bracket for the pickguard. Try again see if the buzz stops. If not then
look/hear around the tailpiece again to eliminate that potential again. The
goal is to get down to only what is need to make sound on the guitar,
strings, bridge, tailpiece, and get rid of the attachments to check this
out.

If they buzz is still around then probably it is nothing mechanical as on
what is attached to the guitar. Then the other causes can be a truss rod.
Truss rods can buzz and this can be easy or hard to fix. The cavity on where
they sit can resonate minor buzzes if they are not sitting in tight or there
are gaps. Then next cause would then be a loose brace and believe me these
can buzz intermittently and hard to determine.

THis is what I would do in the shop and so I suggest you try this and report
back. It is all about eliminating the most obvious to the last step as I
describe that is not mechanical but structural. In any case if you get stuck
send e mail and I walk you through some steps. If you had it in my shop
this is what I would do.


Deacon Mark Cleary
Epiphany Catholic Church

[mark cleary]

"mark cleary" wrote in message news:kb01tu$7ra$1...@dont-email.me...

Oh and I might add that working on guitars is many times like being a
plumber.............you just need to get through the shit to see what shape
the pipes are in.

[Jonathan]

Mark,

Thanks for the advice.
The treble side of the floating pickup is connected to the pickguard, so obviously, it's not touching the top of the guitar.
Is the felt on the bass side of the pickup supposed to be touching the top, or should there be a gap?
Or does it matter?

Thanks,
Jonathan

[mark cleary]

"Jonathan" wrote in message
news:3d5ac33b-f2fd-4d9e...@googlegroups.com...

Jonathan,

The felt acts as both a protection against the finish and can prevent buzz
as it cushions the top. Ideally the pickup should float so that it does not
touch the top at all. I have many times had pickups that float that light
touch the top and cause no problems at all. I have also seen pickups that do
touch a bit and it vibrates horribly. I would suggest if you think the buzz
is coming from this area is that you remove the pickup and pickguard to see
what happens. Actually you can unscrew he bracket on the pickguard and hold
it away from the guitar to see is they stops the buzz without taking it all
off. Another area to check it the wire that leads to the tail piece that can
buzz against the top or even inside the guitar. Sometimes this causes a real
buzz as the wire will intermittently touch the top depending on you pressure
against the pickguard as you play. If this were in my shop I simply remove
the pickguard and complete pick up and check. Just unsolder the wire and
play it with nothing attached. This will give you the answer I am almost
sure. Try this and report back.

[Jonathan]

Thanks, Mark.
That was exactly the answer I was looking for :)