# The Great Ongoing Guitar Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [January 31, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172 "2010-01-31T23:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 73
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1442 "2011-03-16T20:10:49Z")
\*\*Koldanar \*\*- listen to the \*Good Doctor \ ***Le Ministre**. ---
**Author:** ![Koldanar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@Koldanar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koldanar)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1443 "2011-03-16T21:01:12Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I’m glad to hear your ulnar nerve issue has been taken care of. Hoo boy! > > _lots more text snipped…_ Wow…I was hoping for bits and pieces, but…wow. Thank you. I do have a guitar teacher at least; I haven’t been able to go since September, as during the lesson I wasn’t able to even keep a simple major scale at the F fret going without my fingers getting confused; hopefully this problem is alleviated by now. My teacher is a rock kinda guy, and so far his advice for positioning is “Find something comfortable” which, while appropriate, doesn’t help much. The advice you gave though…I’ll definitely have to follow through on. I didn’t mention it, but I’m primarily an electric guitar player right now (due to lack of a good acoustic), and one big problem I’ve always had is cramping the pad of my thumb when playing (trying to barre, and having to death-grip the neck to get my finger across the strings). I’ve been looking for ways to train that habit away; awesome that you have something there for me too. Thanks a ton! ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1444 "2011-03-16T23:21:56Z")
Also, why not play standing up for a bit? ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1445 "2011-03-17T00:27:57Z")
> [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Also, why not play standing up for a bit? **E-Sabbath** - it might work out, especially if you strap the guitar high enough, but the angle’s a little harder to control, and the instrument isn’t as stable. (This is not the time to try looking like Joey Ramone with your axe somewhere between your knees and your ankles.) Working through an injury, I’d recommend reducing the variables. It may be a good idea to find a ridiculously precise position in which to maintain the guitar for a while, at least until **Koldanar** figures out how to play without aggravating them tendons… Just my two cents - it won’t even buy you a latte, in fact. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2011, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1446 "2011-03-17T02:43:11Z")
I was thinking it might be easier to play at a 65 degree angle if you can lower the body of the guitar below the hips, is all. But yeah. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1447 "2011-03-18T18:26:46Z")
\*\*Kaylasdad \*\*started this thread about a video featuring some teeny Chinese kids playing huge (compared to them) classical guitars. > **[Astonishing performance, how do I link to it...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=601226)** > > …without requiring people to go to facebook? Here’s the link on facebook. I hope. Okay, I’ve checked it out in preview, and it is, but you have to be logged into FB to see it (I checked that, too). Except I know that not everybody has, or wants to... Fun to watch - reminds me of kids trained in the Suzuki method of violin playing. \*\* Le Ministre\*\* - how’s their positioning? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1448 "2011-03-19T13:19:23Z")
I picked up a new amp (Line 6) and noticed that the static I thought was coming from my old Peavey amp is actually coming from the neck/humbucker pick-up on my new Tele knock-off (Xaviere XV-820). I read from [another site](http://www.lollarguitars.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=guitar-pickups-faq#I%20get%20a%20crackling%20sort%20of%20like%20a%20static%20sound%20that%20builds%20up%20in%20intensity%20as%20I%20play%20me%20Telecaster.): > [@](#): > > I get a crackling sort of like a static sound that builds up in intensity as I play me Telecaster. > > This is due to the pickguard not being grounded and also happens on other guitars like archtops with pickups attached to the pickguard. Plastic gives off electrons as your body contacts it. This causes a static charge to build up and discharge through the strings and the pickup cover. This problem can get worse in the winter when the air is dryer from heating. You can temporarily alleviate the problem by wiping down the pickguard with an anti-static towel like you use in a dryer, or you can gook up a ground wire to the back of the pickguard and solder it to the back of a pot or any other ground point. This will also happen with certain finishes like metallics, Gibson goldtops, or polyesters (urethane). Any experience with this or pointers? ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1449 "2011-03-19T22:43:31Z")
Not yet, but I probably will in a month or two. The ground wire seems logical enough. Wire it to a screw in the pickguard and solder it to the back of the pot. This is why the Strat has that ground wire to the trem claw. Note: I do not have my book with tele wiring in it. Please do not follow my advice without confirmation from WordMan, or talking to your local shop. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1450 "2011-03-20T02:48:21Z")
Would a ground wire touching a plastic pickguard really be effective? I’d think some copper tape on the back of the pickguard + a ground wire would be needed. My Tele doesn’t do this, but it’s a pricey American Deluxe, so perhaps they did something inside to prevent this. I’ve had my pickguard off to see how the pickup routes were done (big-ass swimming pool route, you could fit 3 humbuckers in there), but I don’t recall what the shielding looked like. That said, I don’t see any reason not to experiment with soldering a wire to a pot and taping it to the inside of the pickguard (or some other makeshift way, for now) . If you’re comfortable taking off the strings, pickguard, and control well (it’s really nothing complex), and know how to solder, go for it. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1451 "2011-03-20T17:26:03Z")
That’s why I was thinking you’d have to wrap it around a screw in the pickguard. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1452 "2011-03-20T17:51:05Z")
I’d try the fabric softener sheet first, though, just to be sure it is, in fact, the pickguard. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1453 "2011-03-20T18:17:19Z")
FWIW I get exactly the same thing on my Squier Tele after a few minutes’ playing. I thought it might be dodgy wiring in the neck pickup area, but it is apparent that the immediate cause is static build-up on the pickguard. Discharge the static and the problem goes away for a while. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1454 "2011-03-20T21:51:04Z")
I read up on the problem, and think that grounding my pick guard will do the trick. I am not shy about soldering, but am not sure where I find the ground on my guitar… any pointers? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1455 "2011-03-20T22:50:36Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > I read up on the problem, and think that grounding my pick guard will do the trick. > > I am not shy about soldering, but am not sure where I find the ground on my guitar… any pointers? The body of the pots (volume/tone knobs) will be grounded. You should see wires already soldered to them. Other grounded points will be the outside ring of the jack, and the bridge plate. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1456 "2011-03-20T23:41:45Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > The body of the pots (volume/tone knobs) will be grounded. You should see wires already soldered to them. Other grounded points will be the outside ring of the jack, and the bridge plate. To be clearer about the pots, you’d see something like [this](http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f234/bugbear33/misc/firebrand-wire.jpg) (with two pots on your Tele, instead of four). See that wire soldered to the backs of all the pots? That’s ground. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1457 "2011-03-21T01:32:49Z")
Can you link your most helpful bits, Phungi? I’m getting my Telemaster tomorrow, and I may have to repeat your experiment. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1458 "2011-03-21T15:26:17Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > To be clearer about the pots, you’d see something like [this](http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f234/bugbear33/misc/firebrand-wire.jpg) (with two pots on your Tele, instead of four). See that wire soldered to the backs of all the pots? That’s ground. Thanks… this is exactly what I was hoping for! > [@E-Sabbath](#): > > Can you link your most helpful bits, Phungi? I’m getting my Telemaster tomorrow, and I may have to repeat your experiment. Sure thing… I will take photos, but squeegee’s link pretty much says it all. BTW, from online searches, I have found the following solutions to “Tele Pick Guard Static” (this is not a step-by-step list, just independent suggestions): [ul] [li]Wipe outside of pick guard with dryer sheet (aka: Bounce)[/li][li]Remove pick-guard, rub back with dryer sheet[/li][li]Remove pick-guard, tape dryer sheet to back[/li][li]Remove pick-guard, rub back with sand paper or scouring pad[/li][li]Make sure wires trailing from the neck pickup are properly soldered together and insulated.[/li][li]Ground pick guard by attaching copper tape or aluminum foil to back, and running a wire to ground[/li][/ul] I am opting for the last option. Will report back when done. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1459 "2011-03-21T16:22:42Z")
> [@phungi](#): > > [li]Ground pick guard by attaching copper tape or aluminum foil to back, and running a wire to ground[/li][…] > I am opting for the last option. Will report back when done. Please tell me you’re not going to stuff a lot of aluminum kitchen wrap in there. Do a proper job using adhesive copper tape adhered to the back of the pickguard (and if needed, you should consider doing the rest of the cavity as well while you’re in there). ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1460 "2011-03-21T16:52:10Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > Please tell me you’re not going to stuff a lot of aluminum kitchen wrap in there. Do a proper job using adhesive copper tape adhered to the back of the pickguard (and if needed, you should consider doing the rest of the cavity as well while you’re in there). Definitely… copper tape over aluminum foil. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2011, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-great-ongoing-guitar-thread/527172/1461 "2011-03-21T18:56:30Z")
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