[Ted Pikul]

I just picked up a Jackson Pro Dinky hardtail on clearance and I love it to pieces. The only issue is buzzing and humming on a few of the pickup wiring options. The noise is on the 2-3-4 positions. It's similar to single-coil noise, but I've got an Ibanez RG with similar wiring options (I think) and I don't get any noise in any of the selector positions. I'm wondering if this is a bug or a feature. If it's a bug - if the guitar is busted - I'd like to figure out if it's repairable.

It's a 5-way selector, for 2 humbuckers. The options are:

1. neck
2. neck/bridge, parallel
3. neck/bridge, series
4. neck/bridge, parallel w/filter
5. bridge

The hum and buzz is just on the 2-3-4 selectors (like my 3-pickup Strat): no noise on 1 or 5; a little hum/buzz on 2; a louder hum/buzz on 3; a little hum on 4. It's similar to typical single-coil hum/buzz in terms of volume. Not very loud, but enough to become distracting. Like single-coil noise, it doesn't go away entirely when I lay my hands on the strings, but it does go away somewhat/mostly.

Is this just the nature of the guitar and the wiring - is this typical for Pro Dinkys - or does it sound like there's a problem? I have an RG that has similar wiring options (I think), and it's not noisy like the Jackson on the 2-3-4 positions. Different guitars?

If it's a problem, is it something that a qualified technician could fix? (I can do simple setup stuff, but I don't trust myself with a soldering iron on nice guitars.)

I love the guitar, aside from this, and I don't think I can get an exchange, because it looks like they're all gone. If the guitar can be fixed, I would consider paying for it (after talking to the retailer). If it's normal, I'll deal with it. And if it's normal, but can be fixed, I would consider paying for that. Thanks very much for any feedback!

 

[HamBungler]

I'd take it back to the retailer if possible and show them what its doing and see if they will fix it free of charge, certainly wouldn't hurt if you just bought it.

 

[Ted Pikul]

I'd take it back to the retailer if possible and show them what its doing and see if they will fix it free of charge, certainly wouldn't hurt if you just bought it.

I'm probably gonna contact them and have a civilized conversation, maybe get a rebate. The problem is that it's a clearance item, and it doesn't look like they have any more to exchange this one for.

I really do like the guitar, and the noise isn't really any worse than my 3-pickup Strat. But it's a two-humbucker guitar, and my other two-humbucker guitar with a 5-way selector doesn't have this issue. Of course, that could be because they're just different guitars, and this may just be what the Jackson sounds like. There may not be anything to fix.

 

[105]

As you described them, positions 2,3 and 4 are not him-cancelling. You should expect some him.

 

[Ted Pikul]

As you described them, positions 2,3 and 4 are not him-cancelling. You should expect some him.

Thanks very much for reply! That's what I'm wondering. This Jackson wiring may just come with the noise (which is basically just single-coil noise, it seems). It's from the coil-splitting, right? If that's the case, I can live with it.

I'm pretty sure that my Ibanez RG Prestige also has coil-splitting options (it looks like that for 2 and 4), but there's no noise on the 2-3-4. That's my only previous experience with 5-way selectors and split-coil humbuckers, so I wasn't sure what was up. Is that why the Ibanez cost a little more than the Jackson?

I just gotta say again the the Jackson is otherwise magnificent.

 

[scole]

It may just be a loose solder connection on the pickup selector switch. If the dealer can't/won't take a look at it and fix it, any guitar repair shop should be able to fix it for not too much money.

 

[Mike]

As you described them, positions 2,3 and 4 are not him-cancelling. You should expect some him.

3 should be hum-canceling, since it's just both pickups on. The Parallel positions (2 & 4) will have a bit more noise, but shouldn't be full on single-coil hum.

 

[Assault Bacon]

I'd have the cordial conversation with the shop that you suggested. Let them know you're not interested in returning the guitar, you just want it to work properly.

And I agree with Mike - there should be a bit of noise in a couple of those positions but that #3 is no bueno.

 

[Ted Pikul]

I'd have the cordial conversation with the shop that you suggested. Let them know you're not interested in returning the guitar, you just want it to work properly.

And I agree with Mike - there should be a bit of noise in a couple of those positions but that #3 is no bueno.

Is it something that could be fixed by someone who knows how to use a soldering iron?

 

[Assault Bacon]

Is it something that could be fixed by someone who knows how to use a soldering iron?

Could be, if that's where the problem lies.

 

[Ted Pikul]

Could be, if that's where the problem lies.

It sounds like I should show the guitar to a qualified technician.

 

[lespauled]

I don't think it needs a qualified technician....at least not yet. Open the back and look for any loose wires, especially ground wires. Here's a schematic of an H-S-S Seymour Duncan setup.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wirin...middle-s,bridge-h,1-volume,1-tone,5-way-blade

 

[Mike]

I don't think it needs a qualified technician....at least not yet. Open the back and look for any loose wires, especially ground wires. Here's a schematic of an H-S-S Seymour Duncan setup.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wirin...middle-s,bridge-h,1-volume,1-tone,5-way-blade

It's a 5-way selector, for 2 humbuckers. The options are:

Wrong diagram.

 

[lespauled]

Wrong diagram.

Here's one with 2 humbuckers. If it's not the correct diagram, just select the one from the drop down that matches the setup.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wiring-diagrams?meta_params=view-all,humbuckers

 

[Ted Pikul]

My qualified technician says that the wiring doesn't look faulty. He's spoken to Fender/Jackson, and he's waiting on a wiring diagram from them. It'll probably be something like the diagram(s) linked above.

I think he said that the guitar has a 5-way "super selector", which I believe would be this:

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wiring-diagrams?meta_params=view-all,humbuckers

https://docs.google.com/gview?embed...m/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/2H_S5W_1V_1T.pdf

I'm gonna send those links to him and see if he can use them.

 

[Ted Pikul]

Ok, my Fender-certified tech ended up saying that there WAS an issue with the at-factory wiring. He didn't seem very familiar with superstrats or 5-way selectors. He gave me the guitar back with no noise on position 3, but some noise still on 2 and 4. It sounds like he got silence on the 3 position, not by wiring it as Jackson intended (inner coil of both humbuckers), but rather, as Gibosn would have done (both humbuckers, full-on).

So I sent it back to The Online Retailer that I bought it from - I gotta say that I love the guitar so much (ergonomics, sound) that I really want to make it work. The Online Retailer's tech told me that he had contacted Jackson, and that he was told that there may be noise on 2 and 4 because they're each only one single coil.

I've had other 2-humbucker guitars with 5-way selectors that are silent on all positions (e.g. Ibanez RG Standard and Prestige). However, those may not have been wired for coil-splitting like the Jackson Pro Dinky is. So I have a question for other Jackson Pro Dinky owners: do you have some noise on your 2 and 4 selector positions?

 

[Mike]

Ok, my Fender-certified tech ended up saying that there WAS an issue with the at-factory wiring. He didn't seem very familiar with superstrats or 5-way selectors. He gave me the guitar back with no noise on position 3, but some noise still on 2 and 4. It sounds like he got silence on the 3 position, not by wiring it as Jackson intended (inner coil of both humbuckers), but rather, as Gibosn would have done (both humbuckers, full-on).

So I sent it back to The Online Retailer that I bought it from - I gotta say that I love the guitar so much (ergonomics, sound) that I really want to make it work. The Online Retailer's tech told me that he had contacted Jackson, and that he was told that there may be noise on 2 and 4 because they're each only one single coil.

I've had other 2-humbucker guitars with 5-way selectors that are silent on all positions (e.g. Ibanez RG Standard and Prestige). However, those may not have been wired for coil-splitting like the Jackson Pro Dinky is. So I have a question for other Jackson Pro Dinky owners: do you have some noise on your 2 and 4 selector positions?

If he wired 2 & 4 as coil splits on the humbuckers, then there will be noise.

 

[Ted Pikul]

If he wired 2 & 4 as coil splits on the humbuckers, then there will be noise.

Thanks very much for reply!

So my dream of a wiring scheme for 2-humbucker guitars that lets you use a single coil without noise, via coil-splitting, is just that - a mere dream?

I mean, as far as I know, single coil = hum, but I had thought that some sort of work-around had been conceived for 2-humbucker guitar...ground wires and other stuff I don't know much about.

I had thought that my Ibanez RGs did that, but it looks like the closest that they get is position 2 (or 4, depending on your perspective), which uses both inner coils.

 

[Kagami]

Afaik the only way to get a noiseless single coil sound is to use the dual stacked pickup or like how EBMM did on some of their basses have a 2nd pickup and just have it so far from the strings it doesn't pick up anything lol.

 

[Mike]

Thanks very much for reply!

So my dream of a wiring scheme for 2-humbucker guitars that lets you use a single coil without noise, via coil-splitting, is just that - a mere dream?

I mean, as far as I know, single coil = hum, but I had thought that some sort of work-around had been conceived for 2-humbucker guitar...ground wires and other stuff I don't know much about.

I had thought that my Ibanez RGs did that, but it looks like the closest that they get is position 2 (or 4, depending on your perspective), which uses both inner coils.

Another solution is to run the pickups in parallel rather than series in 2 & 4. Not really single coil, but definitely different.

There are honestly about 25 ways out there to wire a two-hum guitar to get other tones out of it, but we usually end up with coil splits because they're the most comfortable for getting semi-Fender tones, which is usually what people are after.