So I have been putting my latest ES-335 thru the paces and I believe I have pinpointed a rather significant qualm with this 2013 Memphis model.
Some may recall I was fortunate enough to play a real 1959 Dot in mint condition for years, a guitar I miss more than my 1st love; a lot more! I never opened that guitar up so I don't know what type of grounding was used to attach the bridge/strings to the circuit. But this modern Memphis has a bare wire (maybe aluminum appx 16gauge) that runs from [reportedly] the treble side bridge stud to the bridge pickup braided shield. I have a annoying "ghost buzz" that exhibits itself for split seconds after playing the strings and stopping. I cant say it can be heard thru an amp, but it definitely bothers me especially playing acoustically. After contemplating the wiring harness, changing the bridge (original had cheap clips which rattled), and pulling my hair out trying to stick my ear in the F-hole to locate its exact origin I think I found the culprit: the unshielded 16 gauge ground wire from the bridge. It is taut and in mid-air currently, which means there is plenty of room for it to vibrate just like a 7th string. Genius.
Definitely never had this issue with the 1959; but my brief research suggests it may have the same design, if with different material or placement etc. So how should I correct this? Id love to replace it with a regular insulated wire, but it sounds like attaching it to the bridge stud is so laborious and tricky (perhaps even actually requiring drilling) makes that something Id rather avoid. I figure I will try to secure the wire to the center block with tape or something so that it cannot vibrate. Another idea was to add a regular wire extention to the bare wire perhaps trimming as much bare wire (culprit) as possible. Anybody have any suggestions on how best to remove this 7th string?
Some may recall I was fortunate enough to play a real 1959 Dot in mint condition for years, a guitar I miss more than my 1st love; a lot more! I never opened that guitar up so I don't know what type of grounding was used to attach the bridge/strings to the circuit. But this modern Memphis has a bare wire (maybe aluminum appx 16gauge) that runs from [reportedly] the treble side bridge stud to the bridge pickup braided shield. I have a annoying "ghost buzz" that exhibits itself for split seconds after playing the strings and stopping. I cant say it can be heard thru an amp, but it definitely bothers me especially playing acoustically. After contemplating the wiring harness, changing the bridge (original had cheap clips which rattled), and pulling my hair out trying to stick my ear in the F-hole to locate its exact origin I think I found the culprit: the unshielded 16 gauge ground wire from the bridge. It is taut and in mid-air currently, which means there is plenty of room for it to vibrate just like a 7th string. Genius.
Definitely never had this issue with the 1959; but my brief research suggests it may have the same design, if with different material or placement etc. So how should I correct this? Id love to replace it with a regular insulated wire, but it sounds like attaching it to the bridge stud is so laborious and tricky (perhaps even actually requiring drilling) makes that something Id rather avoid. I figure I will try to secure the wire to the center block with tape or something so that it cannot vibrate. Another idea was to add a regular wire extention to the bare wire perhaps trimming as much bare wire (culprit) as possible. Anybody have any suggestions on how best to remove this 7th string?
