tommirnknharju Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 Hi! Just wondering is it common problem with variax standard guitars that when you have the battery installed there will be a lot of noise in the magnetic pickups. This is evident especially on the bridge pickup which seems logical since it is nearest to the electrical "variax stuff" in the guitar. And if this is common, then how have you shielded the pickups to get rid of it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 No it is not common. Try it without the battery. If it's still noisy its picking up EMI from your room. It's not the variax electronics unless something is very wrong. They are single coil pickups which are noise receivers anyway. Light dimmers are a common source of noise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted May 30, 2016 Share Posted May 30, 2016 What Charlie said...single coils, while they give you that great Strat tone, are horrendous noise makers. Some guitars are worse than others, some rooms worse than others. It's unlikely to have anything to do with the battery. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 The Variax with models enabled is one of the quietest guitars out there. The Piezo pickups are immune to EMI. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommirnknharju Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 Yes, the noise goes off when I take the battery out. I just have to play without the battery when I use the magnetic pickups. Battery in, noise increases. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommirnknharju Posted May 31, 2016 Author Share Posted May 31, 2016 variax models are normal, no noise there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted May 31, 2016 Share Posted May 31, 2016 That is not at all normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted June 1, 2016 Share Posted June 1, 2016 Yes, the noise goes off when I take the battery out. I just have to play without the battery when I use the magnetic pickups. Battery in, noise increases. Something is very wrong, then...it's service time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommirnknharju Posted June 1, 2016 Author Share Posted June 1, 2016 The battery isn't the problem since it only starts when the battery is fully installed. Maybe the variax circuit bleeds to the output when it's not on or something. It should be completely off but it isn't since it affects the sound with noise. Another lesson here, should have bought it from the local shop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisinon2 Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 The battery isn't the problem since it only starts when the battery is fully installed. Call me silly, but seems to me that if the problem only manifests itself when the battery is installed, then the battery must have something to do with it...however unlikely it might seem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 Use a TRS guitar cable (tip/ring/sleeve), instead of a TS (tip/sleeve). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 TRS cable makes no difference unless you are using the external power supply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psarkissian Posted June 3, 2016 Share Posted June 3, 2016 I've had a couple of odd experiences with TS that didn't fit right, and the jack sleeve covered both contacts. It was a cheap cable. In one case it was zip-cord speaker cable. Incredible, what some people send me,... the stuff I've had come across my bench. Starting to see a couple of mal-fitted matings again the last two months. Scary. Yeah, shouldn't make a difference,... almost, all the time. Sometimes I just have to see it to believe it, such a mind blower when I do. Charlie's on the ball today,... good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Yes - a good guitar cable should work just fine. I stay away from the cheap crap cables though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
csho Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 Got my Variax Standard yesterday. Variax models are quiet but I experienced the magnetic pick up noise, with or without the battery installed. I will have to move around within my music room to find a 'sweet spot' with lesser noise. Later I discovered the culprit of this noise was the fluorescent bulbs of my room. The magnetic pick ups are quiet when i play without switching on those fluorescent bulbs. I will be replacing them with LED bulbs and see if it helps. Ceiling fan contributes very minor noise in my case. You will have to experience yourself to first switch on all electrical / electronics appliances in your room (or wherever you play your guitar), switch off 1 appliance at a time until you found the culprit. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie_Watt Posted October 11, 2016 Share Posted October 11, 2016 ALL magnetic pickups are going to pick up noise but single coils are the worst. That is what is sweet about the modeling. IT's dead silent! Fluorescent bulbs are terrible, light dimmers are worse. Speed controlled fans are terrible too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.