EMG hum?

[Blazphemer]

Hello guys, i have yet another problem which i hope you can help me out with

In my RR1T there is a EMG ZW set installed (81 bridge, 85 neck), and they hum like hell.

the hum seems to be most extreme when the guitars volume is turned all the way down. it seems like some kind of grounding issue, as the hum practically disappears when i touch the pick guard, vol/tone knobs or the pickups. touching the bridge does nothing.

Aren't EMGs supposed to be internally grounded?

can anyone help me out here?

[Newc]

You need pot, switch, and jack grounds, but not a bridge ground.

Double-check the wiring diagram.

[Grandturk]

I had this problem on my SG with a two volume setup. I forgot how I solved it. I think it has to do with whether the pickups go to the pots or the switch first. I wanted to have two volumes and the 3-way, and I think I ended up with 1 vol and a 3-way. I had to wire the pickups to the switch and the switch to the volume...

That guitar is a sad mess - I really need to get back to that thing...

Newc is right - make sure the bridge ground is disconnected.

[Blazphemer]

I had this problem on my SG with a two volume setup. I forgot how I solved it. I think it has to do with whether the pickups go to the pots or the switch first. I wanted to have two volumes and the 3-way, and I think I ended up with 1 vol and a 3-way. I had to wire the pickups to the switch and the switch to the volume...

That guitar is a sad mess - I really need to get back to that thing...

Newc is right - make sure the bridge ground is disconnected.

Yes mine is a two volume, one tone setup. but there must be a way to have both volume pots working without hum?!

I will check the wiring tomorrow.

[MattW]

You need to make sure there's only one path to earth at any point in the circuit, a lot of buzz and hum comes from ground "loops". The paths to earth for multiple items should look like a tree coming down to one root, with none of the branches meeting anywhere, if that makes any sense...