I have a G&L ASAT Special (US made). lately, I've been using more distortion, and I've been digging the way my ASAT & American Series Tele sound as "hard rock" instruments. Naturally, as they have single coil pickups, they also have 60 cycle hum. Now, I know I'm never gonna eliminate the hum if I keep the original pickups. And that's okay. As walking around my room can increase/decrase the hum, I know it is not entirely the guitar's fault, and that I no doubt live in some mystical magnetic interference crossroads of the universe. That's okay, as well. Long as I have a place for my stuff. My issue is this:
The Tele is much, much quieter than the ASAT. I attribute this to the ASAT's higher output (yet I've been reading a lot lately about how quiet the MFD pickups can be...? Maybe this is a relative statement, as in "for the output they have, and the fact that they're single coils, these MFDs are darned quiet!" Maybe I'm just reading a bunch of stuff from clean & twangy country pickers). Using a Boss DS-1 pedal with the gain 3/4 of the way up results in the mildest of buzzing for the Tele. Very acceptable to me.
I've been considering having the ASAT shielded by my tech. It'll be fairly inexpensive, and reversible should I choose to undo it, so I was wondering if anyone has done this and considers it a worthwhile endeavor. I'm really only looking for a little noise reduction anyway. I'm not trying to make the guitar something it isn't, just trying to tame the hum a wee bit.
My tech had also looked over my ASAT a while back and declared it properly grounded, etc.
In addition, both the Tele & ASAT have a high pitched type of buzz when I have the volume knobs up all the way, and I'm not touching the bridge or the strings. I more often than not get a quick static crackle when touching the knobs of either guitar whilst not touching the strings. Is this a normal occurrance with "Tele" type guitars? Is it connected to the fact that these guitars have metal knobs & control plates? I'd cry "foul" or "defect", but it seems unlikely that I would purchase two different instruments from two different manufactures that would both go snap, crackle & pop in this manner.
thank in advance for your replies & input.
-Huck