Newark Starfire IV ST ground issues

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Hi all, I just purchased a used Starfire which has a severe grounding issue - hum that disappears when I touch something metal. Definitely the guitar, not the cable or amp.

Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this problem?
 

Default

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Hi all, I just purchased a used Starfire which has a severe grounding issue - hum that disappears when I touch something metal. Definitely the guitar, not the cable or amp.

Any suggestions on how to troubleshoot this problem?

You've a missing or badly soldered ground wire to the strings. Probably a cold solder joint due to the leadless solder they use now. There should be a wire connected to the stoptail.
 

GAD

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Default is likely correct. Guitars like Starfires can be a royal PITA to work on, so unless you have experience or are willing to poke around a bit, you might want to take it to someone. Here's a pic of the wiring harness on a '98 Starfire moved to the outside. There's a lot going on in there and it's all routed and hopefully tied down so it doesn't rattle and can't be seen through the f-holes.

Somewhere the ground is connected via a wire to the bridge. It could be from a pickup or even from the selector switch. Anything that's part of the ground bus can be used but my guess would be the bridge pickup because that's a short and easy run. You can run a new ground from anywhere there's an existing ground to the bridge, but the right way to do it is to clean up the existing problem even if it means removing it. If your existing ground is intermittent it can lead to scratching and other noise if you don't remove it.

Additionally, my guess is that the existing ground wire is *just* long enough to reach where its going so you won't be able to easily work on it.

If all of that is overwhelming, bring it to a tech. Be warned that some will charge an up-charge to work on semi-hollows because they're a PITA. Since there's no access panel on the back it's all gotta be done through the f-holes or the pickup routes and you can't see anything. There are tricks that can make it easier, but even with the tricks it's still a PITA.

Guild-1998-Starfire4-PotsHarness.jpg
 

dreadnut

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Maybe no-lead solder, maybe not...what year is the guitar? Either way, you've likely got a bad connection somewhere in the ground loop.

Gary, the solder joints on those pots look pretty good considering they have to be soldered directly to the can.
 

GAD

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Maybe no-lead solder, maybe not...what year is the guitar? Either way, you've likely got a bad connection somewhere in the ground loop.

Gary, the solder joints on those pots look pretty good considering they have to be soldered directly to the can.

He's talking a NS Starfire so it's from Korea and I'd bet you a doughnut that all the pickups have RoHS stickers on them.

As for the pots on my Starfire, that's quality Westerly work, right there.
 
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