Les Paul grounding hum/buzz/noise

[foreverstrung]

I've got a 2008 Les Paul Goldtop Standard that until recently was as quiet as it should be. Out of nowhere it developed a grounding hum. I touch the bridge and it goes away. So I started with changing cords. Then amps. Still the sound persists.
I checked continuity in the guitar with a DMM. One end to the other. Up and down, back and forth. Continuity is good. Figured I might have a cold solder joint so I cleaned up everything. Cleaned and re-soldered many points. Especially the tailpiece ground wire and yet it persisted.
So I replaced EVERYTHING. Pots, toggle switch. Input jack. Shielded wire. Completely brand new everything. Nice clean solder joints. I OVER grounded. And still the noise persistes. I touch the tail piece and it goes away. Silence
The p'ups are WIZZ p'ups I installed last year. There output is as it should be. The ohms of each are as they should be.
After rewiring everything brand new, I again, switched instrument cord and then tried switching amps. Still it persisted.
I've built dozens and dozens of guitars. A few amps as well. I've never had a grounding issue like this........I forgot to add, I've tried plugging in other guitars too. No buzz/hum/noise. Even my strat is much quieter than this LP is right now.
Appreciate your thoughts

[Daviedawg]

Thinking hard about it, the only thing I can think of is a broken wire at the pickups. But it sounds like you have checked for continuity and resistance.
I had a similar thing with my first guitar which was a Korean Squier. I changed the pickups in the end. But that is a more expensive test option for you.

Have you tested for sound with the pickups out of the guitar, bypassing controls and sitting on the bench?

Dd

[JMPGuitars]

Dd is likely correct about an issue at the pickups.

Unfortunately, resistance testing isn't enough to tell you anything except a really bad short or break.

I started making pickups a few years ago. I tested resistance on a set, and they both looked good. Then I hooked them up to my LCR meter and then my scope, and they were absolute trash.

[foreverstrung]

Dd is likely correct about an issue at the pickups.

Unfortunately, resistance testing isn't enough to tell you anything except a really bad short or break.

I started making pickups a few years ago. I tested resistance on a set, and they both looked good. Then I hooked them up to my LCR meter and then my scope, and they were absolute trash.

This obviously makes sense as I've replaced everything else (except caps. I'll explain). What's not logical, to me, about this idea is that Wizz p'ups are very high end. Which in of itself does not mean that they can't have problems, but to have them both go out, at the same time, in the same way. that does not compute. I've had these Wizz p'ups installed for about a year now. This all just started a few days ago. I guess 1 could be contaminating both, in a sence.
I noted above that I've used the old caps. that's because they are "old stock" Bumble Bee caps. This morning I noticed that when I turn the tone knob to 0, there is not noise. I can turn the tone knob up to 2-3 before the noise returns. I think I'm going to replace the caps and see what happens.
I also tried disconnecting the lead P'up wire to the Wizz bridge p'up and tried using jumper wires to a 57 HB, but the sound was worse. I'm sure because of the micky mouse jumper cable way I had them connected.
If the caps don't change anything, I'll pull the p'ups and swap them with the 57's.

[Bieworm]

Please make sure the bridge or tailpiece is still soldered to the ground of the pots. I put my money on that as the cause. On a real les paul this should be a solid wire. Maybe you broke it off while manipulating it when you were soldering those pickups
The pickup ground has no influence on touching the bridge, which you state as removing the hum imho

[foreverstrung]

Man! I am beside myself. Stomping feet and gnashing of teeth!
The solid copper wire from the tailpiece is intact. When I remove it from it's connection to the harness, the grounding hum does not go away when I touch the tailpiece. When I reconnect it to the harness, the ground hum goes away when I touch the tailpiece. Thus, logically, I figured it's bueno
Ive replaced the three way toggle, 3 times.
I've redone the wiring harness, by hand, 3 times. I just installed a Mojotone solderless wiring harness and still it persists.
I've replaced the Wizz pickups with a set of 57's
I've used different amps. Different cords. Different guitars. SC and HB guitars
Nothing makes it go away. How does that happen? I've never seen anything like this. Like I originally said, it was working A+ for 2+ years without and issue. Then one day out of nowhere a hum and I'm stumped.
Tell me what I'm missing?

[Daviedawg]

Strings? Are they coated? That just seems such a long shot.

All I can suggest now is that the output socket is the source of your issue from your latest description since it is earthing through you but it is not earthing through the cord(s). You may have checked/replaced it already but it is all I can suggest now. Continuity test is sometimes misleading.

You have persisted so far, well beyond reasonable. So I guess you need to get to the bottom of it.

Dd

[Bieworm]

Unlikely the issue, but I suggest disconnecting the hot wire from each individual pickup at the pot. One by one not at the same time. If it’s pickup related it is even more unlikely that they both are a fail.

[JMPGuitars]

What does your wiring look like? Do you have a ground loop?

Have you been using the same jack this whole time?

Coated strings wouldn't mute when touched, but they can be an issue if they don't connect the bridge to the ground in a two piece setup where the bridge has the ground wire instead of the tailpiece. I had that issue on my Warwick Corvette bass. I had to run a piece of shielding tape (because I didn't want to drill) between the bridge and tailpiece so the ball on the tapewound strings would make contact.

[foreverstrung]

What does your wiring look like? Do you have a ground loop?

Have you been using the same jack this whole time?

Coated strings wouldn't mute when touched, but they can be an issue if they don't connect the bridge to the ground in a two piece setup where the bridge has the ground wire instead of the tailpiece. I had that issue on my Warwick Corvette bass. I had to run a piece of shielding tape (because I didn't want to drill) between the bridge and tailpiece so the ball on the tapewound strings would make contact.

I've swapped the input jack out 3 times. The 3 way toggle switch twice from the original.
Right now, I've dropped in a pre-wired, no-solder, mojotone wiring harness. But even still, my other wiring harnesses were tight. I've done it/built them, a ****-ton of times without ever an issue like this. I swapped out and rebuilt new, the wiring harness 3 times, pots and all before buying this per-wired Mojotone.
The solid copper ground wire is a solid connection to the tail piece. I've proven to myself a number of ways that this is not the source of the problem
I swapped out the p'ups with 57's like I said earlier in this thread and still had a grounding hum, but I'm thinking the issue must be with these boutique Wizz p'ups. Perhaps when I put the 57's in earlier, the grounding issue I had then was because of a cold joint. IDK, but I've tried everything else. With this new Mojotone solderless wire harness, it would be relatively quick and easy to put those 57's back in.
That's what I think I'm going to do.

[foreverstrung]

OK, so this is where I'm at right now.
If any of you have seen, used or know anything about the Mojotone solderless wire harness's, you know there pretty idiot proof. They are extremely simple to install
So I've got one of these installed. I removed my boutique Wizz p'ups and replaced them with a set of Burstbuckers I had on hand.....no change
So by now I figured I've done everything, with diligence, patience and an attention to detail and nothing was working, so the ONLY thing I could think of was the solid copper ground wire to the bridge was not making a full connection, just maybe a weak connection. So I pulled the bushing out, removed the wire. Checked it out, flipped it around and put 3 times more of into the bushing cavity thn was there originally. Put everything back together. Restrung it. No change.......so I searched online and found a suggestion that said to check the resistance on the ground. Set my DMM to the lowest setting and I should get low to zero reading if I have a good connection. Big #, bad connection....well, I'm getting a significant reading at the bridge. I obviously need to remove that bushing again and reset that solid copper ground wire, or get a new one.
I'm interested if you guys have a suggestion on securing the connection to this bushing that won't fail. The bushing sandwiching it between the body does not seem to be doing it anymore.
Thx

[JMPGuitars]

Try sanding the area at the bushing to expose/clean the metal where the wire will connect. If you have the appropriate tools, you could drill into the base of the bushing and insert the wire there. I wouldn't use solid wire either. Use good quality pre-tinned/bonded wire, and after inserting the bushing in the body, check the resistance from the bushing to the pot before you install anything else. But also be aware the bushing might not give you good contact anyway, and you might want to consider replacing it with something of better quality if it isn't great.

[foreverstrung]

Try sanding the area at the bushing to expose/clean the metal where the wire will connect. If you have the appropriate tools, you could drill into the base of the bushing and insert the wire there. I wouldn't use solid wire either. Use good quality pre-tinned/bonded wire, and after inserting the bushing in the body, check the resistance from the bushing to the pot before you install anything else. But also be aware the bushing might not give you good contact anyway, and you might want to consider replacing it with something of better quality if it isn't great.

Yes. Exactly what I was thinking

[foreverstrung]

Home outlet issue. Bad ground....I won't go into all the rabbit holes I went down before finding this, but that is the culprit. I've always just taken it for granite that outlets are good to go. That cords are ready to roll. Sometimes the littlest thing is found out to be a really big thing.
Thx for your help.