Question: The Music Man "Silent Circuit"

[Music Man Dan]

First off, I'll apologize, in case this has already been answered elsewhere a thousand times LoL. However, I was wondering, in general, how many hours of playing can be expected from the 9V battery in the Silent Circuit? What happens to the tone when the battery starts to die? What would happen if the battery was removed altogether? Is the load of the circuit applied to the battery the entire time it's installed in the guitar, or only when the cable is plugged into the jack?

[Jack FFR1846]

There's a switch on the output jack. So when the guitar is not in use, unplug it. (unless you buy my Sublhouette, where I put in a switch on the pickguard ). It does not use a lot of current. When the battery dies, you simply don't have noise cancelling. It's not like EMGs that you lose all sound.

[beej]

Hey Dan-

The SC has a minimal current draw, you'll get many months of play from it. I hardly ever change the batteries in mine.

If you remove the battery, the SC is effectively out of the circuit and it's as if you have a very small resistor (ohms) from your pickup to ground. There's no change in tone with the SC on or off, just the removal of hum.

The battery is disconnected when you unplug your guitar.

[Music Man Dan]

Oh, so in other words, once the battery has died, or it has been removed altogether, the tone stays the same, however, when in pickup switch positions 1, 3 or 5, you'll get the typical Fender Stratocaster humming while not actually playing? The silent circuitry is only used when each individual pickup is used on its own, right? In the "notched" positions (2 and 4, or B&M and N&M), the circuit is bypassed and natural hum cancelling is employed, right? (I'm pretty sure that's what the EB/MM control function diagrams say, but they won't open on my computer right now)

[beej]

Yep, with one caveat.

The SC is actually engaged in all of the positions. But in the notch positions it cancels itself out (the middle p'up is using an inverted output from the SC) since it's unnecessary, in the same way that hum naturally cancels out in those positions.

So there ya go.

[John C]

Oh, so in other words, once the battery has died, or it has been removed altogether, the tone stays the same, however, when in pickup switch positions 1, 3 or 5, you'll get the typical Fender Stratocaster humming while not actually playing? The silent circuitry is only used when each individual pickup is used on its own, right? In the "notched" positions (2 and 4, or B&M and N&M), the circuit is bypassed and natural hum cancelling is employed, right? (I'm pretty sure that's what the EB/MM control function diagrams say, but they won't open on my computer right now)

Yes, this is true if you're talking about a Silo Special with 3 single coils or an Albert Lee with either single coils or 3 MM-90s. I've had 3 Silo Specials plus an AL with MM-90s over the years; I actually liked the first one better with the battery removed (without the silent circuit); it seemed to give that particular Silo Special a bit more of that classic Strat "sparkle" and it was still a well-shielded, quiet guitar that only really picked up hum if I was too close to a tube TV or computer monitor. That one was a 2004 model. I've since also owned a 2007 and a 2010; both of them sounded great with the Silent Circuit active.

Now if you're talking about the Silo Special with the bridge humbucker - in that case the silent circuit only works in position 5 (the neck pickup only); position 3 is actually the inner coil of the bridge humbucker and the neck single coil together. By the way position 2 is the outer coil of the humbucker (the one closest to the bridge) plus the middle pickup.

[Music Man Dan]

Yeah, I was referring to the Silhouette Special with the three single coil setup. LoL, one thing worth mentioning about me is that I have pretty severe obsessive compulsive disorder, and in order to prevent me from not enjoying the guitar I'm playing due to constant wonder about what another guitar would sound like in a given situation (thereby preventing me from wanting every guitar in existence), I've established a couple of ground rules for myself, and one of them is to never have a guitar that has both humbucker and single coil pickups in the same guitar. I know, I sound crazy, but, it pacifies me.

[beej]

Hah! Better stay away from the Steve Morse model then.

[Music Man Dan]

Haha! Agreed! I was astonished the first time I laid eyes on the Steve Morse model, as I had finally come across a guitar with more controls than my (Dad's) Fender Jaguar LoL.

[John C]

Yeah, I was referring to the Silhouette Special with the three single coil setup. LoL, one thing worth mentioning about me is that I have pretty severe obsessive compulsive disorder, and in order to prevent me from not enjoying the guitar I'm playing due to constant wonder about what another guitar would sound like in a given situation (thereby preventing me from wanting every guitar in existence), I've established a couple of ground rules for myself, and one of them is to never have a guitar that has both humbucker and single coil pickups in the same guitar. I know, I sound crazy, but, it pacifies me.

I'm with you on that - I've found over the years that I like to keep my guitars either all single coils, all humbuckers, or all soapbars. I've just never bonded with any HSS guitar I've ever owned (and I'll admit I've never owned an HSH guitar).

[radrock]

Incidentally, I'm seriously thinking of selling my 1981 strat, simply because I just can't live with the hum. The wiring is too complicated for any of the noise reduction backplates and I really don't want to swap pickups.

Long story short, the MM silent circuit RULES. I really miss the guitar I had with the MM90s. So twangy and NO hum.