Weird buzz when i'm not touching the strings

Thunderbird91 · #1 11-05-2006, 11:33 AM

Probably the wrong forum but i dont see a better choice.

Whenever I am plugged in, no matter what cord i use (they are all pretty crappy though) I get a strange buzz when I am not touching the strings.

Is this my cord?
a grounding problem?
my amp?
my bass?

vindy500 · #2 11-05-2006, 11:40 AM

shield it

Thunderbird91 · #3 11-05-2006, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vindy500

shield it

ok....

How do I shield it?

vindy500 · #4 11-05-2006, 12:31 PM

shielding tape or paint

reddogbass · #5 11-05-2006, 09:22 PM

You have a ground problem somewhere, and essentially you become the ground when you touch the strings.

Check out this site for troubleshooting- www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/index.php

202dy · #6 11-05-2006, 10:14 PM

Typically there is a ground wire running from the bridge to the ground side of the circuit. When you touch the strings you become the path to ground. When you are not touching the strings your bass is not grounded. It should have some 60 cycle hum (in the U.S). This problem is exacerbated by single coil pickups. On a Jazz Bass, for instance, there are two single coil pickups. One will have a north magnet and the other a south magnet and they are wire out of phase. When the volume controls are full up and equal the two pickups act as a humbucker. If the volume controls are not equal the hum will be greater.

If your bass is not humming when you are touching the strings all is normal.

mighty si · #7 11-06-2006, 01:55 PM

could it be the pots have gone old? I just replaced mine and theres heaps less hum. When i turned the tone way up high it was a big issue but now with new pots it sounds fine.

Gord · #8 11-09-2006, 12:44 AM

Sorry to derail, maybe someone could give me a quick answer (and maybe this would even help the topic poster)

When I turn the tone all the way down, the buzzing dissappears. The volume knobs can go anywhere they want at that point, the buzzing is just GONE. The tone knob comes up even a little, and there's a problem. Is this typical, or is my tone knob not properly grounded? I thought all the volume pot's grounds went to the tone knob, then to the bridge. Does that mean I have a general grounding problem, or just the tone knob?

vindy500 · #9 11-09-2006, 01:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gord

Sorry to derail, maybe someone could give me a quick answer (and maybe this would even help the topic poster)

When I turn the tone all the way down, the buzzing dissappears. The volume knobs can go anywhere they want at that point, the buzzing is just GONE. The tone knob comes up even a little, and there's a problem. Is this typical, or is my tone knob not properly grounded? I thought all the volume pot's grounds went to the tone knob, then to the bridge. Does that mean I have a general grounding problem, or just the tone knob?

very normal, youll filtering off the high frequencys with the tone control, so youre filtering the hum

mighty si · #10 11-09-2006, 01:54 PM

if you have a solidstate amp the closer you have it to other electronics the higher any buzz will be. Same with an active (or passive) bass. The closer you are to a tv or computer there'll be mad buzz.

but like I mentioned before, check to see if you need new pots.

Thunderbird91 · #11 11-09-2006, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mighty si

if you have a solidstate amp the closer you have it to other electronics the higher any buzz will be. Same with an active (or passive) bass. The closer you are to a tv or computer there'll be mad buzz.

but like I mentioned before, check to see if you need new pots.

Tube amp. New bass, New Head, New Cab. Active electronics. Bought a new cord but the buzz is just as bad.

mighty si · #12 11-12-2006, 06:20 AM

what years the bass/head/cab? head and cab same brand/model?

Thunderbird91 · #13 11-12-2006, 01:31 PM

I made a discovery. The buzz comes from just my bridge pickup. Also it gets a lot worse when I touch either of my pickups. I think when I tried it on a different cab it didnt do it but i'm not sure.

I got my bass/head/cab all within the past 6 months. The brands are in my sig.

bassbully43 · #14 12-10-2006, 11:27 PM

I have the same problem but i cant' figure it out. I have two Fender jazzes both MIM n one is a 5 one a 4. I never used to get buzz from my GK rig in my basement....now i get mad hum form my head..so much i turned off the tweater to reduce it some. I tried sheilding one with aluminum tape but found out you have to stick the pieces together where they touch without using the adhesive bank..will re-do. tonight i went to practice at my drummers house and my 5 string buzzed so loud i was getting ticked...never buzzed this bad before. What gives I never got this or really any buzz before now i have it in both rigs both basses at two diffrent locations? HELP

Thunderbird91 · #15 12-11-2006, 02:50 PM

jeeze sounds rough.

I just found out something the other day. It doesnt buzz at all when I use my head and bass with another cab and at another place. Could it be that its something with my actual electicity in my house?

pkr2 · #16 12-11-2006, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderbird91

jeeze sounds rough.

I just found out something the other day. It doesnt buzz at all when I use my head and bass with another cab and at another place. Could it be that its something with my actual electicity in my house?

It's pretty easy to check if something in your location is causing the "buzz".

Just turn all the way around,with the bass strapped on, so the bass faces through 360 degrees. If there is something in the room causing it, the buzz will get louder when it's oriented in the direction of the interference. If you move the bass closer to the source, the buzz will get louder.

The worst offenders are TVs and computer monitors.

The fact that the buzz is not there in another location is a pretty strong indication that something in the house is causing the prob. The speaker cab is one thing that definitely is not the problem

Shielding the pup and control cavities definitely can't hurt anything, if it's not already shielded.

Good luck with your problem.