Something wrong with my rig? Or am I setup wrong? Or do I need a noise supressor?

[Noshtero]

Here's my current setup:
Fender AM DLX Jazz -> Zoom B2.1U -> GEB-7 -> Punch Factory -> Pitch Black -> GK Backline 600 -> GK 410GLX

I'm rather new to this, so I'm sure the exact term, but I get what I'll call a constant buzz, or hiss. If I put my fingers across the strings, it stops. I let go of the strings and it comes back. It's quite a bit louder with the GEB-7 engaged.

Is there something wrong with my setup? Or do I just need an NS-2 or something?

Thanks!

[pedalguy1]

I think thats a shielding problem.

[Noshtero]

Originally Posted by pedalguy1

I think thats a shielding problem.

I.e. crappy cables?

[lazyone2]

Originally Posted by Noshtero

I.e. crappy cables?

That sounds about right.

[Noshtero]

Originally Posted by lazyone2

That sounds about right.

hmm... I'd like to test it before spending a boat load on fancy cables.

Is there a cable ya'll recommend? I have what my local shop sells, branded to that shop. I think he puts them together in the shop actually. They're around $25ish for a 15'er.

Could it be the little 6" jobbers I got at guitar center to connect the pedals together? I've only seen one option for those, and they're like $4 apiece.

[Lindsay]

Could be a grounding/shielding problem with your bass.

[rratajski]

I would go w/ shielding. Wrap your fingers in aluminum foil.

[nightcityburn]

Shielding/grounding issue.

Open up your guitar, check all your ground wires (black) make sure they are all wired properly. While you the pickguard off and you are looking in the cavaties, go ahead and shield it with some copper tape.

Its a pain, and you will slice a finger or two, but well worth the effort. It will make the bass whisper quiet, if done right.

[Rando McNally]

Originally Posted by Lindsay

Could be a grounding/shielding problem with your bass.

First off, start removing gear from your signal path one at a time. If the buzz stops, you have your culprit.

This almost certainly will not work, and will leave you with your bass plugged into your amp, as you should be to sort this out.

I'm guessing you'll still need to ground the bass to your body to get the buzz to stop. This is happening in every single electric instrument out there. It's unavoidable. In some cases it's a lot more apparent, and you can't really do anything about it that won't harm your tone. In that case you get a noise gate. It will mute your bass when it's not playing. You probably aren't noticing it while you play, just while you aren't playing.

If you want to try to improve the situation, start with your cavity.

Some kind of radiation is being picked up somewhere between your bass and your amp It could be in your cables, could be in your bass. Either way, sheild your preamp cavity first. A well shielded cavity is a MUST! Get some foil tape and go to town. There's loads of info on it cavity shielding. Do a search for it.

Even if cavity shielding isn't your problem now, you'll eventually be glad you did it and you won't even know it cos you won't be hearing the interference that would have driven you crazy later!

So, shield up. If that buzz is still there, check for grounded outlets, then try a ground lift on your amp, or on the six way you plug all your gear into. That probably won't fix it, but keep the ground lift in your gig bag in case you encounter some noisy electricity (e.g. air conditioners on the same circuit often cause a classic 60 cycle hum in an amp).

Once you have these interference repelling assets in place (ground lift and well-shielded cavity) you can start upgrading cables.

You shouldn't need to drop a million bucks on a cable, You can get a monster cable that's 20' or so for under $20, and you don't need to even go that far. Spend $10 or so, and find something that says "Shielded Instrument Cable." That's all you need.

When that doesn't work, your noise gate will.

I use a volume pedal and turn it down when I'm not playing. I have many basses, and with the same rig they all do this to a varying extent. My newer, more expensive ones tend to do it less than my less expensive basses. My 1973 Jazz is just ridiculous, but the volume pedal fixes that!

I have some inventions that I use for recording my noisier basses. The early prototypes included a lot of wire and duct tape, attaching my bass's bridge to my butt. Later models have become much more refined, but employ the same principle. I've found this assembly to be unnecessary, and too undignified for the stage, but crucial gear for the recording studio.

JW

[Blueszilla]

To make sure, plug the bass directly into your amp. If it's still buzzing, then go the shielding the cavity route. If it stops, add one item at a time to your signal chain, while plugging in to test and find the offending device.

Make sure you have both pickups all the way up, there is a certain amount of buzz you get with SC p/u's when soloed.

The buzz also might be caused by dirty power, florescent lights, or bad p/u's.

Shielding the cavity is smart in any case.

Good luck.

Edit: Rando beat me to it!

[Noshtero]

Awesome. You guys are the best. I'm glad I checked here before dropping $85 on a noise gate that I might not even need.

It seemed odd to me that the majority of the pedal boards I see on here didn't have them. I figured there must be something wrong with my setup.

I am in a basement with flourescent lights. I am going from my power strip with my pedals and amp plugged in, into another power strip with a bunch of TV and Sterio stuff plugged in.

I've never shielded anything.

I think I probably have at least 3 things here contributing to it.

I'll get to searching about cavity shielding. Thanks so much!

[Noshtero]

Copper tape ordered from Stewart-McDonald. I'm on my way.

Thanks again.

[Ossaris]

Oh by the way if you decide to buy new cables try the Monster Cables prolink Bass. Those cables are godddddly! I love them!

[paganjack]

Originally Posted by Ossaris

Oh by the way if you decide to buy new cables try the Monster Cables prolink Bass. Those cables are godddddly! I love them!

boo. those are just high-capacitance cables. they just attenuate your high end signal. there are better ones that are not as expensive, IMO. I thought they were good at first, until I did some reading on what they really are. I'm not the only one that thinks this.

[funkyebk]

Originally Posted by Noshtero

I am in a basement with flourescent lights. I am going from my power strip with my pedals and amp plugged in, into another power strip with a bunch of TV and Sterio stuff plugged in.

ARRRRGHHHHHH. Ya should have said that in the first place!!!

fluorescent lights= BAD BUZZ
TV's/Stereo/Computers= BAD BUZZ
Nearby Air Force Base= BAD BUZZ

Seriously- the situation you described is about the worst I can imagine for getting a clean sound- or at least a clean base for you to distort as you like... if you are just practicing in there it's one thing, but I'd imagine it would be a nightmare for recording. Follow the advice to shield the instrument and ground everything... After that, turn off the fluorescents and buy some regular lamps. Try to isolate "musical stuff" from "electronic stuff" on a different circuit (doubtful if it's your home... but if you can, do...) and finally check how you have chords running... I was taught to not let any power run parallel to signal- if they MUST be near each other cross them at right angles- it supposedly cuts down on RF.

[Noshtero]

Originally Posted by funkyebk

ARRRRGHHHHHH. Ya should have said that in the first place!!!

fluorescent lights= BAD BUZZ
TV's/Stereo/Computers= BAD BUZZ
Nearby Air Force Base= BAD BUZZ

Seriously- the situation you described is about the worst I can imagine for getting a clean sound- or at least a clean base for you to distort as you like... if you are just practicing in there it's one thing, but I'd imagine it would be a nightmare for recording. Follow the advice to shield the instrument and ground everything... After that, turn off the fluorescents and buy some regular lamps. Try to isolate "musical stuff" from "electronic stuff" on a different circuit (doubtful if it's your home... but if you can, do...) and finally check how you have chords running... I was taught to not let any power run parallel to signal- if they MUST be near each other cross them at right angles- it supposedly cuts down on RF.

Will do. Thanks to you as well.

[Rando McNally]

i hope you realize that you will have to let us know how it turned out for you.

[fightthepower]

It's your bass.

My POS '08 dlx usa jazzV has been at the shop for 6 months now... I'll try to keep this short- I buy the bass new, a couple months later the neck still wouldn't set properly.. the tross rod was bad, so the bass went in to have the neck replaced under warranty. Almost 3 months later I get it back with a new neck... and a buzz. A buzzing buzzsaw of a ****ing buzz, and it only went away when I have my fingers on the strings AND some other metal part of the bass, or covering the pole pieces of the pickups. Turning the volume all the way down only made the buzz quieter.

So Fender sent a new circuit (should have sent pickups first... but apparently the head of customer service at Fender had this exact problem, and it was remedied by a new circuit) 2 more months later, and the buzz was the exact same. I thought I was going crazy because the wiring in my house does occasionally get noisy, but I took the bass and my rig to other places including the rehersal spot, friends houses, and then guitar center where my bass made noise next to an identical new bass, and at the other places I plugged into different rigs, and different basses into my rig... only my bass buzzed. It also made noise at the guitar shop, though quieter through their tweeterless 15.

So now it's been 3 f'ng more months and I still haven't received the bass back with the pickups.... All I can tell you is it sounds like you're bass is doing the same thing, and Ive read other stories with this exact bass and electronics doing the same.... but no definitive answer on what the problem is. My bass was dead quiet for the first 3 months that I owned it. The neck was bunk and I send it in for 2 months.. I get it back, and 3 days later it starts buzzing in the middle of a jam... and never stops. I think maybe I sweated into the pickups too much or something.. I dont know... I just want the goddamn bass back in working order so I can at least sell the damn thing and get something new..

Good luck with yours man, Ill be checking back for updates.

[fightthepower]

I was sick of waiting (and had been for 5 months already) for fender to take their sweet time, so I bought some SCN's off the classifieds, with the intentions of having the shop try them out to see if it fixed the problem- Well the guy sent the damn things to the wrong address, and I just got them on thursday- over 2 months after he shipped them! I called the shop to check on the bass 2 weeks ago, and they had just received the pickups, but 'were waiting on a response from Fender to ask them a question about the pickups..." and I never heard back.. So who knows. Either way this has been a nightmare and to hell with fake ass corporate 'fender'. I learned my lesson.

[Noshtero]

I pulled my Zoom B2.1U out of the chain and that cleared up a good deal of the buzz. I don't know if something is wrong with the pedal or not.

I'm still going to shield my bass though. It sounds like that is a good idea no matter what.