American Deluxe Precision - hum

Art Araya · #1 09-30-2011, 06:09 PM

i just got a 2011 AMDx PBass and am having hum issues when I turn up the midrange dial beyond 0. It doesn't matter if I pan to the PBass pickups or to the JBass pickups, the hum is still there. It's worse if I take my hands off the strings.

I'm not much of a techie, do it yourself kind of guy - can anyone provide simple instructions for how to resolve this?

Art Araya · #2 10-01-2011, 07:17 AM

Hmmm... no responses. From the reading I've done this may be a shielding issue in the pickup cavity? Can anyone confirm this as a possibility?

guy n. cognito · #3 10-01-2011, 07:26 AM

You're right. Those basses have a total lack of shielding and grounding, which makes them hum like crazy. If you want to keep the bass, you'll need to shield and ground the cavities.

Art Araya · #4 10-01-2011, 07:32 AM

Wow, you'd think that a $1700 instrument would have such a basic thing done properly already?

guy n. cognito · #5 10-01-2011, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Araya

Wow, you'd think that a $1700 instrument would have such a basic thing done properly already?

Agreed. I bought a 2010 Jazz Deluxe last year. I loved everything about the bass except the humming. I know shielding and grounding would have fixed it, but I just couldn't bring myself to do that much work on a brand new bass, so I returned it. I'll probably pick up a used on some day, do the work, and be perfectly happy with it.

madmatt · #6 10-01-2011, 07:43 AM

I do not think it is a shielding issue. I have a '98 Amer. DLX and they are shielded, I do not know why they would of quit shielding these things. Also if you are turning the mids all of the way up you are probably going to be bringing those hum frequencies to the top.
I have a question: When in passive mode does it still hum?

Art Araya · #7 10-01-2011, 07:47 AM

Yes, it hums in both passive and active mode. I'm not cranking the mids; the only time I don't hear the hum is with Mids OFF.

Touching the strings or the tuners stops the hum.

guy n. cognito · #8 10-01-2011, 07:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmatt

I do not think it is a shielding issue. I have a '98 Amer. DLX and they are shielded, I do not know why they would of quit shielding these things. Also if you are turning the mids all of the way up you are probably going to be bringing those hum frequencies to the top.
I have a question: When in passive mode does it still hum?

Yeah, you would think that. My 1997 Deluxe is perfectly shielded and grounded, with zero hum. The 2010 I purchased had nothing but bare wood and finish in the cavity. They did stop shielding them several years ago.

madmatt · #9 10-01-2011, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

Yeah, you would think that. My 1997 Deluxe is perfectly shielded and grounded, with zero hum. The 2010 I purchased had nothing but bare wood and finish in the cavity. They did stop shielding them several years ago.

That surprises me. What Process Engineer thought this would be a good idea?

guy n. cognito · #10 10-01-2011, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by madmatt

That surprises me. What Process Engineer thought this would be a good idea?

I'm guessing it was more of a bean counter decision.

SGD Lutherie · #11 10-01-2011, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

I'm guessing it was more of a bean counter decision.

Yep. Fender is interested in making money. They cut corners every chance they get especially with hardware and electronics. The cheapest part wins.

I think they stopped trying to make good instruments when Leo Fender sold the company to CBS... He cared about that, but none of the owners after him did. Probably a good reason to buy a G&L bass!

Rano Bass · #12 10-01-2011, 04:22 PM

If only the mid control has that problem then its not a shielding problem, maybe the mid control is not grounded correctly.

madmatt · #13 10-01-2011, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by guy n. cognito

I'm guessing it was more of a bean counter decision.

They'll be counting less beans trying to sell crappy instruments.

Art Araya · #14 10-01-2011, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rano Bass

If only the mid control has that problem then its not a shielding problem, maybe the mid control is not grounded correctly.

It's only the mid control. When it's off, no hum. When it's turned up anywhere beyond 0, the hum increases.

THORRR · #15 10-02-2011, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

Yep. Fender is interested in making money. They cut corners every chance they get especially with hardware and electronics. The cheapest part wins.

I think they stopped trying to make good instruments when Leo Fender sold the company to CBS... He cared about that, but none of the owners after him did. Probably a good reason to buy a G&L bass!

Actually, most companies are in business to make a profit, and unfortunately that leads sometimes to inferior products. That's what happened when CBS bought Fender. But Leo Fender was no stranger to this principal. His single coil pups all had a 60 cycle hum. He used cheap floor tiles to cut into dots for fingerboard markers (the "clay" inlays) and his original bolt-on neck was a cost cutting device - He built "modular" guitars because it was fast and cheap . . . not because he thought he was creating a future icon.. It just turned out that way. The man was an engineer first and foremost, and as it turns out, an excellent one! He was the "Henry Ford" of guitar builders.

THORRR · #16 10-02-2011, 10:01 AM

The American Deluxe series is supposed to have noiseless pickups.

I have 2 MIM Deluxes (Jazz Basses) and they are dead silent.
I'd have your bass checked professionally for electronics problems. Could be a glitch in the pre-amp section.

Best of Luck.

khutch · #17 10-02-2011, 02:07 PM

Hmmm, the MIM Deluxe Active I bought a few weeks ago is shielded and grounded, I cannot understand why the made in USA version would not be. Generally you cut costs on the cheap models and overcharge for modest upgrades on the deluxe models!

Anyway if the hum comes and goes as you touch the strings you might look at the bridge ground wire to see if it is connected properly.

Ken

guy n. cognito · #18 10-02-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by THORRR

The American Deluxe series is supposed to have noiseless pickups.

I have 2 MIM Deluxes (Jazz Basses) and they are dead silent.
I'd have your bass checked professionally for electronics problems. Could be a glitch in the pre-amp section.

Best of Luck.

A noiseless pickup will eliminate single-coil hum, but not grounding issues.