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Got damn buzz! Please help!!

D

darren051234

May 17, 2012
33
0
#1
ok. Long story short
I've grounded, shielded and even grounded to the shield.
my mexican jazz bass is still giving off a buzz.
it goes away when i dial down the tone knob
i really wanna solve this problem as it is really annoying during recording or playing on solo. all i can hear is noise.
is there a way to solve this before buying noiseless pickups?
Cheers!
 
#4
Nicer pots? They're really cheap, even for the good ones. I would try that before new pickups. DW has a point too. You are less likely to get buzz with one or both volumes dimed.

Edit to add: Fretless has a point as well. It could be something to do with the power where you are. Dimmers, florescent lights, and neon lights are all big buzz producers. Other power quality issues can come into play as well. Have you played the bass somewhere else? Have you played anyone else's Jazz at your studio? Have you played the bass through another rig?
 
#6
I did bought this second hand and it is a 1997 MIM Jazz.
I was a my friend's recording studio and there was a hack load of buzz. BUT it could be I was sitting in front of his mixer and all his pre amps/ converters/ EQs and computer.
I just tried playing it at home with my ****** practice amp, it's fine, but to me (im picky, sorry) there is still noise when amp is turned up.
those noise just kinda ge slightly louder when both pickup in on max. but it does die away fair a bit when i dial down the tone.
I've heard those pots are really ****, will they be an issue?
or is a power conditioner gonna help?
Cheers
 
#7
I just posted about this in another thread regarding American active Jazz Basses. Mine is a 2009. I changed the strings and found the ground wasn't very good under the bridge, I addressed that but still have a mean hum. I even posted on Fender's facebook page how ridiculous this is. It has the American "Noiseless" pickups installed from the factory. I have Stratocasters that make less noise than this thing. There is a ton of articles about this on the web. Some show a ground loop issue with the way the guitar is wired. Does yours have active noiseless pickups? Just curious if it is the same as my issue? The only other possibility would be a poor or lack of ground to your amp.
 
#9
VBassRookie said:
I just posted about this in another thread regarding American active Jazz Basses. Mine is a 2009. I changed the strings and found the ground wasn't very good under the bridge, I addressed that but still have a mean hum. I even posted on Fender's facebook page how ridiculous this is. It has the American "Noiseless" pickups installed from the factory. I have Stratocasters that make less noise than this thing. There is a ton of articles about this on the web. Some show a ground loop issue with the way the guitar is wired. Does yours have active noiseless pickups? Just curious if it is the same as my issue? The only other possibility would be a poor or lack of ground to your amp.
Click to expand...
mine is a passive vintage stock mexican Jass pickup. u have a link of ur other thread?
 
#11
darren051234 said:
when i was attempting to record at my mate's place, I have switched off all the lights. however the buzz comes in and out as i move around with my bass. is that a hint of something?
Click to expand...

Yes, it means that the noise is being broadcast into the room by an object containing a transformer. The pickups are pulling it in from the air, so power conditioners and the like won't help.
Did you shield the underside of the pickguard? The pickup cavities? All shielding is grounded?
If you've done all of this, you'll need to identify the noise source and remove it or yourself from the vicinity.
To use your bass as a locator, turn one pickup off and the other on. This should make the noise much louder, and thus make it easier to identify the offending appliance.
 
#12
dmusic148 said:
Yes, it means that the noise is being broadcast into the room by an object containing a transformer. The pickups are pulling it in from the air, so power conditioners and the like won't help.
Did you shield the underside of the pickguard? The pickup cavities? All shielding is grounded?
If you've done all of this, you'll need to identify the noise source and remove it or yourself from the vicinity.
To use your bass as a locator, turn one pickup off and the other on. This should make the noise much louder, and thus make it easier to identify the offending appliance.
Click to expand...

I have shield everything: pickguard, the control cavity plate.
next thing im gonna try is shielding right underneath the pickup.
apparently it gives better tone and less hum?
 
#15
VBassRookie said:
I just posted about this in another thread regarding American active Jazz Basses. Mine is a 2009. I changed the strings and found the ground wasn't very good under the bridge, I addressed that but still have a mean hum. I even posted on Fender's facebook page how ridiculous this is. It has the American "Noiseless" pickups installed from the factory. I have Stratocasters that make less noise than this thing. There is a ton of articles about this on the web. Some show a ground loop issue with the way the guitar is wired. Does yours have active noiseless pickups? Just curious if it is the same as my issue? The only other possibility would be a poor or lack of ground to your amp.
Click to expand...

It is not possible to have a ground loop in an electric guitar/bass. It's a common myth.

You need proper shielding of all cavities, and the shielded cavities need to all be connected to ground.
 
#17
So let me throw another question into the mix. If you have noiseless pickups shouldn't that eliminate any hum from an outside frequency source? My bass has noiseless pickups and hums pretty bad. I know there are sources for the noise were I play, but I am surprised at how loud it can get. My strat with single coil regular pickups is quieter. Maybe my issue is with the active side of the bass.
 
#18
VBassRookie said:
You very much can have a ground loop. Here is a link diagramming the issue. With an explanation of the ground loop issue:
http://www.talkbass.com/wiki/index.php/Silencing_the_Noise_on_a_Marcus_Miller_Signature_Bass

On the other hand darren's guitar is not active, therefore I believe it would be impossible to have one with out the second power source ie:9 volt battery.
Click to expand...

Ground loops are a common myth in guitar wiring, or at least they are in internal wiring of the guitar. They can occur between amps and pedals, but not inside the guitar, no matter how many redundant ground paths you have.

Read here for more info, and for an explanation on the pointlessness of star grounding:

http://searcystringworks.blogspot.com/2009/04/buzz-kill-star-grounding-myth.html
 
#19
It was an article about star grounding single coil "passive" pickups. I understand that, all my strats have noise no matter how I shield to some extent. But with active you introduce a second power source. This is where you get the issue.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_(electricity)

It's not a matter of how many redundant paths you have as long as there is one path of least resistance it all goes to the right place. The issue happens when you combine two powered circuits. It is shown in the link above.
 
#20
VBassRookie said:
So let me throw another question into the mix. If you have noiseless pickups shouldn't that eliminate any hum from an outside frequency source?
Click to expand...

I would say no; the noise-cancelling characteristic is designed to offset hum caused by the fields of the two pickups. External factors, such as dimmer switches, which affect all of the electronic aspects of the setup (beyond the bass itself) may still cause an issue. I'm stretching my limits of knowledge here. If the electrons are in an organic molecule, I could wax on for days. Once you put them into a piece of copper wire, I get stupid. But, my response seems logical to me, for what it's worth.
 

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