I recently just put together the final piece to my brand new rig which is a 700rbII head, and a 4x10 Mesa powerhouse cab. When i turn the presence and treble really high i get alot of humming and buzzing, that happened to me on my old rig to but i just thought it did that cause it was'nt the greatest rig. But now that it does it on my brand new rig im wondering is that normal to happen when you turn up the treble to high or is there something up, thanks for the help guys
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Buzzing & Humming problems - HELP
- Thread starter stones18
- Start date
Hi stones18.
Cranking up the treble and/or upper mids will accentuate any pre-existing noise.
Since you're getting the same noise as you were on your old rig, have you tried different cables and/or basses?
Have you tried disconnecting any effects pedals/outboard gear?
Which bass are you using?
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Amp info.
Have you tried your Les Paul Bass (which I assume has humbuckers) with a different amp? (I checked Gibson's Web site. All I could find was the Link Removed. Is this your bass? If not, can you post a link to your bass' product page?)
Perhaps a trip to a local music shop would help to confirm or eliminate your bass as being the noise source. If it proves to be quiet when played through one of the store's amps, then you could bring your [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] in next and try it through one of the store's cabs.
Hmm... Your amp has a built-in bi-amp capability. Are you using this at all?
Does the noise diminish when your Mesa Boogie 4x10 PowerHouse Bass Cabinet's tweeter is turned off?
Have you tried different cables?
Sorry for all the questions, but trouble-shooting is a process of elimination.
Turn the treble down. Run your eq flat, and only use tiny bits of cut AND boost. Everything that's boosted should have something else cut, so it all evens out to level, or flat.
Congratulations! You are the winner of the "it sounds so right, and yet is SOOOOOO wrong! award.
There are so many aspects to that post that are wrong I can't decide where to begin.
The first step will be to eliminate your bass as the source of the problems. Based on your description (multiple rigs having similar problem with the same bass), you probably have a grounding issue with your bass, possibly also some pickup issues. The first thing to do is track down your internal wiring to find any grounding points that have broken free. Check the ground wire to your bridge to see if it is still in one piece and connected. Then check for shielding issues in the control cavity. Check the signal output with your tone and volume in various positions (not into an amp, but into a soundboard to better isolate instrument specific noises). Often a potentiometer going bad will generate noise, so that is why you need to do this.
If the bass checks out, then check your cables, one at a time. Also check any pedals or other connected gear that sits between your bass and your amp. Based on the symptoms you described, it will be fixed by the time you get all of this finished.
If the bass checks out, then check your cables, one at a time. Also check any pedals or other connected gear that sits between your bass and your amp. Based on the symptoms you described, it will be fixed by the time you get all of this finished.
Noise from in the room (florissant lights, computers, cordless phones, TV's) or line noise (refrigerator, AC, Heat pump or a bad ground) could also be the cause if everthing else checks out.
Unplug the bass from the amp. Still noisy? That's from the amp. That's your minimum. Your choices are finding other gear with less noise, or turning down the presence and treble knobs. Also try turning down the tweeter on the cab if you have a control for it.
Plug in the bass. Volume all the way down. Still got buzz? Could be cheap cable. Try another.
Are you using a real guitar cable, or speaker cable to connect bass to amp? Speaker cable isn't shielded, will be noisy.
Turn the bass up. Got more noise? Its the bass.
What kind of pickups you have? Single coil can be noisy. Humbuckers will be quieter. Pretty much stuck there, unless you replace pickups or bass. This will be more of a hum, lower pitch, not a hiss or buzz.
Got another bass? Preferably passive? Try that. Bass preamps can be noisy, usually hiss.
Randy
Plug in the bass. Volume all the way down. Still got buzz? Could be cheap cable. Try another.
Are you using a real guitar cable, or speaker cable to connect bass to amp? Speaker cable isn't shielded, will be noisy.
Turn the bass up. Got more noise? Its the bass.
What kind of pickups you have? Single coil can be noisy. Humbuckers will be quieter. Pretty much stuck there, unless you replace pickups or bass. This will be more of a hum, lower pitch, not a hiss or buzz.
Got another bass? Preferably passive? Try that. Bass preamps can be noisy, usually hiss.
Randy
You know, if the guy turns the cranked treble down and the noise goes away, then everything will be fine. If it's any number of other problems, some other bit of advice will cure the problem, and again, all is well. Your attack on my post is rude, and unhelpful. Mind your manners.
If the guy turns the cranked treble down and the noise goes away...
Then he doesn't have the sound that he turned the treble up to get. I was going with the premise that he knew the sound he was after (less hum and buzz).
There is no reason to have to live with a problem. He wants to fix it, not adapt his tone to live with it.
Your idea regarding having to "balance" eq by removing a different frequency to compensate for a boosted frequency is ludicrous. If you subscribe to the less is more, then only remove the frequencies needing to be removed, rarely or never boost (to keep noise down) adjust strings, setup and playing style as needed, and you are all set. If you are of the artistic mindset, get as wild and creative as you want, typically the more-the-merrier. The idea that eq is a mathematical equation that requires a reduction for every addition so the final mix equals out (balances) is baseless.
If there was some sort of basis for your comment about eq, I would have probably let it go, but it is so far removed from knowledge that I had to say something. I don't think my manners were off on this one.
Yah all your points seem valid though. I bought a new gold tipped cable today and tried the Les Paul with both of my cables and the buzz humming was still thyere. And it's not a new Epiphone les paul, it's a 2005 Gibson Les Paul Standard. I think I could have a grounding problem like someone mention, or the fact that im in a small apartment close to a fridge a t.v and a compute, and a bad floor, but im not too close, none of these things are in a five foot radious of my rig, so i dont think thats the problem. If it is a grounding issue how hard and how costly is that repair, I can't do it, im not familiar with the inernal side of a bass. I haven't played around with the tweeter control at the back that could be part of the problem. Im still getting used to the 700rbII so maybe i need to play with the controls and setting's. What I do know is that even when the treble and presence and mids are turned down it still buzz's and hums, but not as much, it's almost a hiss actually that happens when i take my hands off the string's when my fingers touch the strings the buzz and hum's go away pretty much, so I don't know what that means. Thanks for your help though, i didn't know where to look or start before posting this log
Get your copper foil and soldering iron out, 'cuz it's shieldin' 'n' groundin' time!
If this is your bass: Invalid Link Removed then it shouldn't be noisy at all. Gibbys are usually well made and pretty quiet.
Take it to a music shop and try it through a different amp. If it's still noisy then (since you are unfamiliar with guitar electronics) take it to a competent guitar tech who is recommended by musicians in your home town.
All those noise sources are still on your electrical circuit, but with that said your bass should be rejecting more of the noises. Have it looked at and you still may need to relocate your amp and where you stand to play (to eliminate the rest of the noise). Line filtering (a power "conditioner") may be your last resort.
I have Lakland 55-01 which seems to be regarded as a pretty quiet bass too. Mine made a cacophony of direction-dependent noise in my basement at home. I fully shielded it and rewired it so everything was grounded to the sleeve of the output jack and it makes absolutely no unwanted noise now.
