Clicking

[tom_t]

I have this annoying clicking sound every time I touch the strings or bridge or pickup cover on my Fender P. I thought that it is a grounding problem but what is interesting it happens only with me. I asked my parents to try it and there was no clicking when my father tried it. Can anyone tell me what may cousing this problem and how can I fix it?

Thanks for all input!

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Did your dad try it in a different room, with a different outlet, away from a computer, fluorescent lights, etc?

I've never heard of a particular person causing electronic clicks while others do not...maybe it's your animal magnetism?

Have a few friends try the bass, both in the setting you normally play, and at their houses, then see what happens. If you can get it to happen with other people, there should be help for the instrument.

 

[DieterVDW]

If your father has thicker or dryer skin, it could be the contact between his fingers and the guitar is not as good. Or your fathers shoes could be more insulating. Could be a lot of things.

I recognise your problem. The electricity in my appartment has no grounding, causing a lot of hum and noise in all singlecoil pickups.
When touching the string, there is a click and the noise lessens.

Basically you're acting as a ground when touching electric parts of the guitar/bass. Use a grounded electrical outlet is the solution.

You can get interesting sounds by making the string vibrate and then lightly touching the string .

 

[Stilettoprefer]

Happens to me when the outlet that I'm using isn't grounded. It's louder with single coils (tele and strat) but is still noticeable with humbuckers (P and stiletto). Happens with all of my amps, too.

When the amp is grounded trough the outlet it doesn't happen as much.

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Basically you're acting as a ground when touching electric parts of the guitar/bass. Use a grounded electrical outlet is the solution.

Actually, the electrical parts of the bass (and the strings, if there is a string ground) are grounding you, not the other way around. The human body is an extremely good antenna, so it picks up a lot of RF noise which needs to be sent to ground, rather than through the pickups (which is what causes electrical buzz).

On a poorly-shielded bass, the pickups can actually receive RF interference from your own body (not to mention from computers, lights, etc). When you touch the strings or electronics that interference travels through the ground circuit of the bass and out the ground circuit of the amp, attenuating buzz or hum.

Your body isn't actually grounded most of the time either, especially when you have on rubber-soled shoes, are standing on the second floor, a wooden floor, etc.

You can hear how much RF interference your body picks up by touching the tip of a 1/4" cable that is plugged into an amp. You'll notice that you get a loud, godawful sound when you do.

When the amp is grounded trough the outlet it doesn't happen as much.

Exactly. If your body was grounding the bass, it wouldn't matter if you had a grounded outlet anyway.

 

[Jay2U]

The clicking may also be caused by a switching power supply. I've had this experience with a small, switching DC supply/charger for a digital recorder. As soon as the recorder was connected to that supply and to the sound equipment, the bass became 'hot'. Touching it caused clicky noises. In case of problems caused by a switching mains supply, there are two options: ground everything well or use an oldfashioned supply with mains transformer.

 

[tom_t]

It was a lack of electrical grounding at my apartment that was causing this clicking problem. At least I know that my gear is working properly. Thanks for the input everyone.