Feder Jazz Buzz

[scooper]

I have been playing a 2009 American made Fender Jazz V with Fender N3 pickups since I bought it new. It has developed an annoying buzz. It occurs with or without my pedals. I have checked all of the chords, pedals and looked at the electronics in the back of the bass where the two 9 volts go in for the active mode. The wiring looks all intact and shielded. The buzz persists whether it is in passive or active mode although it is somewhat less since active accentuates the treble. I have had it occur with three different amps - an Acoustic, a Marshall and now a brand new Mesa 800D with two 15" cabs. Turning in one direction or another makes it come and go. This has become a real annoyance while performing since I can't stand in one spot to try to eliminate the buzz so I have to cut my treble down considerably to reduce the buzz. I do not have the same problem with my other basses. It seems to be some sort of grounding problem. If it is a grounding problem, how do I solve it? Any other ideas?

 

[Wasnex]

I have been playing a 2009 American made Fender Jazz V with Fender N3 pickups since I bought it new. It has developed an annoying buzz. It occurs with or without my pedals. I have checked all of the chords, pedals and looked at the electronics in the back of the bass where the two 9 volts go in for the active mode. The wiring looks all intact and shielded. The buzz persists whether it is in passive or active mode although it is somewhat less since active accentuates the treble. I have had it occur with three different amps - an Acoustic, a Marshall and now a brand new Mesa 800D with two 15" cabs. Turning in one direction or another makes it come and go. This has become a real annoyance while performing since I can't stand in one spot to try to eliminate the buzz so I have to cut my treble down considerably to reduce the buzz. I do not have the same problem with my other basses. It seems to be some sort of grounding problem. If it is a grounding problem, how do I solve it? Any other ideas?

Set the pan control to run just the bridge and then just the neck pickup? Do both buzz the same amount?

 

[Geri O]

I have been playing a 2009 American made Fender Jazz V with Fender N3 pickups since I bought it new. It has developed an annoying buzz. It occurs with or without my pedals. I have checked all of the chords, pedals and looked at the electronics in the back of the bass where the two 9 volts go in for the active mode. The wiring looks all intact and shielded. The buzz persists whether it is in passive or active mode although it is somewhat less since active accentuates the treble. I have had it occur with three different amps - an Acoustic, a Marshall and now a brand new Mesa 800D with two 15" cabs. Turning in one direction or another makes it come and go. This has become a real annoyance while performing since I can't stand in one spot to try to eliminate the buzz so I have to cut my treble down considerably to reduce the buzz. I do not have the same problem with my other basses. It seems to be some sort of grounding problem. If it is a grounding problem, how do I solve it? Any other ideas?

Actually, does it buzz with both pups wide open? That’s where a Jazz is supposed to be dead quiet. And does the buzz stop or change as you touch the strings?

If so, my first immediate thought is to check the ground wire running from the bridge to its ground connection in the control cavity. That connection is simply the bridge screwed down on top of the wire touching the plate. Over time, vmcorrosion could set in and degrade the connection.

 

[Wasnex]

Actually, does it buzz with both pups wide open? That’s where a Jazz is supposed to be dead quiet. And does the buzz stop or change as you touch the strings?

If so, my first immediate thought is to check the ground wire running from the bridge to its ground connection in the control cavity. That connection is simply the bridge screwed down on top of the wire touching the plate. Over time, vmcorrosion could set in and degrade the connection.

Right...I meant does the bass buzz when you turn one or the other pickup down. The pickups are "Noiseless 3," so it should not be required to run both pickups wide open for noise cancellation. If their noiseless function is achieved with stacked coils, perhaps one of the coils has become disconnected or has opened up. I.E., one pickup may buzz while the other still functions normally.

 

[scooper]

Set the pan control to run just the bridge and then just the neck pickup? Do both buzz the same amount?

Thanks for your suggestion. Yes, it does buzz equally for either pickup.

 

[scooper]

Right...I meant does the bass buzz when you turn one or the other pickup down. The pickups are "Noiseless 3," so it should not be required to run both pickups wide open for noise cancellation. If their noiseless function is achieved with stacked coils, perhaps one of the coils has become disconnected or has opened up. I.E., one pickup may buzz while the other still functions normally.

I had it looked at by one guitar shop in Madison and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. I guess it is time to check with another.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

I had it looked at by one guitar shop in Madison and they said they couldn't find anything wrong. I guess it is time to check with another.

You mentioned the buzz changes with direction. Does it stop when both pickups are balanced (e.g. both pickups full volume)? Does touching any metal/strings/bridge impact the noise? If you have a grounding issue, the noise will get louder when you touch metal. If the noise stops, it indicates RF interference (shielding).

 

[scooper]

Actually, does it buzz with both pups wide open? That’s where a Jazz is supposed to be dead quiet. And does the buzz stop or change as you touch the strings?

If so, my first immediate thought is to check the ground wire running from the bridge to its ground connection in the control cavity. That connection is simply the bridge screwed down on top of the wire touching the plate. Over time, vmcorrosion could set in and degrade the connection.

Thanks for this suggestion. Will check it out. Another tech has suggested, without seeing the bass yet, that it may be a preamp board in the guitar which is defective as the guitar is acting like a radio antenna. I am also checking the chord jack plug to see whether I may have affected the wiring when changing the 9 volt batteries for active mode. If it is the preamp board, the bass will be out of commission for a while since I hear Fender is very slow in providing parts.

 

[scooper]

You mentioned the buzz changes with direction. Does it stop when both pickups are balanced (e.g. both pickups full volume)? Does touching any metal/strings/bridge impact the noise? If you have a grounding issue, the noise will get louder when you touch metal. If the noise stops, it indicates RF interference (shielding).

Thanks for your suggestion. The buzz is not impacted by touching the strings or other metal parts on the instrument. The only thing that changes it is turning one direction or another which can either eliminate it or worsen it. A tech thinks that guitar is acting as an antenna now or affected by lighting but it occurs with the lights on or off. Taking it in again today.

 

[NathOBX]

Passive jazz basses use the control plate for a ground connection, im not sure if this is the same for an active setup. I have an older jazz bass that has considerable corrosion on the inside of the control plate and I had to solder groundwires from the pots to the jack to solve the buzz problem.

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Passive jazz basses use the control plate for a ground connection, im not sure if this is the same for an active setup. I have an older jazz bass that has considerable corrosion on the inside of the control plate and I had to solder groundwires from the pots to the jack to solve the buzz problem.

Fully active systems do not need a ground wire but Fender uses passive pickups with an active pre-amp. Checking the groundwire wouldn't hurt but I don't know if that is our issue. I am leaning toward a failed coil or pre-amp. Hopefully your tech can figure things out.

 

[EastCoastThump]

The buzz is not impacted by touching the strings or other metal parts on the instrument. The only thing that changes it is turning one direction or another which can either eliminate it or worsen it. A tech thinks that guitar is acting as an antenna now or affected by lighting but it occurs with the lights on or off.

That's classic field interference. The pickups could be responding to flourescent or neon lights or a dimmer. (The old CRT monitors were also terrible, but now those are much less common.)

In the rehearsal room, you can figure out how best to orient the bass, but as you say that's not practical on gigs. Shielding the bass can help. If you have a wireless system for your bass, try using that and see if the intereference doesn't drop or go away. If your bass is acting like an antenna, it's doing so combined with the instrument cable. Take the cable out of the system, and the functional "antenna" gets much shorter.

 

[scooper]

That's classic field interference. The pickups could be responding to flourescent or neon lights or a dimmer. (The old CRT monitors were also terrible, but now those are much less common.)

In the rehearsal room, you can figure out how best to orient the bass, but as you say that's not practical on gigs. Shielding the bass can help. If you have a wireless system for your bass, try using that and see if the intereference doesn't drop or go away. If your bass is acting like an antenna, it's doing so combined with the instrument cable. Take the cable out of the system, and the functional "antenna" gets much shorter.

Thanks for these ideas. I use a Shure remote/tuner which hasn’t prevented the buzz. The bass is in the shop now as my amateur efforts at solving the problem have fallen short. Might be a preamp board I am told so it will be out of commission for months waiting for slow Fender parts supply. Acquired a new G&L L2500 with which I am very pleased thus far. The Jazz V might be relegated to back up status.

 

[scooper]

Thanks for these ideas. I use a Shure remote/tuner which hasn’t prevented the buzz. The bass is in the shop now as my amateur efforts at solving the problem have fallen short. Might be a preamp board I am told so it will be out of commission for months waiting for slow Fender parts supply. Acquired a new G&L L2500 with which I am very pleased thus far. The Jazz V might be relegated to back up status.

That's classic field interference. The pickups could be responding to flourescent or neon lights or a dimmer. (The old CRT monitors were also terrible, but now those are much less common.)

In the rehearsal room, you can figure out how best to orient the bass, but as you say that's not practical on gigs. Shielding the bass can help. If you have a wireless system for your bass, try using that and see if the intereference doesn't drop or go away. If your bass is acting like an antenna, it's doing so combined with the instrument cable. Take the cable out of the system, and the functional "antenna" gets much shorter.

The Shure remote/tuner is the GLX-D. While I had some concern about the frequency and potential wifi interaction, I have yet to have a problem with it. A full charge provides about 16 hours of play time which is about four sets of batteries in my prior remote. There is a pouch you can put on your strap to put the transmitter in so easy to put on and take off. The tuner can be a strobe or arrow and adjusts brightness to light conditions. The article you sent the link to mentions a tonal variation but I haven't noticed or or perhaps have adjusted by bass controls or the amp (a Mesa 800D head) for it. It was pricey at about $375 but is way better than the Relay G30 I was using in several respects: (1) no AA batteries to worry about or change before each performance since you can't tell how charged they are and the warning light on the G30 transmitter doesn't give you alot of time. If you put it on an AC charge (as opposed to UBS, which is an option), you can get 4 hours of play time for a 30 minute charge. Charges up fully in about 2 hours. I thought about getting a spare rechargeable battery but was told by a couple of people who use/sell them that they never have had to use the spare; (2) you can use the strap pouch or the clip (which you can adjust horizontally or vertically on the transmitter). The clip holds well to any strap without digging into it like the G30 would. It also has yet to pop off or the clip break off like has happened with the G30; (3) more channels to use and the receiver seems to pick the best one or you can choose manually; (4) remote and tuner in one foot pedal so less ground clutter (I don't use any effects pedals).

 

[EastCoastThump]

I'd sent and then deleted a link to a user review suggesting that GLX-D had unusually strong baked in compression that contributed to unusual hum. (I deleted it, after a moment's reflection, b/c 1. I don't personally know that it's true, and 2. even if true, it seemed unlikely to be the source of your problem.)

At any rate, you've probably tried taking the wireless out of your chain so you can discount that as a potential culprit.

 

[scooper]

That's classic field interference. The pickups could be responding to flourescent or neon lights or a dimmer. (The old CRT monitors were also terrible, but now those are much less common.)

In the rehearsal room, you can figure out how best to orient the bass, but as you say that's not practical on gigs. Shielding the bass can help. If you have a wireless system for your bass, try using that and see if the intereference doesn't drop or go away. If your bass is acting like an antenna, it's doing so combined with the instrument cable. Take the cable out of the system, and the functional "antenna" gets much shorter.

For everyone still checking this thread, here is the latest on my Fender Jazz V "buzz". A very good repair location in the Madison area, Full Compass, has determined that the guitar electronics are not defective but that the pickups and/or preamp board react to fluorescent lighting as some have suggested. The N3 pickups apparently act like an antenna around these. I was presented with three solutions - put new pickups on, buy the latest version of the American made Jazz V, or consider another bass altogether. I was not keen on new pickups. They had the latest version of my bass which has Fender's "noiseless" pickups and was the same natural wood with some nicer inlays and a thinner neck. But they wouldn't take in my bass towards the purchase price (which was around $1,800, about what I paid for mine). Also, they held the brand new one near a fluorescent light and the "noiseless" pickups picked up the buzz! Quite disappointing. So they ended up offering me a significant discount on a G&L L2500 (I had bought Mesa Boogie amp/cabs and other equipment from them before) and I bought it. No buzz. Took a week of so to get used to it and used it in performance last Saturday but I am VERY happy with the new bass and will probably use the Jazz V as my backup now. So ends the story.