Hums...(insert catchy title here...UPDATE

[Geri O]

I've posted about this issue before, but today, I've been around the world trouble-shooting the same hum problem with a Trickfish IPA preamp in a Mike Lull Jazz-style bass..

If you are interested enough to follow along, read this part carefully.....

The bass has a hum when I DO touch the strings, bridge, or controls....Adding the emphasis because it's always assumed that the hum happens when I let go of the strings. My understanding of this kind of hum I'm dealing with indicates a ground problem, not a shield issue. Neck pup, bridge, both. doesn't matter. Pickups turned all the way down, still have the hum when I touch the strings, or other hardware.

I've examined ALL of the ground connections. Inside the control compartment, all of the pots, output jacks, the pickup connections, battery box connections, the preamp board, all connections of the grounds to the shielding inside the bass. Even the ground wire going to the bridge. Removed the bridge, moved the wired to another spot on the body, cleaned the bottom of the bridge. No luck.

I've just recently noticed the issue at home, well, a few weeks ago. Most everywhere I play, I'm using my wireless rig. Haven't noticed the hum on a gig or at church. So I set up the wireless rig at home today. Hum is greatly reduced using the wireless.

After all the trouble-shooting, looking, examining, and checking, I've about decided that it's time to replace the preamp. I just don't know what else to do. I'd buy a John East J Retro Deluxe right now, but the gold hardware version isn't available at the moment. I know I can get an Audere pretty quickly, so I may go that route.

Other ideas are appreciated. I'm not going passive, but if it makes you feel better to suggest it anyway, have at it, I guess.

 

[Jerry Catanescu]

1. Did you try with more than one cable?
2. Is your amp properly grounded (earthed) using a 3-prong AC plug?

 

[tb-player]

I came here to suggest the wireless. That always seems to help by breaking the physical connection.

I will say, it may not be your gear at all since venue wiring, especially in churches, is rarely conducive to clean sound. I’m no electrician, but I assume it has something to do with needing an isolated power source for sound. I’ve seen it many times, once again, especially in churches.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

Does the hum change depending on the orientation of the guitar?

Maybe try an external cable / clip lead from the strings to the ground on the 1/4 plug to see if that changes
anything.

Odd the hum is still there with guitar volumes all the way down, though maybe in that pre amp design the volume pots are between the pickups and pre amp inputs.

Single or double battery powered preamp?

 

[Geri O]

At home plugged into my Mackie mixer using my studio speakers or headphones. Tried several cables. I go through a KT DI at home, but have the same issue when plugged into the 1/4” input of the Mackie.
I’m usually wireless at church, but last week, I played for a short student service and went sans wireless. The hum was pretty noticeable there, especially in the subs. The audio guys wound up gating the bass which was fine for that service. They commented on the strangeness of wired vs wireless. As in “please bring the wireless!”….

The orientation does seem to matter in my home studio, but not so much at church.

 

[Mike Caldwell]

How long has this been going on?
It almost sounds like at some point there is a ground that is swapped for the signal line + and visa versa.
In most cases though that would be causing all kinds of other glaring issues.

 

[Geri O]

How long has this been going on?
It almost sounds like at some point there is a ground that is swapped for the signal line + and visa versa.
In most cases though that would be causing all kinds of other glaring issues.

I hate to say I’m not sure, but it’s been the last 3-4 months? Because I’m wireless, I wasn't noticing it, but the last couple of weeks, it’s been getting my attention

 

[Geri O]

A new Audere preamp is on the way.

 

[sunbeast]

The IPA appears to have all the ground connections from your bass sent to screw terminals on the pre circuitboard. Most likely the two GND screw terminals are directly attached to each-other so you could send the bridge ground to either of these terminals. If you have shielding in the bass then best to attach the bridge ground directly to the shield ground so you just have a single wire to ground to the preamp (though you could ground both of these to the back of a potentiometer and send a single ground for both signal and shielding to the preamp)

 

[Geri O]

The IPA appears to have all the ground connections from your bass sent to screw terminals on the pre circuitboard. Most likely the two GND screw terminals are directly attached to each-other so you could send the bridge ground to either of these terminals. If you have shielding in the bass then best to attach the bridge ground directly to the shield ground so you just have a single wire to ground to the preamp (though you could ground both of these to the back of a potentiometer and send a single ground for both signal and shielding to the preamp)

That will be very easy to check and try.

Thanx!

 

[Geri O]

The IPA appears to have all the ground connections from your bass sent to screw terminals on the pre circuitboard. Most likely the two GND screw terminals are directly attached to each-other so you could send the bridge ground to either of these terminals. If you have shielding in the bass then best to attach the bridge ground directly to the shield ground so you just have a single wire to ground to the preamp (though you could ground both of these to the back of a potentiometer and send a single ground for both signal and shielding to the preamp)

Well, sad to say, I found the bridge ground wire connected to the shielding of the compartment, along with a connection from the IPA to the same lug. For grins, I removed the connection from the IPA, but no change.

So now I can now say, I've tried everything under the sun to eliminate this odd hum. I was hoping that this would be the issue as then I could install the incoming Audere into my 6-string Squier. But instead, it will go into the Lull tomorrow night. If the hum is still here, I may jump off of a bridge.... . Not really, but I'm not sure where to look next. The two pickups are all that's left that won't be changed. So here's really hoping....

@sunbeast, I appreciate the suggestion. I did learn something that I'll be mindful to check from now on.

 

[sunbeast]

Well, sad to say, I found the bridge ground wire connected to the shielding of the compartment, along with a connection from the IPA to the same lug. For grins, I removed the connection from the IPA, but no change.

So now I can now say, I've tried everything under the sun to eliminate this odd hum. I was hoping that this would be the issue as then I could install the incoming Audere into my 6-string Squier. But instead, it will go into the Lull tomorrow night. If the hum is still here, I may jump off of a bridge.... . Not really, but I'm not sure where to look next. The two pickups are all that's left that won't be changed. So here's really hoping....

@sunbeast, I appreciate the suggestion. I did learn something that I'll be mindful to check from now on.

Just to be sure, try moving the attachment point of the bridge ground to the other preamp GND lug (those screw terminals can fail or lift from the circuitboard) or even directly to the sleeve connection on the output jack. Also- your bridge doesn’t happen to be black does it? Sometimes on a coated bridge you lose conductivity either from ground wire to bridge or from metal strings to saddles.

All of this would be easiest to troubleshoot using the resistance measurement on a multimeter to check continuity between strings and output jack then trace back to see where that connection is broken

 

[Geri O]

Just to be sure, try moving the attachment point of the bridge ground to the other preamp GND lug (those screw terminals can fail or lift from the circuitboard) or even directly to the sleeve connection on the output jack

Whooo!

Saw this literally before I was about to dissect and remove the IPA in preparation for the incoming Audere!

Will try it and let you know.

Thanx!

 

[iiipopes]

Check the mains wiring, if you can, also. A few months ago I went to rehearse at an old house that the guitar player was remodeling. It still had original 2-wire ceramic post wiring from eons ago that he had not upgraded. Since there was no third ground wire, everything, and I mean everything, hummed so badly we could hardly rehearse at his house. And this is with a bass that has EMG actives, the quietest pickups there are. Even that bass hummed badly because EMG actives are internally grounded, so you don't use a bridge ground. but because of the deficient wiring, the internal pickup ground had nowhere to drain and so it hummed instead.

 

[Geri O]

Alrighty, so after looking through this bass with a microscope and going through some great and helpful suggestions, I mentioned earlier that I gave up and ordered another preamp as part of the troubleshooting process.

I ordered the regular Audere Jazz bass preamp. Not the Pro Z version. This 2-band gold-knob side jack preamp is $143, actually a great deal, it turns out.

I installed the new preamp last night and went checking it. First with my new-to-me Trace Elliot ELF amp? Then my headphone practice rig.

Dead quiet. No hum or noise. Wow. Then I cranked the volume up crazy, being careful to not actually play a note for fear of losing a speaker, pair of headphones, eardrums, or all of the above….. No noise or hum. Hands on or off the strings and controls.

So that part of the story is done to my great satisfaction. But on top of solving the hum problem …..

This preamp sounds GREAT! I knew it would be good, but for all the talk about it being neutral-sounding, it’s quite warm-sounding to me compared to the ill Trickfish preamp. I’m enjoying the tone very much.

So I’m a happy camper now for a couple of reasons!….

 

[sunbeast]

Alrighty, so after looking through this bass with a microscope and going through some great and helpful suggestions, I mentioned earlier that I gave up and ordered another preamp as part of the troubleshooting process.

I ordered the regular Audere Jazz bass preamp. Not the Pro Z version. This 2-band gold-knob side jack preamp is $143, actually a great deal, it turns out.

I installed the new preamp last night and went checking it. First with my new-to-me Trace Elliot ELF amp? Then my headphone practice rig.

Dead quiet. No hum or noise. Wow. Then I cranked the volume up crazy, being careful to not actually play a note for fear of losing a speaker, pair of headphones, eardrums, or all of the above….. No noise or hum. Hands on or off the strings and controls.

So that part of the story is done to my great satisfaction. But on top of solving the hum problem …..

This preamp sounds GREAT! I knew it would be good, but for all the talk about it being neutral-sounding, it’s quite warm-sounding to me compared to the ill Trickfish preamp. I’m enjoying the tone very much.

So I’m a happy camper now for a couple of reasons!….

Glad you got the issue sorted! I do hope you are able to gt some assistance from Trickfish for the other pre as those aren't cheap and it sounds faulty to me if the ground situation wasn't working correctly.

I've yet to try any of the non-Z Audere preamps, but the Z-mode version I had once got used in several different basses and outlived any other active preamp I'd ever owned during a period when I went full-passive on everything else. I need to revisit one now that I am much less dedicated to the "passive only" thing. One thing I remember loving was that it was one of the few preamps I felt like I could boost the Bass without boom- something I still feel like many preamps get wrong, and the Treble control also sounded a bit more natural when turned down (somewhat closer to a passive tone) than many others.

 

[Geri O]

Glad you got the issue sorted! I do hope you are able to gt some assistance from Trickfish for the other pre as those aren't cheap and it sounds faulty to me if the ground situation wasn't working correctly.

I've yet to try any of the non-Z Audere preamps, but the Z-mode version I had once got used in several different basses and outlived any other active preamp I'd ever owned during a period when I went full-passive on everything else. I need to revisit one now that I am much less dedicated to the "passive only" thing. One thing I remember loving was that it was one of the few preamps I felt like I could boost the Bass without boom- something I still feel like many preamps get wrong, and the Treble control also sounded a bit more natural when turned down (somewhat closer to a passive tone) than many others.

I’ve enjoyed spending some time with the Audere today (not enough!…). I knew it would be fine, but my intention was to get an inexpensive preamp into that bass as soon as possible. I had it 5 days from when I ordered it.

So not only did the Audere fill that bill very nicely, it sounds really, REALLY good! The warmth to it really surprised me. To the point, I may just, well, most likely, leave it in the Lull. I was considering another John East preamp for the Lull and moving the Audere to my Squier 6-string (which is a great bass for the money, but it could use a little help in the tone department. Another Audere like this one might be the ticket for that.

As for the Trickfish IPA? I’m inspect the preamp board with a magnifying glass for damage to the board. But it probably won’t be terribly soon. I’m in some serious event production and some gigs, so things are quite hectic. I’m just glad to have my Mike Lull back up to speed. REALLY glad!….

 

[J.Wolf]

I've posted about this issue before, but today, I've been around the world trouble-shooting the same hum problem with a Trickfish IPA preamp in a Mike Lull Jazz-style bass..

If you are interested enough to follow along, read this part carefully.....

The bass has a hum when I DO touch the strings, bridge, or controls....Adding the emphasis because it's always assumed that the hum happens when I let go of the strings. My understanding of this kind of hum I'm dealing with indicates a ground problem, not a shield issue. Neck pup, bridge, both. doesn't matter. Pickups turned all the way down, still have the hum when I touch the strings, or other hardware.

I've examined ALL of the ground connections. Inside the control compartment, all of the pots, output jacks, the pickup connections, battery box connections, the preamp board, all connections of the grounds to the shielding inside the bass. Even the ground wire going to the bridge. Removed the bridge, moved the wired to another spot on the body, cleaned the bottom of the bridge. No luck.

I've just recently noticed the issue at home, well, a few weeks ago. Most everywhere I play, I'm using my wireless rig. Haven't noticed the hum on a gig or at church. So I set up the wireless rig at home today. Hum is greatly reduced using the wireless.

After all the trouble-shooting, looking, examining, and checking, I've about decided that it's time to replace the preamp. I just don't know what else to do. I'd buy a John East J Retro Deluxe right now, but the gold hardware version isn't available at the moment. I know I can get an Audere pretty quickly, so I may go that route.

Other ideas are appreciated. I'm not going passive, but if it makes you feel better to suggest it anyway, have at it, I guess.

Hi, Im just now seeing this. Im glad you got this sorted and back up and running with the Audere, and that its working for you. As for the IPA, did you reach out to Ryan or Justin at Trickfish to troubleshoot this? We are always available and willing to help figure out what the problem is and how to solve it as quickly as possible. Feel free to drop us a line at [email protected] any time for customer service inquiries; we have your back. I imagine Spencer Lull is also available to help troubleshoot this stuff as well on his instruments. At any rate, glad you have the bass working for you!