Lakland 55-60. Hum Problems

[ntxbass]

Recently purchased a beautiful 55-60 from Bass Central. The bass plays and sounds awesome and the service from Bass Central was very good. I'll also mention that this is my first purchase of a bass sight unseen (other than pictures) and unplayed in over 30 years of playing, so I was a bit nervous. That bass arrived in great condition, but I had an "issue" from day one. Being single coil and passive, it is subject to the unbalanced pickup hum that we all know and love. But this bass also had a loud hum when the pickups were balanced. Hum went away when I touched the strings or bridge. Sounds like a ground issue, based on past experience. This happened at home and at my first gig.

I tried various diagnostics - changed circuits, amps, cables, etc., with no solution. Tried another single coil Jazz Bass, with no hum.

I contacted Bass Central. They were helpful and contacted Brian at Lakland in Chicago who was also helpful, if a bit doubting of the issue. Since Lakland doesn't have a dealer close by, Brian asked that I return the bass to Lakland and they would check it out, at their expense. Awesome!

I sent the bass to Lakland, and two weeks later they returned it. Brian explained the bass did not hum at their shop, but they reworked the grounding circuit anyway, then returned the bass. I contacted both Bass Central and Brian at Lakland and thanked them for their service in resolving the issue.

Meanwhile, I received it, plugged it in, and it hummed immediately. After some research on Talkbass and the LOG web site, I tried a few new things and narrowed the issue down to a noisy dimmer for lights in my studio. Now this has never been an issue with other single coil passive basses (Fender Jazz basses and a Stratocaster, specifically), but is was with the Lakland.

I contacted Bass Central and Brian at Lakland and explained what happened and that I thought I had isolated the problem to the dimmer. Bass Central contacted me and suggested that since I had returned the bass to Lakland at their expense, and it was my issue and not theirs, that I should reimburse them for the shipping and bench time. I was a little surprised by this since I actually thought I had a legit issue, and they had not provided assistance in trying to diagnose the issue. I exchanged several emails with both Lakland and Bass Central and offered to pay for 1/2 of the cost, but Lakland seemed to cop an attitude and told me not to bother. Bass Central said they would reimburse Lakland part of the cost.

After all this, I took the bass to church this past Sunday to play for worship, and it hummed like crazy. So here is my dilemma. I fell like both Bass Central and Lakland aren't going to be very receptive to any further issues with this bass. The bass is unuseable in certain environments where it will be used normally. Would additional shielding resolve the issue? Should I just stand my ground and try to return it (we are about 3 1/2 weeks after initial receipt)? Appreciate your thoughts, advise.

 

[Texan]

My Duck Dunn had a bit of hum. I shielded the pickguard and cavity with copper tape and its dead quiet now. However, I have noticed that I still get some hum at different venues. It maybe with how the electrical phases are wired. If you are in Houston, let me know, I have plenty of shielding tape.

 

[pablomigraine]

Call Brian at Lakland. They will fix you right up.

 

[WoodyG3]

Being single coil and passive, it is subject to the unbalanced pickup hum that we all know and love. But this bass also had a loud hum when the pickups were balanced. Hum went away when I touched the strings or bridge. Sounds like a ground issue, based on past experience. This happened at home and at my first gig.

If the buzz stops when you touch the strings, that indicates that the ground wires are properly connected.

I contacted Bass Central and Brian at Lakland and explained what happened and that I thought I had isolated the problem to the dimmer. Bass Central contacted me and suggested that since I had returned the bass to Lakland at their expense, and it was my issue and not theirs, that I should reimburse them for the shipping and bench time. I was a little surprised by this since I actually thought I had a legit issue, and they had not provided assistance in trying to diagnose the issue. I exchanged several emails with both Lakland and Bass Central and offered to pay for 1/2 of the cost, but Lakland seemed to cop an attitude and told me not to bother. Bass Central said they would reimburse Lakland part of the cost.

How is Lakland coping an attitude if they said not to bother paying them? Bass central, IMO, was out of line in suggesting you pay.

If the control cavity and pickguard are not fully shielded, then adding some shielding is the logical step to take at this point.

 

[Musicman20]

Sounds like yet another Lakland service issue. I hope you get it sorted.

 

[DWBass]

Might be a bad pickup or a loose ground somewhere. The money you'd spend shipping it back and forth could be used for upgrading. Take it to a tech and have them do a complete re-wire (with new pots and output jack and also have them shield all the cavities.

 

[mech]

If the buzz stops when you touch the strings, that indicates that the ground wires are properly connected.

This^^^

Try an experiment. Put the bass down with the controls up and remove yourself from the vicinity of the bass. If the hum goes away, the problem is not with grounding or hum cancelling by the pickups in the bass. When you are in a place that has EMI generating equipment your body picks up those fields and couples them into the electronics of the instrument. Touching the strings or other grounded parts of the instrument shunts the EMI/RFI you pick up to ground. Some systems are more sensitive than others to this and fully shielding all electronics cavities and connecting the shielding to the output jack ground may reduce the problem, as has been suggested. The church probably has several kilowatts of light controllers so it will be a worse situation than the one dimmer in your house.

mech

 

[fractal0243]

Sounds like shielding issue. I've had this problem with both of my Laklands, and a Fender Jazz. I've resolved all (or most) hum issues by shielding the cavities and back of the pickguard with copper tape. Stew Mac sells the kind that you can just slap on and don't need to solder or anything. It'll be the best $15 and 30 minutes you ever spent.

 

[Wallace320]

After all this, I took the bass to church this past Sunday to play for worship, and it hummed like crazy. So here is my dilemma. I fell like both Bass Central and Lakland aren't going to be very receptive to any further issues with this bass. The bass is unuseable in certain environments where it will be used normally. Would additional shielding resolve the issue? Should I just stand my ground and try to return it (we are about 3 1/2 weeks after initial receipt)? Appreciate your thoughts, advise.

Strange enough, especially considering that the bass doesn't sound "that much"...
Shieldin' issues are all true
But the problem is that, keeping all modern upgradings like hipshot machineheads and factory dual access bridge, they aimed to recreate true vintage feel not using humcancelling growlin' single coils, instead subtle sounding and humming ones

Cheers,
Wallace

 

[wvbass]

Sounds like yet another Lakland service issue. I hope you get it sorted.

The customer reported an issue. The manufacturer examined the bass and was unable to reproduce the issue so they rewire the bass in case they missed something. The cover shipping costs both to and fro. The customer still has the issue, but, at home, ties it to noise from a dimmer in his house. He has not located the source of noise in the church yet. Bass Central encourages the customer to refund Lakland for the shipping charges, but Lakland says not to worry about it. Is this really a customer service issue?

Strange enough, especially considering that the bass doesn't sound "that much"...
Shieldin' issues are all true
But the problem is that, keeping all modern upgradings like hipshot machineheads and factory dual access bridge, they aimed to recreate true vintage feel not using humcancelling growlin' single coils, instead subtle sounding and humming ones

Cheers,
Wallace

I've read this a few times and still can't make sense of it. Are you saying that since they use ultralites they should not use single coils? I am not understanding how that makes any sense.

I do own a couple Laklands, but they make up less than 10% of my bass collection. FMIC is by far the majority of my collection. I don't see a particular reason to denounce or defend either, but these Lakland customer service threads really seem like they turn into a witch hunt sometimes. I hope that does not happen here.

 

[basspraiser]

Strange enough, especially considering that the bass doesn't sound "that much"...
Shieldin' issues are all true
But the problem is that, keeping all modern upgradings like hipshot machineheads and factory dual access bridge, they aimed to recreate true vintage feel not using humcancelling growlin' single coils, instead subtle sounding and humming ones

Cheers,
Wallace

as an aside, Hanson (Lakland pickup/electronics provider) DOES offer hum cancelling pickups on request....

 

[basspraiser]

these Lakland customer service threads really seem like they turn into a witch hunt sometimes. I hope that does not happen here.

Amen!

I think it must be something in the house and church....shielding will help alot!

good luck

 

[Wallace320]

I've read this a few times and still can't make sense of it. Are you saying that since they use ultralites they should not use single coils? I am not understanding how that makes any sense.

Ok: my fault not being that clear.
I meant: retaining a modern kinda look and design (I really appreciate) they (at Lakland's) focused on "vintage" electronics and oddities as well.
One thing many try to present nowadays is a somewhat "vintage" lookin', without "vintage" technology issues... Lakland did the opposite: modern design and peculiarities, "vintage" pickups and humming issues
Something easily verifiable and many out there can sincerely confirm I guess.

Cheers,
Wallace

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

As others have already stated, if you touch the metal/strings/bridge and the noise gets louder you have a grounding issue. If you touch the metal/strings/bridge and the noise gets reduced, it is a shielding issue.

You %100 have a shielding issue, many manufacturers basses suffer this issue, and it can easily be resolved. Give it a proper shielding job with some copper tape and a soldering iron if necessary and the hum will go away.

 

[Wallace320]

as an aside, Hanson (Lakland pickup/electronics provider) DOES offer hum cancelling pickups on request....

I'm with you man. It's just that I speak down by my humble personal experience. Here in Italy we just find models in the shop, and we (and sometimes they, the salespeople) don't necessarily know about channels to obtain this and that. But I'm talking about Lakland on sale in Italy.
Sounds very much the same for the OP... And that's singular.

Cheers,
Wallace

 

[wvbass]

Ok: my fault not being that clear.
I meant: retaining a modern kinda look and design (I really appreciate) they (at Lakland's) focused on "vintage" electronics and oddities as well.
One thing many try to present nowadays is a somewhat "vintage" lookin', without "vintage" technology issues... Lakland did the opposite: modern design and peculiarities, "vintage" pickups and humming issues
Something easily verifiable and many out there can sincerely confirm I guess.

Cheers,
Wallace

I understand. I don't see single coils as being any more of a "vintage technology" than humbuckers, but I now understand what you meant.

I will say this. For TRULY outstanding service, and I do mean above and beyond, Lakland could have done more. With their experienced techs, Lakland probably suspected this was a local noise issue. Once they tested the bass, they probably knew this. The could have followed up with the customer and either supplemented the shielding in the control and pickup cavities with copper foil or upgraded him to humbuckers for a nominal fee. Of course, if the environment is the issue, neither "fix" is a guarantee. And how far is it really reasonable to expect them to go under a (arguably invalid) warranty claim?

When my 44-60 still had its Hanson pickups, I did upgrade it by grounding the pickup poles. While I had the pickups out, I decided not to supplement the shielding because it was already extremely quiet, except for the mild crackling when my fingers brushed the pickup poles.

I do not think the pickup cavities are shielded in any way. Doing so may address the OPs issue; I had to do this to get the CS pickups in my Fender Jazz to shut up.

 

[WoodyG3]

At my church we use so many decorative lights and similar electronics that even the best shielded humbucker is gonna' buzz. Still, shielding helps most bass noise issues.

I'm so used to making sure I'm touching the strings all the time that I guess I just don't worry about it any more.

Wallace, I hear what you are saying, and the very reason I like my Lakland Duck Dunn is the vintage sound. It's a choice each bass player makes, and a little hum isn't going to bother me in the least!

 

[Wallace320]

Me too: if I opt for a "vintage" instrument (it's only cash, to achieve that, my main concern) I'm willing to keep the whole package (hum and low output - if compared to up to date pickups).

What I wasn't aware when tryin' the Skyline 4460 (and apparently what the OP wasn't aware on the 5560 too) was the absolutely, purely vintage sounding stock pickups available on an otherwise really stylishly innovative kinda of "pretending (again, for it's design only) vintage" instrument like that one.

I don't fear hum (I play downtuned thrash metal thru lotta compressor and analog pre, even before entering the head equalizer). It's just that never thought Lakland, let wording "vintage" alone, suffered it.

Cheers,
Wallace

 

[wvbass]

really stylishly innovative kinda of "pretending (again, for it's design only) vintage" instrument

I really like this description of Lakland basses. Very accurate, imo.

Full of hum, low output and all, I think the Hanson pickups sound great - when it is somebody else playing them. They don't work for me, but I hope the OP can get the issue sorted out with his.

 

[Randy S]

Have you tried the bass in other locations, other buildings?