Noisy amp in certain places.

[Ramonest93]

Hello guys.
Recently I noticed that both my bass amps ( PG spark and katana) make a buzzing noise (when no touching the strings). The noise seems to disappear when I plug them in different places (When at a friend's house for example). Is it possible that my house electric wiring is causing this? What can I do to stop this? Have you had similar issues?

 

[Got2SadowskyNYC]

Maybe. Do your basses have single coil pickups or are the hum buckers?

If they are single coils does the sound go away when you have them both at full?

If they are hum buckers, it's more than likely a grounding issue. In this case you'll need a ground isolator. I like the Ebtech HumX but there are others like the Morley Hum Exterminator.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use a cheap "ground lifter" that essentially defeats the 3 pin on the power cable.

A third option I just thought of is a bad cable. Does it go away when you change cables.

 

[Ramonest93]

Maybe. Do your basses have single coil pickups or are the hum buckers?

If they are single coils does the sound go away when you have them both at full?

If they are hum buckers, it's more than likely a grounding issue. In this case you'll need a ground isolator. I like the Ebtech HumX but there are others like the Morley Hum Exterminator.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use a cheap "ground lifter" that essentially defeats the 3 pin on the power cable.

A third option I just thought of is a bad cable. Does it go away when you change cables.

My basses are a couple of Yamaha trbx, a pj style one and an active double humbucker. The pj is the noisiest, and yes it hums when having both pickups at full. The noise diminish when I roll the tone halfway. The cables are certainly not causing the issue since I already ordered a couple of new boss cables and they didn't fix the noise. Thanks for the advice.

 

[eniac]

More questions:

1. Strap on the bass guitar as usual, keep your hands off the strings, and walk around the room, turn from side to side. Does the sound keep changing, or does it stay steady?

2. Does the amp buzz when nothing's plugged into it?

3. Is the buzzing there all the time, or only at certain times? Does it ever go away?

4. Have you changed or moved any wireless network gear?

5. Have you added any new lamps or TVs or other appliances to the place?

6. Has there been any construction going on in the area?

7. Have there been powerline trucks or broadband cable trucks working in the area?

I will check back tomorrow.

 

[agedhorse]

Maybe. Do your basses have single coil pickups or are the hum buckers?

If they are single coils does the sound go away when you have them both at full?

If they are hum buckers, it's more than likely a grounding issue. In this case you'll need a ground isolator. I like the Ebtech HumX but there are others like the Morley Hum Exterminator.

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES use a cheap "ground lifter" that essentially defeats the 3 pin on the power cable.

A third option I just thought of is a bad cable. Does it go away when you change cables.

Can’t have a ground loop with just the amp and bass, therefore a ground isolator will be of no use.

 

[Gorilla Monsoon]

Wall dimmer switches, particularly the older ones are notorious for this.

 

[agedhorse]

Possibly. Sounds exactly like my house. My basses are super quiet in other locations but at home I get a little buzzed….oops I meant a buzz when I don’t have my fingers on something connected to the ground on my bass.

Only safe thing to try at home is a ground isolation transformer. Don’t just ‘lift’ the AC ground it could damage your equipment or hurt you if you have a short circuit.

A ground isolation device won’t help when there can’t be a ground loop. It can however make tho he’s worse or differently bad.

 

[B-string]

Any number of devices plugged into the house could be a "cause" maybe even an unattached ground lug at the outlet? I had excessive noise from two sources at my present home built in 2002. 1: a rear projection TV, 2: an AC powered smoke detector. The detector was the hardest to find as the last of the noise ended when I shut off the breaker to test the battery backup in each detector.

 

[B-string]

How about running a real earth ground like when running a genny? Shouldn’t need too big of a copper grounding rod for a 15amp service.

Grounding rods need to be driven fairly deep to be of use and 8' copper rods are pricey these days. There should be one at the breaker box and an inspection of the breaker box and bonding would not be money ill spent.

 

[AK Bass Guy]

Grounding rods need to be driven fairly deep to be of use and 8' copper rods are pricey these days. There should be one at the breaker box and an inspection of the breaker box and bonding would not be money ill spent.

Good point. That’s why I’m just living with my ground issue at home. Getting permits and sign offs in my city isn’t cheap. Buzz isn’t so bad that a gate doesn’t fix in my DAW.

Edit:
Deleted 2 posts as to avoid giving bad advice.

 

[Jesuguru]

Glad someone asked because:
"4. Have you changed or moved any wireless network gear?"

Recently Verizon was out upgrading my old FIOS internet, including some new wiring, and a new router relocated to the garage right next to the breaker box. Since then ALL of my heads through any cabinet, using any bass, and cable have some static breakup/interference/distortion. Any advice, whether to call Verizon to have them re-relocate router or call electrician to improve wiring situation?

 

[eniac]

That new Verizon router -- is it solely a wired router, or is it also a wireless access point?

In any case, I would power the unit down and re-check for noise before I assign causality. If the noise goes away, you have your answer, and you might want to make a video of "before and after" with decent audio quality so you have proof in hand.

Can you take a photo of the installation and post it here?

 

[Got2SadowskyNYC]

Can’t have a ground loop with just the amp and bass, therefore a ground isolator will be of no use.

I didn't say it was a ground loop. I didn't even imply that. There can be something else on the circuit that can cause the ground to be dirty. This is why I recommended a ground ISOLATOR and not a lifter.

 

[agedhorse]

Glad someone asked because:
"4. Have you changed or moved any wireless network gear?"

Recently Verizon was out upgrading my old FIOS internet, including some new wiring, and a new router relocated to the garage right next to the breaker box. Since then ALL of my heads through any cabinet, using any bass, and cable have some static breakup/interference/distortion. Any advice, whether to call Verizon to have them re-relocate router or call electrician to improve wiring situation?

We have also seen some of this sort of thing in the past 3 years or so, which is why I always recommend investing to rule out any outside causes.

That new Verizon router -- is it solely a wired router, or is it also a wireless access point?

In any case, I would power the unit down and re-check for noise before I assign causality. If the noise goes away, you have your answer, and you might want to make a video of "before and after" with decent audio quality so you have proof in hand.

Can you take a photo of the installation and post it here?

Excellent advice

I didn't say it was a ground loop. I didn't even imply that. There can be something else on the circuit that can cause the ground to be dirty. This is why I recommended a ground ISOLATOR and not a lifter.

A ground isolator does open the ground (also called lifting). Most insert one or two diode drops into the ground.

If there is noise being injected into the ground that’s sufficient to interfere with the operation of the amp due to a fault in the electrical system, this needs to be identified and corrected for safety reasons.

We haven’t identified if the noise is entering the amp through the instrument yet, the most common cause.

 

[Stereo Joe]

What level of shielding do your basses have?

 

[fdeck]

A crude audio recording (just you're phone's voice recorder) would help, specifically because 60 Hz interference has its own telltale sound.

 

[Killing Floor]

Blame it all on my roots
and fifths up in boots
And ruined your black-tie affair
The last one to know
The last one to show
I was the last one you thought you'd hear there

And I saw the surprise
And the fear in his eyes
When I took his glass of champagne
And I toasted you
Said, "Honey, we may be through,
But you'll never hear me over my amp."

'Cause I've got noisy amp in some places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases
My blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got noisy amp in some places

 

[agedhorse]

Without answers to the questions eniac asked, we can’t even determine if the problem is with the amp.

Is the amp quiet with nothing plugged into it? This is the very first step in troubleshooting. If it’s quiet, it’s almost guaranteed not to be the amp and we can quit talking about power and power grounds.

 

[VW fan]

Hello guys.
Recently I noticed that both my bass amps ( PG spark and katana) make a buzzing noise (when no touching the strings). The noise seems to disappear when I plug them in different places (When at a friend's house for example). Is it possible that my house electric wiring is causing this? What can I do to stop this? Have you

In my case, I discovered that the ceiling light where I play was the cause of most of the buzzing.

 

[agedhorse]

In my case, I discovered that the ceiling light where I play was the cause of most of the buzzing.

Not uncommon, especially with the cheap LED bulbs from China that do not have FCC testing of come with fake certifications. About 1/2 of all bulbs from China do not have legitimate EMC/safety certifications. The name brand products made in China (Ge, Osram, Phillips, etc) are generally ok.