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Single coil noise

superhand

superhand

Sep 14, 2009
173
0
Fresno, CA
#1
This topic has probably been covered somewhere but I could not find it. I have a 2006 (I think) Fender MIM Jazz bass with stock pickups. My question is, how can I eliminate or at least reduce noise. Short of replacing the pickups is there anything I can do?

Will shielding make much difference? I installed shielding on a telecaster style guitar and it helped, but it did not eliminate the noise. I prefer the sound of single coils on guitars so I have just kind of accepted the fact that they are noisy. I want my bass to be quiet though. I don't really have the money right now to replace the pickups. So I'm wondering what else I can try for now.

I usually like to use both pickups, but sometimes I like the sound of just one. The noise can be kind of distracting though.
 
#2
If you find excessive noise with both pups at equal volume, proper shielding will reduce or eliminate it. See the FAQ area for help on this. However:
If it's just the solo'd pickup noise that you find objectionable, there's nothing you can do about it except go with stacked or split coils. As you know, they just don't sound the same.
 
#6
scarekrow said:
shielding is worth a try. cheap, too.
Click to expand...

Shielding won't eliminate the magnetic (single coil) pickup hum, but will eliminate the electric part of the hum. My MIM had some pretty nice conductive paint in the cavity. BUT stupidly they had no foil on the back of the plastic pickguard or battery box. Adding foil there really eliminated all hum in my bass.

Which was because I don't have single coil pickups. Mine came with Fender "noiseless" pickups. They are not real expensive and I HIGHLY recommend them! The combo of copper shielding plus hum canceling pickups (also you can use stacked coil J's...I don't like the tone of those) really tweaks out a Jazz bass.

Shielding also made my single Coil J clone sound better. It didn't eliminate single coil hum, but the fact that the rest of the hum was gone made the single coil hum seem a lot less obnoxious.
 
#7
dmusic148 said:
If you find excessive noise with both pups at equal volume, proper shielding will reduce or eliminate it. See the FAQ area for help on this. However:
If it's just the solo'd pickup noise that you find objectionable, there's nothing you can do about it except go with stacked or split coils. As you know, they just don't sound the same.
Click to expand...

I find that shielding helps amazingly. I recently built two versions of a Jazz Bass that was reviewed in Bass Player magazine. Since the pickups were the first Jazz bass pickups I ever wound, I wound them traditionally, and initially didn't shield them, however I did use shielded cable, and the control cavity was shielded. The bass was so noisy. I liked the sound of the pickups and so I wrapped the coils with .001" copper foil, put another piece of foil on the bottom of the coil, and connected them both to ground. Wow, what a difference. I can't imagine why anyone would have a bass that wasn't shielded. Shielding a single coil pickup won't effect 60 cycle hum, but it will help tremendously.
 
#8
Shielding does help a great deal.
One other thing, move.

Just moving a little in relation to the amp, can completely eliminate the hum from even the cheapest bass.

Before the argument starts… My basement where my amps are has a dimmer switch and a florescent desk lamp on the work bench.
I have recorded with out hum while having effects sitting directly under the desk lamp.

MM
 

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