OT: - anyone an electric guitar techie? | The Boneyard

OT: anyone an electric guitar techie?

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Hi, hoping someone here has an idea what the issue is. I just picked up a 2nd guitar and it has a hum/buzz when played through certain amp setups.

The players:
1. ESP LTD EC-1000S Fluence. (It has active pickups.) This guitar has ZERO issues and plays clean through all amps.
2. Ibanez RG421AHM that I just picked up, used. (passive pups.) I am getting a hum/buzz through the amp (tried 2 amps, tried different cables). So I brought it to a music store, and there was no hum/buzz! So it's not the guitar.

I tried these amps:
1. Orange 20 (plugged in) got the hum.:(
2. Roland Micro Cube (plugged in) got the hum.:(
3. Roland Micro Cube (with batteries) NO HUM.:)
4. Blackstar amplug2 FLY (batteries) NO HUM.:)

Hmmmmm.
Tried plugging in another room, same. Tried turning off other electronic devices nearby, same.
So I am seeing the active/passive pickup difference....and the AC vs DC...but I still don't get it.

Anybody?
 
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Have you tries the AC amp config using different outlets in the house? Could be a power supply\ground issue. Are ALL the pickups in the ibanez humming? If so are they single coil pickups?
 
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Have you tries the AC amp config using different outlets in the house? Could be a power supply\ground issue. Are ALL the pickups in the ibanez humming? If so are they single coil pickups?
Humbuckers. In different pup configs (5) it’s louder/almost gone, but still there. I tried another outlet on a different floor and got hum.
 

August_West

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considering it does it only when plugged in and not on batteries, it sounds like a ground loop issue........

as a cheap test ( not a permanent solution ) try one of those cheap 3 prong to 2 prong plug adapters, and plug in the 2 prong. That will lift the ground. Its not a permanent solution because it could harm your gear in long term, although i wouldn't worry about it with solid state amps, just tube.

If that seems to improve it try this permanently.


also are you testing this with guitar plugged directly to amp, no effects?
 
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I sent the posting to a friend who teaches guitar and has been in the business for years. Personally, I don't have a guitar and know nothing about wiring.

Hope this helps.

Here is his response:

I start with the guitar cable (most often there’s a short in the connectors or in the wire). Then make sure the amp is grounded. (Some amps have a ground reverse switch)
Fluorescent lighting connected to the same house circuit as the amp can cause hum. Try a different circuit or turn off the fluorescent lights (Notice that there was no hum in the battery powered amps).

The guitar itself could have a grounding issue (pickups need to be grounded to an onboard metal part). If none of this solves the problem it may be time to take the amp in to a repair shop. There could be a component in the amp that’s causing the hum (power supply, switches, volume/tone controls etc.

It can be very frustrating to find and fix a hum.
 
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considering it does it only when plugged in and not on batteries, it sounds like a ground loop issue........

as a cheap test ( not a permanent solution ) try one of those cheap 3 prong to 2 prong plug adapters, and plug in the 2 prong.

If that seems to improve it try this permanently.

also are you testing this with guitar plugged directly to amp, no effects?
Yes I have been reading about ground loops. Thank you for that- I will try it. (I saw the hum exterminators but didn't want to buy unless I knew what the issue was)

Yes, guitar, cable, amp- that's it.
 
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Get one of these

I wonder if it’s a wiring issue
for $7 that seems like a great thing to have. My entire house was renovated, including wiring, 11 years ago by a trusted electrician. I don't think he cut any corners. Wondering if "common grounds" could be a culprit- some suggest a home run ground. Not ready to start paying an electrician though.
 
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I sent the posting to a friend who teaches guitar and has been in the business for years. Personally, I don't have a guitar and know nothing about wiring.

Hope this helps.

Here is his response:

I start with the guitar cable (most often there’s a short in the connectors or in the wire). Then make sure the amp is grounded. (Some amps have a ground reverse switch)
Fluorescent lighting connected to the same house circuit as the amp can cause hum. Try a different circuit or turn off the fluorescent lights (Notice that there was no hum in the battery powered amps).

The guitar itself could have a grounding issue (pickups need to be grounded to an onboard metal part). If none of this solves the problem it may be time to take the amp in to a repair shop. There could be a component in the amp that’s causing the hum (power supply, switches, volume/tone controls etc.

It can be very frustrating to find and fix a hum.
Thanks @Improviser, I appreciate that. Yes I have gone through all of that. I have the issue with 2 different amps so it's not the amps themselves. The one that can use batteries works fine with batteries, hums when plugged in.
 

tdrink

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Sell your practice amps and buy the biggest stack you can find. Plug in and turn it all the way up. Start playing. No one will complain about the hum.

IAS . Doesn’t sound like the guitar is the issue. But I have seen some issues that were tough or almost impossible to diagnose. Does the hum change when you touch the strings?
 
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Hey guys, I appreciate all the help. I am going to try the 3 to 2 adaptor trick (@August_West ) to see if that makes any difference. That should lead me down some sort of path.
 

tdrink

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for $7 that seems like a great thing to have. My entire house was renovated, including wiring, 11 years ago by a trusted electrician. I don't think he cut any corners. Wondering if "common grounds" could be a culprit- some suggest a home run ground. Not ready to start paying an electrician though.

No electrician uses common grounds anymore unless they have antique wire they are looking to use up.

Modern wire all has its own ground wire and if the job was inspected that was the first thing (sometimes the only thing) they check.
 
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Sell your practice amps and buy the biggest stack you can find. Plug in and turn it all the way up. Start playing. No one will complain about the hum.

IAS . Doesn’t sound like the guitar is the issue. But I have seen some issues that were tough or almost impossible to diagnose. Does the hum change when you touch the strings?
That's not an option- LOL
Yes it does change. Also it changes when I switch between pickups (5 options). A friend suggested it has to do with the parallel vs series wiring and the arrangement of the pickup selection options: series are more likely to be noisy and there is a mismatch which gets compounded. or something. (see below)

My takeaway from all of this is that this is what you get with a $399 guitar.
 
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No electrician uses common grounds anymore unless they have antique wire they are looking to use up.

Modern wire all has its own ground wire and if the job was inspected that was the first thing (sometimes the only thing) they check.
Good to know. Cross that off.
 
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the least noisy is the 2nd option.
Screen Shot 2022-01-03 at 11.16.56 AM.png
 
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@August_West just tried the 3 to 2 thing. No dice. still humming.

Thought: if this problem were due to general room electronic interference, wouldn't the same thing be happening with the battery amp? Because it does not happen with a battery amp.
 

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