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#1
11-27-2014, 10:01 AM
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general electric guitar qestion
Hi all, Although I've been a member of the AGF for many years this is my first electric guitar post and I am a little embarrassed to ask it because it is so basic. I have an electric guitar (Crestline) with one pickup and a VOX Pathfinder 15R amp. The guitar has a 3 position switch. No matter how I set the gain, volume, etc. there is always a hum so I assume that's why we have humbuckers. I just have to live with the hum correct? There's no way to reduce it other than getting humbuckers? Truth is it is enough to discourage me from playing the guitar. Jeff B
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#2
11-27-2014, 10:56 AM
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Depending on the type of pickup there are some things you can do.
I wrapped "Strat" pickups with copper tape over the cloth tape, grounded it to the negative lead and then applied copper tape on the pick guard and in the routes grounding all of them. My Strat was pretty quiet. You can also make sure you're using a decent guitar cord and that your amp has a 3 prong plug.
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#3
11-27-2014, 11:13 AM
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You might want to repost on the Electric Guitars sub-forum. Maybe get more responses over there?
Nothing to add re your question. I'm not smart about these sortsa issues.
__________________
It's all one big note. - Frank Zappa Ain't Nobody's Business: https://soundcloud.com/vern-equinox/...usiness-but-my
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#4
11-27-2014, 12:24 PM
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Either more shielding in the guitar, a switch to a noiseless (stacked humbucker), or a noise gate pedal can help tame that hum. Make sure your power outlet is wired right with a solid ground connection, too.
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"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." -Zig Ziglar Acoustics 2013 Guild F30 Standard 2012 Yamaha LL16 2007 Seagull S12 1991 Yairi DY 50 Electrics Epiphone Les Paul Standard Fender Am. Standard Telecaster Gibson ES-335 Gibson Firebird
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#5
11-27-2014, 12:43 PM
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Most amps have switches to flip the ground line or make it "float" to separate ground hum. Check for that.
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Fazool "The wand chooses the wizard, Mr. Potter" Taylor GC7, GA3-12, SB2-C, SB2-Cp...... Ibanez AVC-11MHx , AC-240
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#6
11-27-2014, 06:13 PM
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It sounds like a grounding /shielding problem with the pickup. Get some foil shielding tape and use it to line the inside of the pickup cavity of the guitar. I would also solder in an extra ground wire from the pickup to the shielding you just added. That should really help. Also excessive humming usually comes from a cheaply made pickup so upgrading it would probably help immensely. Ultimately you're going to have some hum from a single coil pickup, that's why humbuckers were invented. Most of the time any hum you hear when not playing the guitar can be killed just by laying your hand across the strings.
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#7
11-27-2014, 10:27 PM
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Electrically speaking...hum can come from a LOT of places. Yes, the guitar and single coil pickups and lack of shielding are huge. But, so are cheap cables and florescent lighting. Does it vary when you take a couple steps? I'd suspect pickups and a lot of hum generators in the room (any motor, CF lights, etc.)
Shielding the guitar is a for sure step, but better pickups and pristine cables are the better route. Most amps today are polarized with respect to power and you're not likely going to see a polarity switch. Cheers!
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<{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< bradM - SW Ohio - love to pick! <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}>< <{()}><
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#8
11-30-2014, 12:27 PM
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Try rotating your position so that the guitar points in different directions relative to your amp or the wiring in the room, computer, or whatever may be present. Often you can find a sweet spot where the hum all but disappears.
It's simplest possible cause and solution, so the first you should try, like checking to see if the TV is plugged in before you call the repairman!
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#9
11-30-2014, 09:40 PM
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Quote:
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Soundcloud sounds
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#10
12-01-2014, 12:20 AM
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Quote:
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Some might call me a "Webber Guitars enthusiast".
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#11
12-01-2014, 02:30 PM
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I had a bunch of unexpected humm from my Tele the other day. I've got a pile of guitar cables and had pulled one out at random. The 90-degree plug didn't fit into the jack well, there was some movement (in-out), swapped it out the other way and the straight plug fit securely, no more hum.
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#13
12-01-2014, 07:35 PM
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Quote:
another possibility could be a loose connection between the pickup and the pot(s). i've also found a lot of noise when i have my strat near my computer. a lot of good suggestions have been mentioned to try. here is a history of crestline guitars. note that this is from the internet. http://www.ehow.com/about_5066425_cr...r-history.html play music!
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#14
12-01-2014, 08:15 PM
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Quote:
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#15
12-01-2014, 10:11 PM
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Quote:
There really is a big difference between the three. I never had any use for the third "low bassy" idea, but there really is a big difference obtained just by bypassing the tone control. A pot will reduce the high frequencies even when turned all the way up to ten. Or eleven even. Modders have come up with different uses for a multiple position switch on one pickup. One obvious example is to split the coil of a humbucker, giving the option of a single coil sound, using a position on a switch. This is obtainable other ways, a push pull pot is a common one, but a spot on a selector switch is a good simple solution. Or a coil tap, which gives you different tone qualities by eliminating some of the winds of a pickup when engaged. You can also have a three position switch and only use two of them leaving one as s dummy position, if you only have use for two options. Last edited by stevieboy; 12-01-2014 at 10:19 PM.
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