Buzzing in my Squire....any advice???
 

I picked up a Fender Squire that was signed by John Cougar Mellencamp in 1989 and since then never touched. It was a price from a radio station here in Houston. The friend of mine that won it way back then sold it to me for $200. I thought it was cool.

I had the local guitar shop put some new strings on it, I took the tags off it, peeled the plastic and plugged it in. It works but there is a buzz in the guitar unless you hold your hand on the strings.

Anyone know what might cause this? Is this something I can fix or remedy myself?

Freedbaby

I'm assuming were talking an electric guitar here rather than electro acoustic?

If so, (and again I'm assuming this is a strat or similar) the buzzing is a side effect of single coil pickups. If its really loud and distracting, then there could be a problem that needs addressing, but if its only quite subtle, it doesn't necessarily point to a fault.

The quickest thing to try is a few different guitar cables, cables with poor screening will make the problem much more pronounced.

A quick search on a forum like Strat Talk will throw up endless amounts of threads dedicated to this sort of thing, its something thats been a source of frustration for electric guitarists for a very long time!

Try adjusting something... I get that if there is too much gain.

Noise gate, turn down the gain, turn down the volume, adjust the guitar volume, move the amp, change your position from the amp, go somewhere without fluorescent lights, etc. You could also try lower gain amps.

It IS possible that there is a problem with the jack/cable or maybe something needs a repair, but I would try the above first.

What you describe sounds like a grounding or polarity issue. It could be a grounding problem in the guitar or in your home electrical circuit. I would be surprised if it were in the guitar so, check the amp circuit first. Many amplifiers have three-way switches that allows you to reverse polarity to resolve the problem (a 3-position toggle switch, on-off-on). If the amp has that type of switch, simply switch to the opposite position. If your amp does not have polarity switching, try moving the amp to another electric circuit in your home that might have a better ground.

Ok, Sorry for the lack of info but I will give you everything I know.

1) Its a Tele
2) I dont know the difference (I am a total newb) but with a quick google search I think I have single coil.
3) Yes, makes noise in every position
4) 3 feet away, I didnt try different positions but I did plug in my Martin Acoustic Electric and its clean with no buzz
5) Amp is a 15 watt Fender...a small one.
6) I did not try moving further from the amp, but I will
7) Ground...presumably yes, but I am not 100% sure. Its on the ground with a 3 prong plug which plugs into a properly grounded surge protector and into the grounded wall plug.
8) No Neon lights near it

Hopefully this helps.

Hum in Fenders is a perennial problem. Even my American Standard does it a little bit, with a good cable and amp rig. My take on the hum is that it's a side effect of single coils, I can't hear it over my playing, and I just ignore it.

There are some approaches you can look into if it is objectionable to you though. A tech can check your guitar's wiring for a loose ground, install more shielding around the controls and internal wiring, or you could try a set of noiseless pickups. Pickups are easy to swap back to stock if you are worried about any future resale value or originality, too.

take it back to the tech.

Thanks for all the help fellas....If I turn the volume down to basically "0" the buzz goes away. I will try a different wire and grounding with two prongs instead to see if that takes care of it. Just makes me think its the guitar since my Martin doesn't make any buzzing at all.

I feel a song coming on...

"If there's a buzzle in your Fender, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen..."

A mind is a terrible thing to waste. http://www.in2guitar.com/images2/madsmile.gif

Bob

Does the buzz go away when you touch the bridge or strings if so it could be a bad ground in the guitar. If its a constant buzz that's what single coils can do. Dimmer switches, florescent lights and computer monitors can increase the noise also.

YES!! It goes away when I hold my hand on the strings!

This is exactly what I thought of based on the description so far. A grounding issue is the typical and common reason for a buzz that goes away when you touch the strings (or bridge) and recurs when you break contact. The lack of buzz is due to your body acting as a ground when you're touching the strings. Probably just a loose/cold solder joint somewhere.

There is likely nothing wrong with your guitar or amp.
If your hand touching the strings or the bridge makes it go away then there is likely an appliance, TV, or air-conditioner running on the same leg of the house electrical system.

It is a common thing and can affect guitars with single coil or humbucking pickups.

Do a little checking around you place and turn off things that might be causing the hum. Also try moving the amp to another part of the house and see if it still occurs.