Old 06-21-2013, 10:07 AM   #1
Jae.Thomas
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Default how much guitar noise is acceptable?

I feel like my guitars are noisy.

The noise goes away for the most part when I touch the strings...

have I just been spoiled by my variax? Or have I forgotten how much noise a guitar makes?

I am trying to figure out where it's coming from - instruments are the only cause of buzz...
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Old 06-21-2013, 10:14 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by Jason Brian Merrill View Post
I feel like my guitars are noisy.

The noise goes away for the most part when I touch the strings...

have I just been spoiled by my variax? Or have I forgotten how much noise a guitar makes?

I am trying to figure out where it's coming from - instruments are the only cause of buzz...
Edit or gate out the noise. Pretty simple.
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Old 06-21-2013, 10:18 AM   #3
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i am just unsure if this is some weird electrical thing with my house, or something that is typical.

heres a sample
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3305204/001-003.mp3

thats my hand touching the strings and letting off... it's obviously using me as a ground or something haha
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Old 06-21-2013, 10:23 AM   #4
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Have you checked the wiring in your guitar? I had replaced the electronics in my guitar and ended up trying a complex wiring setup. I, somehow, didn't ground it properly and had a lot of noise. I redid the wiring in a less complex manner and eliminated most of the noise.
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Old 06-21-2013, 10:29 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by darthmorphling View Post
Have you checked the wiring in your guitar? I had replaced the electronics in my guitar and ended up trying a complex wiring setup. I, somehow, didn't ground it properly and had a lot of noise. I redid the wiring in a less complex manner and eliminated most of the noise.
ill test some other guitars again. I brought it to my guitar guy and he said it's no different than any other guitar....
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Old 06-21-2013, 10:33 AM   #6
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this is my variax...

(not the digital mode, this is using the mag pickups)

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3305204/001-004.mp3
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Old 06-21-2013, 11:19 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Jason Brian Merrill View Post
i am just unsure if this is some weird electrical thing with my house, or something that is typical.

heres a sample
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/3305204/001-003.mp3

thats my hand touching the strings and letting off... it's obviously using me as a ground or something haha
Sounds about right. Twist your body (with guitar strapped on but not holding strings... i.e. let it buzz) clockwise or counter-clockwise until you get the least amount of buzz. That'll be your playing position
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Old 06-21-2013, 11:21 AM   #8
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if it sounds typical, then i wont bother doing anything else to my setup...

I mean, ive recorded with microphones, etc with no perceivable noise floor..
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Old 06-21-2013, 11:50 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by Jason Brian Merrill View Post
if it sounds typical, then i wont bother doing anything else to my setup...

I mean, ive recorded with microphones, etc with no perceivable noise floor..
Get rid of it... it's like recording vocals with a baby crying in the background. Guitar players seem to be the only ones that find this level of noise acceptable, and then insist that they have to play through a tube amp because it sounds better!
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Old 06-23-2013, 03:21 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Brian Merrill View Post
heres a sample ...
I had the same problem. WARNING: I would not recommend this solution for live performance but here's how I got rid of the buzz when recording.

I took a 2' piece of about 14 gauge wire and stripped of 1/2 an inch of insulation from one end. I loosened the jack plate and slid the bare end of the wire underneath and the tightened the plate back down again. I peeled about 5" off the other end and wrapped that around my wrist. No more buzz.

This is a poor man's electric chair, so be careful not to provide a complete circuit for some higher voltage. Considering that I'm usually completing this circuit with my fingers or palm anyway, I consider it an acceptable risk for my home studio needs.
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Old 06-23-2013, 04:08 PM   #11
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Hey Jason.

I am an electrical contractor. I mainly do commercial and industrial work but residential is a highly simplified version of commercial.

Two things you can do on your own.

One is to locate the main service bonding wire that runs from your main panel to where the water pipe enters house. There should be a water pipe clamp that connects bonding conductor from panel to water pipe itself. Most often it is made of brass and is two piece in design.

You will want to take sand paper and lightly sand water pipe down to bright copper and sand clamp halves also. Also sand wire and port where wire enters clamp so everything is bright and shiny copper. This ensures that your primary service ground is good. You will also want to make sure where that same bond wire connects in your panel that the set screw is tight there also. This is assuming you have a copper water main and not plastic.

You will want to then repeat this process for your secondary bond which is outside ground rod. Sand rod and acorn connector shiny and also the wire and tighten the acorn connector. Check tightness of the other end of that bond wire in the panel once again.

You can shut main breaker off in panel if you are uncomfortable working in a hot panel.

Be deliberate and use common sense and take your time, it's not a race.


If your soil is dry and or rocky, you may want to drive another rod at least six feet from existing one. CAUTION you will want to locate power if it's an underground service before you drive another rod. Usually a locate is free for customers on the utility side.

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Old 06-23-2013, 08:03 PM   #12
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my house is most definitely not adequately grounded.

Me and a few friends are going to sink 2 eight foot poles into the ground, galvanized steel, and there is a method to connecting them too, with a copper wire going back to the box.

There seems to be several grounds going TO the box, so unless some wires are seriously messed up, the internal wiring looks ok.

the current ground is hooked to a water line, and also another ground is hooked to an old water line.

Apparently, there are two grounds here, and one really sucks. So that one we are replacing.

He isn't sure if that will SOLVE The issue, but it NEEDS to be done.

The only issue with driving the stakes are the amount of rocks in the soil, and the fact that there's a sewer line nearby. So, the Area sewer authority is coming by tomorrow, because, interestingly enough, the landlords (they are my neighbors) are having a problem with their sewer grinder not turning on.
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Old 06-21-2013, 03:18 PM   #13
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spoiled by the vax man! my freaking SG is a loud monster. i always seem to go back to the jtv
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Old 06-21-2013, 03:33 PM   #14
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Got dimmers on your lights?
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Old 06-21-2013, 03:42 PM   #15
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Got dimmers on your lights?
There is one in the bathroom downstairs. Not on this floor, however.
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Old 06-21-2013, 04:01 PM   #16
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Sink a stake in the garden. Piss on it. Join it to your computer earth with at least 6sqmm wire. See if that makes a difference. I'll almost put money on it that it'll take out most of your noise.


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Old 06-21-2013, 04:34 PM   #17
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My bassist and his dad are electricians- they are coming by on Sunday. I've wasted too much time as it is, and this thread seems to have helped eliminate anything I am able to do...
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Old 06-23-2013, 09:29 AM   #18
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Unplug the refrigerator, turn off the A/C.

Move your convertor away from the computer.

If you're using the Variax with the power supply, try it on batteries. If you've got the power supply/DI box plugged in while trying your other guitars, take it out, power supply could be going bad.

Look for aliens.
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Old 06-21-2013, 04:51 PM   #19
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jason
earth problem
Tap the top of your guitar around the switching area (or back) with the ends of your fingers without breaking the guitar listen for changes in the buzzing.
Could be earthing (ground where you come from) even from the wires to your outlet... is the guitar lead output loose in any way?
Do you put the heel of your plucking hand on the bridge while the fret hand touches the strings and the sound diminishes?
An earthing problem for sure from me (guitar for 42 years)
Listened to your sample

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Old 06-21-2013, 06:16 PM   #20
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NO noise is acceptable for a guitar! You young punks and your rock and roll! You turn your amplifiers up to 100 and pound on it until it sounds like a hyena with the hiccups! Perhaps if you didn't bang so hard the singer wouldn't have to scream to be heard! Any amplifier over 1 watt should be BANNED! In my day, the guitar was something beautiful that helped and added to a beautiful voice singing a beautiful song! You young kids don't know ANYTHING about music. You only make noise! The louder the better! If I had my way, everybody who went about with Merry Christmas on his lips would be boiled in his own pudding!

At least that's what my grandpa would say...

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Old 06-21-2013, 10:20 PM   #21
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Your Gramps was Charles Dickens?

Wow!


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Old 06-22-2013, 09:05 PM   #22
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Your Gramps was Charles Dickens?

Wow!


>
No, but sometimes he reminded me of ol' Scrooge so I just thought I'd throw that in there.
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Old 06-23-2013, 09:31 AM   #23
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I wilingly chose passive pickups for my new guitar (Agile Interceptor 727 - WOW!!! btw), for the first time in an extremely long time. Wow the noise! And the PITA of having the noise floor depend on whether or not I'm touching the strings? Yuck.

I went to some way higher output pickups and the noise was nearly acceptable, though, there's still tons of potential for interference, and depends where I'm facing in most rooms

I got some of that new water soluble shielding paint and now its nearly as quiet as my EMGS
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Old 07-15-2013, 08:57 PM   #24
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Default Sort of the same problem

I get noise when I run FX for my guitar. I am using Amplatube for my amps and when I turn it on I get a lot of noise even if I unplug the guitar cable from my firebox. When I turn the FX off noise goes away.

Any ideas? 60 cycle hum? PC? I did a recording a few weeks ago and it didn't have much noise now it does. Going to try some of the thing you guys said and I'll let you know. Could it be the AC unit we just installed even though it's up stairs on a different breaker? It does pull a lot of amps, I had to change the breaker to keep it from tripping, AC unit that is.

Or could it be Amplatube?

Also wanted to mention I am a seasoned carpenter and built my house in 2004, don't think there could be a ground issue but I didn't do the wiring an electrician did, so I would think it is good.

Thanks for any help.

Last edited by Baldskull; 07-15-2013 at 09:30 PM.
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Old 06-23-2013, 02:16 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Brian Merrill View Post
I feel like my guitars are noisy.
The noise goes away for the most part when I touch the strings...
Your sample clip sounds pretty normal for when you're not touching the strings. If you get that noise when touching the strings or bridge I'd be more concerned.

I use Waves X-Noise plugin on guitar tracks to help with noise, can get rid of even this kind of buzz. Better than a noise gate because it's active all the time...
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