guitar strings shock me

random.hero

New member
yeah the strings are shocking me when im playing it...

its my friends epiphone wildcat, and his kustom 36 coupe, i was playing it at his house, and the strings were shocking me...

i think it happened with the other guitars we plugged in, but i cant remember correctly, so im thinking its the amp that is messed up...

whats wrong with it and how do i fix it?
 
The amp is improperly grounded. It may be at fault, or the outlet. Get an outlet tester, and check that first, if not, get the amp to a doctor, there is current in there that can kill you easily.
 
At one time I lived in the 3rd. world for about 6 years and one house we rented did that, if I touched the strings with the inside of my arm I got a definate tingle. I got a friend who was an electrrician to check out the house and it was an earth problem, as the previous answer says, it can kill you. Get it fixed, or will your gear to me.
 
would it have anything to do with the fact that it had never had 2 guitars inputed at one time before, but i went over to jam and plugged mine into the second input...
it had never done it before then, does that have anything ot do with it?
 
random.hero said:
would it have anything to do with the fact that it had never had 2 guitars inputed at one time before, but i went over to jam and plugged mine into the second input...
it had never done it before then, does that have anything ot do with it?
Whatever the cause somewhere in the chain is a potentially lethal dose waiting to bite you. Get it checked.
 
random.hero said:
would it have anything to do with the fact that it had never had 2 guitars inputed at one time before, but i went over to jam and plugged mine into the second input...
it had never done it before then, does that have anything ot do with it?



Almost certainly not.



The problem is to do with one (or both) of two things. Either the amp isn't grounded, or you have a bad cap.

Reguardless of the cause, the ONLY thing to do now is to take it to a good amp tech and GET IT FIXED!!!!



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Yeah isn't the most fun to experience and as a guitar player. Sometimes if were playing in a club where they don't have the wiring right I'll get shocked like that. Someimes however, I don't find out until I go to sing while playing. That's a whole nother bag of fun there.


A nice bit of whatever volts traveling from my lips through my hands then the rest of body. My amp used to not even have a three prong plug on it. I had one put on a long time ago. But still if the wiring is bad in the building it can still do it. If it has a ground lift switch occasionally that can help. But not very often. I find it happens most when the power I'm running off of with my amp are on the same circuit as the PA. I've learned to take every precaution over the years cause I'm affraid one day I'll shit on myself or have a heart attack.
 
Don't you folk have earth/leakage circuit breaker protection? Every building in NSW Aust is required, by law, to have it ( & smoke detectors too).
Funnily enough not such system is required for the light circuit.
 
rayc said:
Don't you folk have earth/leakage circuit breaker protection? Every building in NSW Aust is required, by law, to have it ( & smoke detectors too).
Funnily enough not such system is required for the light circuit.


Pretty much the same here in Western Australia!........Smoke Detectors are not compulsory in residential buildings!
 
rayc said:
Don't you folk have earth/leakage circuit breaker protection? Every building in NSW Aust is required, by law, to have it ( & smoke detectors too).
Funnily enough not such system is required for the light circuit.
Not sure about South Australia...not that my landlord would ever do anything about it..
 
mx_mx said:
Not sure about South Australia...not that my landlord would ever do anything about it..


All rental properties in WA have to have a residual circuit breaker fitted to the electricity circuit!
 
You better not play with your tounge for awhile, atleast until you have that ground problem taken care of! :D
 
You weren't on a concrete floor when you were getting the "tingle" were you? I've gotten a shock from quite a few amps while playing on concrete floors (just a thought.) Any way you look at it, you shouldn't be getting a shock. Sounds like the amp is past due for a check up from your local amp medic.
 
Can you buy power boards (extension cord with multiple inputs) with built in surge &/or leakage protectors over there?
If you borrowed/bought one & plugged the amp into the power through that you'd get a quick confirmation of an earth leakage prob. It'd also protect YOU from life leakage when playing.
Regardless GET it fixed.
Aren't we antipodeans an OHS aware mob! Pity about our mines - oh, but unlike a house, mine safety is a matter of self regulation to free up the constraints on business.
 
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