guitar/amp/lead hum/buzz

[snappyfool]

sorry about the uncertainty of this thread

I've noticed a buzz/hum when playing guitar which is apparent on both of mine, my brothers and my friends bass i'm borrowing. i looked around on the internet and it seems like a grounding issue - it stops (or lessens) when i touch a metal part of the guitar, including the strings, bridge, pickups, controls. etc. it is not a very loud hum/buzz (i think there's a difference between the two which some might be anal about) and certainly doesn't override the guitar, but it can be noticeable at higher volumes. i'm wondering if it is acceptable to have a little of this noise, because it's there with 4 different guitars, two different leads and two different amps and in various sockets around the house.

is this issue something that is always there but can be minimised with better grounding, or is it something that you have or you do not have (in which case it's not acceptable to have any, if you get me).

 

[JetCityMatt]

Buzz is unacceptable to me and it should not be there.

My strat buzzed until I shielded it with aluminum foil and rubber cement while following the directions at http://www.guitarnuts.com/index.php.

The buzz is gone and you can get adhesive shielding tape designed just for this purpose.

If you were to shield every last piece of wiring you probably wouldn't have to shield the control cavity

 

[Easto]

You don't say what guitars/pickups are creating the buzz but....

1. Could be you have single coil pickups
2. Could be the pickups are wired out of phase
3. Could be a faulty ground wire connection in the guitar
4. Could just be how it's supposed to sound.
5. Could be a light dimmer you have somewhere in the house.
6. Could be an electric motor like in your fridge sending out noise.
7. Could be you need some additiona shielding in your guitars.

It could be a million things. I've literally heard the buzz in one of my guitars get cut in half just by turning off the fluorescent lights in the room.

 

[lbanks]

If it a fender, its gonna buzz. They always require a grounding and shielding job.

 

[faderbug]

If it a fender, its gonna buzz. They always require a grounding and shielding job.

QUESTION : all fenders seem to require additional shielding so why aren't all fenders standard equipped with it??? they've been making single coil guitars for 50 years now, so they should be aware of the problem?!