L
little guy
New member
how come there's a hum from the strings on my bass. when i just touch them, the hum disappears. take my fingers off of them and the hum is back.
Zaphod B
Raccoons-Be-Gone, Inc.
I'd be inclined to say that the circuit you're on isn't properly grounded. Just a guess.
L
little guy
New member
in the bass itself?
Tadpui
Well-known member
I think it could be either improper or inadequate shielding in the bass itself, or it could be grounding issues with the AC outlet the amp is plugged into like Mr. Beeblebrox suggested 
(assuming you're playing thru an amp).
I'm sure that if you do some Googling about shielding and electric guitars or basses, you'll find a few do-it-yourself ways to improve the shielding on your bass. That is, if you care to fix it.
My bass does the same thing, especially when I'm close to my computer monitor or my light dimmer in my recording area. Its not that bad if I'm careful about where I stand when I record.
Also, my bass has 2 single-coil pickups (single-coils tend to pick up more 60-cycle hum). But they're wired so that if I turn both of them all the way up, the hum cancels out. It's almost like it bucks the hum! Like the two single-coils form some sort of hum-bucking pickup! I should invent such a thing! I could make millions, I tell ya
(assuming you're playing thru an amp).I'm sure that if you do some Googling about shielding and electric guitars or basses, you'll find a few do-it-yourself ways to improve the shielding on your bass. That is, if you care to fix it.
My bass does the same thing, especially when I'm close to my computer monitor or my light dimmer in my recording area. Its not that bad if I'm careful about where I stand when I record.
Also, my bass has 2 single-coil pickups (single-coils tend to pick up more 60-cycle hum). But they're wired so that if I turn both of them all the way up, the hum cancels out. It's almost like it bucks the hum! Like the two single-coils form some sort of hum-bucking pickup! I should invent such a thing! I could make millions, I tell ya
Z
zengeezer
New member
A slightly bizarre yet effective fix is to take 1-1/2 to 2 feet of wire, strip both ends, attatching one end to your bridge by partially backing out a screw and looping the wire around it and re-tightening it. Solder something such as a large washer to the other end, and when it cools sufficiently, put it in your pants so that it is snug against your skin, using your body as ground. I have a Strat with a hum problem, and this worked fabulously. Worth a try.
I'm just sayin'
I'm just sayin'
Dogbreath
Im an ex-spurt
Cool idea! It's gotta work better than the miniature blowup doll I've been using.
G
ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
Dogbreath said:Cool idea! It's gotta work better than the miniature blowup doll I've been using.
Sure does; all you need is a washer big enough... ;^)
Dogbreath
Im an ex-spurt
ggunn said:
or in my case, small enough...
tourettes5139
New member
Ground your bridge.
G
ggunn
Crystal Flavolian
tourettes5139 said:
I have heard this before for this prob, but I really don't know. Check it out first before you go to a lot of trouble; get one of those wires with the alligator clips on each end and clip one end to one of the strings and the other to the shield (the shell of your cable end) and see if the hum goes away. If it does, then open your bass electronics and look for a wire that goes into a little hole in the direction of the bridge of tailpiece; it may be disconnected or broken.
TheGuitarMan
New member
I would think that if the bridge weren't grounded it would hum whether or not he touched the strings.tourettes5139 said:
I think maybe better shielding is in order and a star grounding scheme.
This is an article on Strat shielding, but it might help you with your (Fender Jazz or similar?) bass:
http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/shielding/shield3.php
tourettes5139
New member
TheGuitarMan said:
I'm just going on experience here; when I assembled my guitar that I built, I forgot to run the bridge grounding wire. It would hum a lot, but when I touched the strings, it would go away. Then, I put the grounding wire in, and the problem went away.
Just my experience.
It very well could be something else, but I thought I'd just throw that option out there.
Light
New member
tourettes5139 said:
As has already been said, the bridge IS grounded, that is why the problem goes away when he touches the strings.
You can try shielding your guitar, but the most likly thing is you are going to have to learn to live with it, unless it is an unusual amount of hum. Do make sure you guitar is properly shielded, as it will help. Then, learn to always have a hand touching either the strings or the bridge. OR, you can get humbucking pickups of some kind (there are a lot of different ones which will fit in single coil spaces), but they will sound different. You may or may not like that sound change, but it will be a change.
Light
"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
tourettes5139
New member
Boy do I feel stupid. I just remembered that it was when I touched the POTS it would go away. That would make a lot more sense.
You were right, Light, as always.
