simple guitar question

[antispatula]

I've been playing guitar for over a year, but I know nothing of it's anatomy or anything, I just like to play it! So here's the easy question: When I'm playing it through my amp, there's an ambient buzzing. Is it coming from my amp or guitar? I bet it's the guitar. What do I need, better pickups? I've got a really cheap guitar. Thanks!

 

[Thatupstateguy]

need more info,.... what kind of amp,.... what kind of guitar,... is the outlet you are plugging into a grounded outlet,... more , need more....

 

[Dani Pace]

Is it a buz or more of a hum?

 

[punkin]

Are you sitting near a computer or monitor? Flouresent lights? Dimmer switch on the same utility circuit somewhere. Is the amp a head + cabinet or a combo?

We need a complete list of the stuff you're using and how you're using it.

 

[cowboyj]

Could also be the cord you're using to connect the guitar and amp... Or a combination of that and any of the other things people have listed.

Jason

 

[Light]

Is it coming from my amp or guitar?

Yes.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[treymonfauntre]

elaborate dimmer switches!

 

[ggunn]

elaborate dimmer switches!

Elaborate? Just gotta love that spell checker, eh?

 

[Ed Dixon]

The most common causes of noise in a guitar/amp setup include:

1. Single coil pickup noise
2. Bad/poor cable
3. Noisy amp

While there are some others, these seem most common to me.

Strats and Strat copies tend to have single coil pickups. These tend to be noisy and the noise will change as you rotate yourself and the guitar.

A poorly shielded guitar cable can also produce noise. Some amps are also noisy.

Some simple tests:

1. Unplug the guitar and cable from amp. Is noise still there? If so, that’s coming from the amp by itself.
2. Move around while guitar is connected. Does noise change? If so, most likely from pickups.
3. Change guitar cables and see if noise changes.

Ed

 

[treymonfauntre]

Elaborate? Just gotta love that spell checker, eh?

that was me demanding somebody to shed some moer light on dimmer switches causing noise. i had no idea!

 

[ggunn]

that was me demanding somebody to shed some moer light on dimmer switches causing noise. i had no idea!

Oh. That's very different....

Old style dimmer switches are of a simple rheostat design, which is just a coil of resistive wire with a wiper contact to tap different spots on the wire for different resistances and therefore different brightnesses of the light or lights that gets power from it. Unfortunately, the coil is also an inductor, which is also an antenna, and it broadcasts 60 Hz RF from whatever portion of the coil that's in the circuit - the dimmer the lights, the stronger the RF. Single coil (non-humbucking) pickups respond to this RF broadcast and transfer it to your amp. Buzzzzzzz...Hummmmmmm. Hum bad.

Newer dimmer switches are of a solid state design and use a power transistor instead of a coil to attenuate the current flow. No coil, no antenna, no hum.