TelePaul said:
How do you fellas get around this? Even when I run my amps OD channel pretty quiet, theres still a feedback, obviously more noticeable when I'm not playing.
I've never gigged but I cant imagine what some of you guys would have to do to stop that excessive noise when you're running a half stack flat out. I have a Boss NS 2...kinda kills the tone though.
Single coil pickups are sensitive to ambient RF noise. There are some mitigating measures you can take - shielding, for example - which can help, but as long as you are running vintage style single coils, especially through a lot of gain, you are going to have some hum.
Noise gates help when you are not playing, but they can't filter hum out of your sound while you are playing.
I assume from your screen name that it is a Tele you are dealing with. You can get a RWRP (reverse wound reverse polarity) replacement pickup for one position, and then at least when you play with both of them on, you have humbucking.
Noiseless pickups and mini-humbuckers are available, but they compromise the tone; if what you want is that glassy vintage single coil sound, then you might not be happy with what they give you.
You might look around at your environment and see if there are any RF sources you can get rid of or get away from. Computer monitors, fluorescent or neon lights, TV sets, refrigerators even your tube amp, all have motors or transformers which emit RF hum. Also, try moving around and standing facing different directions; sometimes a RF field is planar and will affect your pickups less if you hold your guitar perpendicular to it.
Good luck; I feel your pain. There is a set of medium tension power distribution lines that run along the side of my property right outside my studio, and I have a pretty major 60 Hz electromagnetic field from it. When I run my Strat with a lot of gain I have to face a certain way not to have ton of hum.
