Vox Pathfinder 15R amp noise

[Colour]

As the title implies, I have a Vox Pathfiner 15R amp that has some unwanted hissing and bzzing sounds.

To start off with, I'm playing an Ibanez AF84E (hollowbody with a minihumbucker) with the tone and volume controls all the way up. The lead is coiled. I sit close to the amp, usually within four or five feet.

On the amp, the Gain and Volume knobs are little below half; the Boost button is off; Treble, Bass, Tremolo Depth and Speed, and Reverb are all off/at 0. Nothing else besides the lead is plugged into the amp.

When I turn the amp on without the lead plugged in, there isn't any noise. But if I get close to the speaker, I can hear a quiet hissing sound.

Then when I plug the lead in, there's a bzzzing type of sound. Finally, when the guitar is plugged in, there is a slightly louder bzzing sound, but it gets a little bit quieter when I touch the strings, pickup, etc. I assume that indicates a grounding problem on the guitar. If I turn the guitar volume control to 0, the bzzing goes away completely.

The amp setting described above are what I usually have on since I mostly play at home. But if I turn any of the amp knobs up, the bzzing gets louder and shaper. I tried two other leads, but the bzzing is there just the same.

There is probably a grounding problem with the guitar, but my guess is that the amp is part of the problem. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I think I've described everything important. Anyone have a similar experience or a suggestion for getting rid of the unwanted noise?

 

[TelePaul]

Yeah it's the guitar. The give-away is when you move closer, the hum increases...you could probably confirm this by borrowing one froma friend and trying it out...to be honest I'm not familiar with the 'mini humbucker', so maybe try something like an LP clone with two buckers? I have this problem with my Tele, sometimes it depends on what electrical appliances are running downstairs or if someone has a laptop close-by. Try moving around the room to find the place where the buzzing is minimal.

 

[32-20-Blues]

Yeah, when you touch a metal part of the guitar, you are grounding it with your body, so there won't be as much noise.

You can temporarily fix this problem by: facing the other direction, or resting your hand on the bridge while play. Not ideal, I know.

More permanently, mini-humbuckers will be noiseless, so replacing pick-ups won't do you much good. You should investigate shielding the guitar - in the tone/volume control cavities, specifically. This can be applied in either foil or paint form, and there are many online tutorials regarding this - google it.

 

[Colour]

Thanks for the help.

Actually, when I do turn around from my amp, the bzzz/hum does descrease. Other than a TV six or so feet away, there's a lamp close by. I'll try some other outlets.

Also, touching the bridge will do nothing in my case since it's a wood bridge, but I get what you're suggesting. I'll look into the issue by researching online and maybe with talking a luither. And also getting a friend to try his guitar out to see what kind of noise, if any, is audible. Thanks again.