How to Quiet a Noisy Guitar

Date:2020/1/4 16:33:22 Hits:

If you’re playing guitar around gear with transformers or other gear that emits an electro-magnetic field (EMF), it can interfere with electric guitar pickups. That interference usually takes the form of the dread 60-cycle hum or electrical interference noise. It’s particularly noticeable with single-coil pickups. Here are a number of suggestions for how you can combat the hum:

Perhaps this is obvious, but if possible turn off the hum-causing device. If the offending device is the air conditioning system for the building, that’s usually not feasible, so move on to the next steps.
Rotate your playing position away from the EMF-causing devices. Literally turn in a circle until you find the “sweet spot” where your guitar is quietest.
Move farther away from whatever device is causing the problem.
Use a noise gate. Plug your guitar into a noise gate pedal, and set the threshold just high enough that the noise is blocked when you’re not playing. When you play your instrument, the gate will open, letting your performance through. Keep in mind that as soon as the gate opens, you’ll hear the noise along with your playing.
Use a noise reduction system, such as Rocktron’s Hush or Electro-Harmonix’s Hum Debugger.
If you’re using a guitar with single-coils, wire them so that when two pickups are combined they are hum canceling.
If you’re using single-coils, consider swapping to humbucking pickups, whether side-by-side or stacked humbuckers.
Consider swapping to active pickups, which have less issues with EMF.
Shield your guitar’s control cavity to cut down on the amount of EMF that is picked up.
Make sure that you are using well-shielded cables.

Prev:Should I Upgrade the Pots and Wiring in My Guitar?

Next:Got the Backline Blues?

Leave a message

Message List

Comments Loading...

Products Category

Products Tags

Fmuser Sites

How to Quiet a Noisy Guitar

Leave a message

Message List