Finding out why my bass hums

[@jojojeep1]

So what happens if you have continuity throughout the whole base but you still have the problem

[@earlliotti5316]

Thank you for posting this! Helped me figure out that the problem was in my cord, not in the bass...good stuff!

[@pauljazzbass]

You're welcome

[@legitimatelemons]

Very informative, this helped me figure out where I'd messed up the ground in a custom project. Thanks!

[@robinthorntonsingersongwriter]

This is a very nice video. Really informative and without the usual KZbin gimics. Really nicely made. Thank you.

[@pauljazzbass]

Thanks for the comment. Much appreciated.

[@TasteLikeChicken]

Agree absolutely

[@WarrenPostma]

This was super handy and it lead to me finding a quirk in my main bass and fixing it. The tailpiece has two ways to put the strings in. Down through the back with a brass block that the string end bits are into, and through the bottom. In the former case, there was nothing grounding the strings, and the strings hum. I put a bit of wire through the through-holes so that either way I string this bass, it has a ground connection to the strings and the bridge. Question for you; Have you ever seen a bass that was just poorly constructed from the factory, in terms of its electrical connections? The reason I ask is because manufacturers have for more than a decade been trying to comply with RoHS regulations, and lead-free solder appears to be a disaster of epic proportions in most industries, so I'd be surprised if there wasn't a standard practice these days of resoldering all your guitars and basses from the factory just to get rid of the RoHS-friendly-musician-unfriendly non-lead solder issues.

[@craigemmett2425]

Your comment stuck with me and I investigated. You are 100% correct. The through -body stringing insulated my strings from grounding. Thank you.

[@bobbystereo936]

Can't figure out why my bass makes that noise when I let go of the strings? I've tried everything! Cleaning the pots, changing the pots,grounded the bridge, added another ground wire inside. My other basses are quiet, last resort is to get rid of these metal knobs. My other basses all have plastic one's.

[@pauljazzbass]

I have found (especially if it's a passive bass with single coil pickups) that it will pick up noise. The extent to which you hear it will then be more to do with how noisy (electrically) the environment you are using it in. If you're going through a PA that has some issues with noise it may be more noticeable. If your bass amp (forgive me) is very inexpensive then that may contribute. I was using a Jazz (style) bass that was ok through my tc electronic amp, but when going through a certain PA picked up noise. I've found that keeping the volume off when not playing and then making sure you are touching the strings when you raise the volume will help.

[@bobbystereo936]

@@pauljazzbass True! I've noticed in some places it's quieter than others & which direction your pointing etc. I guess it's the same with guitars that have single coils. Always gonna have noise.

[@bobbystereo936]

@@pauljazzbass True! It's very noisy only through my practice amp. Vox pathfinder 10 bass.

[@bobbystereo936]

@@pauljazzbass Finally figured it out! The screw next to the input jack that holds the pickguard down was stripped so Everytime I unplugged the bass the pickguard would flopp up a bit. Used sum plummers(tefflawn)tape to wrapp around the screw so it stays in now & no noise.

[@bobbystereo936]

@@pauljazzbass Thanks for your help thou!

[@SwashBuccaneer]

I have a new Fender PJ style bass (American Performer) and it only hums when the J pickup is "on". Dont recallmit doing it before but its noticable now.

[@pauljazzbass]

I would imagine the jazz pickup being single coil would potentially pick up noise at some point. It may be worth trying to figure out where the noise is coming from. By that I mean for example, if you notice it when at home with a practice amp plugged in, it could be a lead or something else plugged in nearby, and not anything to do with your bass.

[@loskioskbears]

My bass guitar uses flatwound strings which are covered by a thin film of black plastic. So how would these be earthed? as they are completely insulated from the rest of the guitar. And I am getting a lot of hum!!

[@derreth]

My Bass was humming it was picking up interference from a light dimmer when I turn the light off it stopped

[@pauljazzbass]

Noisy mains can be such a problem. Thanks for the comment. I remember playing somewhere and getting noise through my amp. I found out that the venue had a neon sign that caused problems!!

[@Ioang40]

@@pauljazzbass I am having the same issue. How do I fix that?Would shielding the bass fix it?

[@pauljazzbass]

Shielding behind the pickups, and in the cavity where the wiring is, as well as making sure the bridge is grounded is a good thing, and will help with hum. But if the noise is from noisy mains, where you have lighting dimmers, or a fan, or other motor, then it may not help. At a venue with professional lighting the dimmers have suppression in them to help. If you are getting noise at home then you may just have to eliminate what is causing them to hum.

[@aeromancerclash8615]

Sounds like you could benefit from some shielding, lots of Vids here on youtube for it, only requires some copper or foil tape and a ground from the shielding to the common ground (usually the output jack). The idea is to create a grounded metal box around your electrical components between the inner cavities and the pick guard and/or back plate(s). The layer of foil intercepts any interference and sends it to the common ground before(hopefully) your electronics pick it up.

[@cennedystv8098]

I get this hum when I switch from 2 pickups to a single one on my active bass, or when I switch between active and passive mode.

[@flaviosobral1177]

That's what is happening to me. I have a squier jazz bass. when I have the two pickups all the way up the hum disappears, when i turn down one of them, the hum begins.

[@DroctorKloebner]

single coils pick up all kinds of radio interferences. unfortunately that's just how it is. and the active electronics (preamp) in your bass will make it even worse. especially cheap preamps add a lot of hiss to the signal aswell. shielding the cavities properly and investing in a higher end preamp will help a little, but with conventional single coils you will always have to deal with some noise. when you use both pickups the noise from the two coils cancel each other out, like a humbucker would.

[@xttocx]

Great content, this will save a lot of time when problem searching.

[@pauljazzbass]

Glad it was helpful!

[@petemarchione]

Great quick fix.

[@SDRockman]

If I can't remove my bass bridge is there any other way to ground it? I had new pickups put in the guy left steel wool all over my pickups and didn't ground them! Is there anything I can do with the stuff that I currently have, or what? Please help.

[@LordNeonhelmchen]

The bridge should be mounted with screws? So you should be able to remove it? Steel wool: duct tape will do the job. The pickups are magnetic all the time -> they will attract the steel wool that he probably used polishing the frets. Just use some duct tape, rub it gently on the pickups and the fine steel wool fragments will stick to the glue on the tape.

[@CapitaineElsass]

Just bought my first bass and amp. I wondered why this happened. I may have found the problem because of you

[@CapitaineElsass]

I was wrong it was the amp , the bass don't have a problem but thanks a lot anyways

[@usmanshahid021]

When i raise tone knob in my P bass it's sound like grounding or humming but just after that when i touch string it become silent can you guide me what's the major issue I'm facing

[@pauljazzbass]

It might not be the bass. If you only play through 1 amp it may be something on that. Also if you play in one place it maybe that the mains supply is "noisy". The bass will pick up noise even if the bass is properly grounded, passive basses are difficult sometimes with noise. Other things to look for is make sure there is a ground wire going from the bridge to the inside of the cavity and connected on something.

[@christosfragias592]

Thank you for posting this video. Can you please answer my question: When I use the multimeter on my bass to check grounding, when I touch the screws of the bridge that connect it to the body with one of the multimeter probes, and the other probe with the output jack, it sounds the chime. Which is good. However, when I touch the bass of the bridge with a probe, while the other probe remains on the input jack, I don't get a chime. Does that mean my bass has a grounding issue?

[@pauljazzbass]

Hello Christos, my first thoughts are that it is fine. If you also do another check and use the probes on the strings and the jack and get continuity there, then it’s fine. Is the bridge coloured black (or anything apart from silver) . If it is then it’s probably got a thick paint on it (powder coat) that will insulate it from the probe. If when you have checked the strings and jack with the probe then you know that current is passing through the bridge. It’s just that you can’t measure it on the bridge itself.

[@christosfragias592]

@@pauljazzbass Thanks Paul. This makes more sense now. The bridge I have on my bass is a Hipshot Kickass, and yes, it appears to be covered in thick chrome paint. When I test the probe on the strings, the bridge mounting screws, or the bridge saddle screws, or the saddles springs, or the bridge saddles themselves (as they are removable), then attach the other probe to the jack socket, there is continuity, and the multimeter chimes. Which is good. I only raised the query, as I was getting some hum on my bass. Not noticeable, UNLESS, I turn up the volume. But the hum goes away when I touch the strings, which led me to believe there could be a grounding issue. However, the amp I have is a little cheap Fender Rumble 25 watt, and I note it is making noticeably more hiss than other bass amps I have tried. Therefore, maybe the bass is OK, but due to the noticeable hissing of the amp, it may over-amplify even a normal quiet signal from my bass guitar.

[@mamamamarino]

Hi everyone. I have a question about something I'm seeing with my Ibanez GSR200. There is a hiss in my amps that I don't get with other equipment so I decided to investigate. Checking for grounding continuity with my multimeter, everything seems to be grounded to everything else just fine, EXCEPT when I perform the test done in this video at 4:20 (checking continuity between the strings and the jack ring). That test shows around 70 ohms resistance. HOWEVER if I plug a cable into the jack, I have perfect continuity between the strings and the sleeve of that cable. Is this normal? Is it weird but OK? Is it not OK at all? Other than the hiss (and some buzzing that happens when I turn the J-pickup all the way up) everything seems to work fine.

[@Dadssoccerschool]

Really informative. Thank you! I’m just about to change the electronics in one of my bases and will be doing this every step of the way!

[@pauljazzbass]

Thanks for the comment

[@mastermindph5936]

How to fix it if there is hum

[@jamiebeattie8852]

Hi there Paul thank you for your video! I have noticed when I play over the pickups on my Fender P Bass it generates noise. However it seems noisiest when playing through my interface so I’m not sure if that is interfering. Thanks!

[@pauljazzbass]

Interference is an odd thing. As far as my understanding goes, the pickups don't in themselves make interference noise. The problem with all guitars is that at some point from the cable from the amp through to the pickups noise can be picked up. Interference noise is generated by electrical things around us. So in that respect anything can cause noise including an interface, but that maybe the power supply it's running though, or something else plugged in nearby. Using humbuckers, and or lots of shielding around pickups and pots etc just reduces the likelihood of noise being picked up and amplified. Sometimes it's a process of elimination where you are. Modern soapbar pickups and active electronics certainly help the whole situation.

[@normann1974]

So what if I have continuity and the bass still hums until I touch the strings?

[@pauljazzbass]

If it's a passive single coil pickup it's more likely to pick up noise anyway. If it's a PBass and the second pickup is wired wrong that may cause it too. What type of bass/pickups is it?

[@normann1974]

@@pauljazzbass I actually don't know the pick-up types. It's a cheap Ibanez GSR-something bass. Recommended by others, I've shielded the electronics and pickups with copper tape today, and the humming disappeared when I got around to shielding the front set of pickups. Success! :-D

[@pauljazzbass]

Excellent.

[@richie6905]

normann1974 i have a similar issue but don’t Have the equipment to test. Did you just place copper tape between the pickups and strings?

[@pauljazzbass]

The copper tape can go in the cavity where the pots are and underneath the pickups on the cutout of the body. You can also stick it to the underside of the pickguard making sure that the pots make contact with it. If you do it on the pickguard you can extend it all the way to where the pickups are and cut round where the holes are.

[@EAplays619]

Thank you so much for this!!

[@pauljazzbass]

You're welcome, thanks for the comment.

[@stevemcwiggins5958]

In getting some noise from my Pbass and did everything you did on the video but I just had one question. If you touch the poles of the pickups should they have continuity with the bridge/jack etc?

[@pauljazzbass]

No. The poles even though they are metal. Should not make contact.

[@charlesjaphe]

Good info

[@Sonny-ho1tx]

Can i get in contact with you in any way,,

[@mackymaca]

Very helpful!

[@pauljazzbass]

Thank you

[@davep.5662]

Your bass hums because it doesn't know the words.

[@Manuel-e9c9f]

LOL

[@peadookie]

Is there in the house??? I don’t know how to play “ba-Dum-TSSSHHHHH!” on bass.

[@qball6520]

My bass only hums when it doesn't know the words!😂

[@williammcbridesr6548]

Thanks Very Helpful

[@pauljazzbass]

You're welcome.

[@TheJbellomy]

Hello Paul!

[@mowler8042]

bad ground