Reducing Guitar Amp Buzz and Hum

Reducing guitar amp buzz and hum. I’m using the Hum X to fix my ground loop problem. Here’s a(paid) link to amazon for more information: amzn.to/29Dn58s I use Distrokid to publish my music! Here's the (paid) link: distrokid.com/vip/seven/621956 A 7% discount is applied when using this link! This unit filters 60hz noise created by ground loops that makes guitar amps hum and buzz. This is not a ground lift device so you maintain the safety by keeping the ground in place. Used for 120V 60hz USA power. This will not fix guitar cable, power issues, or pickup related hum. Designed for 1 piece of gear. Do not use for the entire power strip! Check out the Shure SM57 on Amazon! (paid link): goo.gl/WZ6Wb1

[@BobSell]

I’m using the Hum X to fix my ground loop problem. Here’s a link to amazon for more information: amzn.to/29Dn58s

[@SDsailor7]

I am having the same problem with that hum the thing is I did not have that problem before. I have 3 amps a epiphone studio acoustic 15 a crategx15R and a crate fxt30 the fxt30 is the worst. (acquired two days ago)I am wondering if the first two got the humming due to being idle several months and somehow components are dirty? I did not have any problems with fluorescent lighting. Any ideas besides buying the Hum X?Thank you

[@SDsailor7]

Excellent video! very informative.

[@michellavallee2025]

Rob Hernandez - Hi Bob would that work for a power bar too it that doesn’t have more amperage as recommenced?

[@joecalabro4838]

what do i do if its a problem with my guitar ? i have no buzzing on my strat but when i plug in my telecaster is starts buzzing really badly ?

[@MathieuJeanty]

I have the Humx my guitar still making noise need to called you

[@djc5897]

"You don't want to wake up dead" this guy sold me

[@leeanucha]

i thought being dead is not waking up 😂😂😂

[@deaconlomax]

You, have absolutely just changed my entire perspective on my setup💀. I thought that was just something I had to deal with. Thank you very much

[@BobSell]

Glad it helped!

[@EmuTheEmo]

Him: you don't want to wake up dead. Me: wait a minute. That make no sense

[@redraider7614]

Afterlife I guess? If we ever have one that is.

[@benjamincounter1285]

"Wake up dead" lol

[@soundescapemn]

Didn't they have a huge debate about this in Scary Movie 3?

[@bmxbear729]

morrisaurus17 yeah hahahaa

[@cardanor4400]

Megadeth's wake up dead kzbin.info/www/bejne/mH-QYZJ7p7pgrbc

[@thedevil1262]

Charly Lopez one of their best songs

[@christopherdunn317]

Well wake up dead on the other side lol

[@lancairw867]

Dang, David Gilmour lost his British accent?? Nice video 👍🏻

[@BobSell]

That's funny! Thanks!

[@lancairw867]

I bet you can play like him as well👍🏼🎸

[@BobSell]

I wish... Maybe after another 50 years of practice!

[@joechristopher5803]

Thought the same thing 😂

[@TheForce_Productions]

Gilmore maybe, but Gilmour not until I know. BTW what's doing Rick Harrison here?.

[@nova_kane]

I've spent all night trying to figure out what is causing my noise. Not only have you simply explained what ground loops are (I must have watched dozens of videos about them and still had no clue) but you've also offered a solution. Great video.

[@BobSell]

Glad it helped

[@Artuyero]

thnk you Gilmour

[@ayan4109]

Such arrangements to be able to play open chords! That's something in itself!

[@herefobeer]

You can also strip a wire, tape one end to one of the screws and let the other end touch the ground. Maybe your amp also has a grounding pin for this. This way, whenever you put your amp on the ground, it's grounded. I super glued a grounding block so that part of it touches the ground when I keep it, and connected a wire to the block. Slightly less dangly solution. :)

[@HROD137]

I recently got the Hum X, i was trying to use a 2 amp setup (1 amp clean and 1 distorted like Eric Johnson, or using a stereo delay using both amps at once) the ground loop was driving me crazy,then I read about this device on some forums, problem solved, so that's another way that you can use the Hum X, thanks for the cool video!!!

[@BobSell]

Thank you for the info and that great tip! All the best to you and your music!

[@alligator69]

Thanks for this video Bob, I wish my issues could be resolved this easily. I’d gladly spring for the $80 for every amp I have. I not only get the type of 60 cycle hum you demonstrated but I also get static and radio frequencies. Turning up to higher volumes makes the issues especially bad and connecting boost/overdrive/distortion pedals at even medium volume or output levels is disastrous, as it totally exacerbates the problem at ear splitting volumes. It’s virtually impossible to play under these circumstances if I need to crank my volume or pedal output levels. I primarily play vintage sixties Fender amplifiers and guitars and use good quality cables and connections with grounded power strips. Some of my amps have the original 2 prong power cords and some have updated 3 prong cords. I moved from a house to an apartment building and experienced this in both locations. My work around for this has been to keep my amp volume at as minimum levels as possible and utilize my guitars’ volume control which is somewhat limiting. With pedals engaged I found I could reduce the noise to an extent by keeping volume/output levels at bare minimum levels which of course limited my ability to get the full scope the pedals offer. I’d initially thought it was issues with the pedals and certain pedals exacerbated the radio frequencies for some reason but I’ve discovered that the source of the problem begins with the amplifiers themselves irrespective of the specific guitar, amp, pedal, cables, connections, room, outlet or power supply utilized. The reason I doubt this issue is a ground loop the way you’ve described it is because the noise and radio interference occurs on its own upon plugging in any amp to any outlet in any room and running up the volume. This is without even having a guitar or pedal connected. Since you indicate ground loop issues are the result of more than one item connected to the same circuit, having this type of noise from the amp with nothing connected to it indicates it is not ground loop related and the Hum X would not resolve the issue as others here have found. Does that sound correct?? For alternative solutions I’ve researched that the Furman SS-6B power block for $39 also provides EMI and RFI noise reduction that could greatly minimize this type of problem but I see others have not always found that to be the case. Another item is the Furman AC-215A Power Conditioner for $229-$239 which seems to be primarily marketed as a power surge protection product with AC noise filtering technology included as an added benefit. There were positive reviews indicating it did just that and resolved their noise issues. Dropping $40 on an extra power strip is not really an issue but I’d hate to spend nearly $250 on a surge protector I’m not even in the market for to fix my noise issues and then have it end up doing little to nothing. Do you think I’m on the right track here or that the problem is solely within the electrical wiring set up in my house or apartment and if that’s the case then what exactly is the issue and how can I potentially get it corrected. I am not an electrician but if I knew what the issue was and what needed to be done, perhaps I could hire someone to do it. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[@danpepper3238]

It would be interesting to see a tour of your studio including your main pieces of gears. I would be especially interested in learning your preferences on your play back system.

[@BobSell]

I haven't had anyone ask about my gear before. Maybe I'll do a studio tour someday...

[@victorvalenzuela6949]

Thanks Bob👍🏼 I had this buzzing sound in my home theater 10’ powered subwoofer 🔊 and know it’s gone and working perfectly as it should.. So know I wake up Alive 😂 and not dead ☠️ to enjoy the bass in my movies 🍿 and Music 🎶. Again Bob Thank you for that test you did.😉🍻

[@BobSell]

you’re welcome

[@ruffaccord]

great video! I hate waking up dead

[@BobSell]

Yeah, not good! Thanks.

[@luminositymusic3810]

ruffaccord ditto

[@mecjagger]

Exactly what I thought! Lol

[@anpunefru]

Wake up dead with appetite for brainsszzz.

[@zakmoon7065]

Thank you for making this video review and proving it works with your setup. this answered my question perfectly and let me know about the best solution to the problem on the market

[@BobSell]

Glad it helped!

[@thethreeonethird]

Dimmers! I couldn't figure out why I was getting intermittent unbearable feedback. I shut them off and it cleaned right up. Thank you sir!

[@BobSell]

Excellent!

[@GabePlaysYT]

Thank you very much!! your demonstration is literally what I'm going through with my new guitars! I'm going to try and order it and see if it helps!

[@BobSell]

You’re welcome! Good luck Gabe.

[@thealienbabies2935]

did it work??

[@zebdoz333]

thank you for the info, i was thinking i may have had a short somewhere lol

[@jazzguitarneophyte-christo7988]

Thank you so much! Now I can fix my DVMark Jazz buzzing amp!!!

[@JimVincitore]

Grrrrreat video Bob! I always wondered about that stuff!

[@BobSell]

Thanks for the Grrrrreat comment!!

[@ShadesWade]

You just saved me about 100 headaches. This was the amp eureka voila for me

[@BobSell]

Great! Glad this helped!

[@ShadesWade]

indeed. im on easy street now! cheers Bob

[@ShadesWade]

here we are 4 years later. i kind of just screwed myself haha. my ceiling fan died and i bought a new one. well come to find out the ceiling fan i bought has a light dimmer in it and now im screwed. my options are A)play with nasty hum or B) have no ceiling fan or light on in the room while playing. anything to alleviate this issue or should i just buy a new ceiling fan with no light dimmer. cheers!

[@timharrington4470]

These things make a huge difference. I had a terrible ground Loop with stereo amplification until I used a hum Eliminator

[@BobSell]

Good to hear!

[@phantumgrey]

Awesome!! That’s the exact problem I need to solve

[@danpepper3238]

Thanks Bob, another useful vid.

[@BobSell]

Thanks Dan!

[@johnroberts838]

Excellent video, great advice, thank you.

[@BobSell]

Thanks John!

[@pierrejoubert7754]

Hi Bob, thank you for solving a big problem that I have. I stripped my guitar wiring a few times, rewired just to have the same problem. I tested all the grounds and found that my Boss EBand Js8 had a problem as you mentioned. If I take a wire from the earth of the BOss to another earth, the hum goes away. I will have to look for this appliance you suggested. All the best; thank you again!!!

[@BobSell]

Glad this helped you! All the best to you and your music!!

[@victorlaw4256]

Pierre Joubert I have this problem with my js10 and ibanez and I don't have a clue where the problem is. It's driving me crazy.

[@kencohagen4967]

I have a hum X and so far it's worked great! It may only work in some environments and not others, but I'm keeping it with me because it does w Really work well in some situations!

[@BobSell]

Great thing to have in your toolbox. Better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!

[@palmeiras958]

Thanks for your vid! Help me a lot!!!

[@degacci]

Thanks for the video I purchased 2 different noise filtering surge protectors, they reduced a little bit probably about 25% or so. I had seen the humx, appearance wise I didn’t think that little adapter could do anything but watching this video sold me on it. Thank you! I have a fender tube amp as well, I do have A LOT of electronics and dimmers around the house I’m hoping this helps too because I don’t know what else to do.

[@Le_Rosa]

degacci hi mate. Have you tried out that Hum X? I started some recording with my Vox AC30 and same problem with clean tones. The drives are ok. They don’t show up on the mix, but the clean lines are too noise. Cheers

[@degacci]

Le Rosa haven’t tried to humX but I moved WiFi/Bluetooth devices away from my amp and changed bulbs to LED. It’s helped significantly.

[@Le_Rosa]

@@degacci hum ok cool. Yeah I tried to sit the amp far from other electric stuff as well and it helped a lot. Cheers bro

[@6vibrations748]

Thanks Bob!

[@robcrawford9657]

Thank you Sir! you saved my day.

[@eddiestclair-im5wm]

My Fender Princeton Chorus has the hum all by itself. I'll try the Hum X to see if that takes care of the issue. Thanks!!

[@KoolKatRecordingStudios]

$79 for HumX and for the EH Hum debugger its $118 at Sweetwater. I bought two EH Hum Debuggers back in 2013, and they work Excellently! I Record Clean! :)

[@bmurftheanomaly1696]

“You don’t wanna wake up dead” 💀💀💀💀💯💯💯✊🏾✊🏾✊🏾😂😂😂😂

[@traviskiddo3824]

Bob, you're the freaking boss.

[@BobSell]

Thank you Travis!

[@geraldg4631]

Okay I thought my amp was just broken, i should definitely invest in one of these

[@LIFETEEN48]

Thank you, excellent, buying one

[@AdurianJ]

I did a crossover and combined my Battery Pack (Tronix Explorer XT) with my amplifier and the humming went away. Since it's only a 10W amp it lasts quite long enough. So that is an alternative if you have a battery pack that gives 230V but the battery pack is more expensive than a filter but it is an option.

[@gregstopa5092]

Good bless you good man

[@juanmlarios]

Remember, ‘you don’t want to wake up dead’ 😂

[@justinf5422]

In all my years of playing, I've never heard of something like this. Apparently, it works miracles lol. If only if would get rid of the noise my powered monitors give my guitar, without me having to turn 180 degrees away from them, 6+ feet away lol

[@BobSell]

Yes, it does work miracles if it's a ground loop...

[@ThrashinYorkie]

Thank you Bob! I'll give this a shot.

[@BobSell]

All the best!

[@MathieuJeanty]

@@BobSell I got it guitar still making humming noise

[@antonyh1949]

@@MathieuJeanty grounding issue with your guitar then

[@megaroli]

Thank You Very Much!

[@mariushebnes5951]

Hey. I recently bought a guitar and amp. Im really happy with it. I have a baja tele with a marshall mg50fx amp. And a very cheap wire. I have a lot of hum, i think it is from the wire, but i am also guessing its the amp. Do you think im right?

[@EMB-vj7yi]

This is a very good video.. im new to this guitar thing. And i have that noise . Tnx

[@BobSell]

Thanks for watching!

[@ranbummerz729]

Alright, the thing is $79. The video was informative and displays the usefulness of the adapter which is good. Btw, if this is sponsored in anyway (re: your referral link), you may want to disclose that in your video and description!

[@BobSell]

No I’m not sponsored and had to pay full price for the product. However, the referral link does generate a couple of dollars with an Amazon purchase. The folks that know and follow me are aware that I don't review or recommend products that I don’t use myself. Thanks for the comment! All the best.

[@rollandjoeseph]

thanks, i hope this solves my buuz issue, ill give it a try, cheers!

[@BobSell]

Thanks. cheers!

[@rollingrock5143]

You just saved my life

[@azcharlie2009]

I'd love to have the Fender Deluxe Reverb....... I have a Princeton 65 that sounds really good, but has terrible hum. Seems like Hum X is the solution.

[@darkrey_BriesVersion]

you're a life saver and saved me so much money.

[@BobSell]

Glad it helped!

[@Brochacho14]

Sick tascam 38! My dream rig ❤️

[@BobSell]

Got mine in the 80s. Still a dream machine!

[@jonahcuddy6799]

Hey! Great video. I'm having trouble with hum even while the volume is at 0. Am I having the same problem? if not, any suggestions?

[@kirbonite]

thanks.. I f ing hate ground loop hum to no end and have traded 3 amps trying to eliminate it. I will give this a try

[@BobSell]

Hope it works out for you. Good luck.

[@Revenant4k]

did it work?

[@kirbonite]

@@Revenant4k I've had way too many bills lately to drop the 60 bucks for this but I'll let you know if I do.. my friends say they work but some have ad them blowout.

[@elmerfuddphd]

Thanks alot for the video. We just played a gig in a park and I was really frustrated with the hum noise. I brought a wah wah and Univibe and they really intensified the hum, so much so that I just went straight through the amp (DSL 40c.)I use effects pedals when we play indoors and usually do not notice as much hum.None the less I will try this and let you know how it works.

[@10SouthProductions]

Great Video

[@ogretattoo]

Bought one. Plugged it in. Still tons of hum. Returned it.

[@ilkinahmadYouTube]

Foil inside the guitar under pickups also works great

[@djwiggles2835]

Just got a new amp the other day (fender super champ xd) and was extremely disappointed with the hiss/hum that came with it. I’ll have to look into this

[@michel333100]

Hi Bob, The thing is I have a lot of amps. I have a Mesa Tremoverb, a Fender Bassman, 1965 Fender Blackface Bandmaster, tweed Deluxe, Ceriatone JTM45 bluesbreaker, Ceriatone HRM Dumble amp, and a Vox Brian May special Edition amp from 2005. All of these amp get this same sound happening. I have 2 strats and 4 les pauls . It's definitely not a guitar or amp issue that I have. For a while I was changing valves like crazy, still didn't get rid of this problem. Really don't know what to do.

[@hiiamkatrina3039]

Beautiful tele

[@BobSell]

Thank you!

[@AudioStorm1980]

Awesome vid, I gave a like

[@BobSell]

Hey thank you Josh! Really appreciate it!!

[@9beersdeep902]

Thats pretty amazing.

[@BobSell]

Cool!

[@TMoody]

Wake Up Dead = Megadeth \m/ \m/

[@paulc3960]

I had put an undersaddle pickup and a positive pre-amp for my nylon guitar. For some reasons I had to solder a 2.5mm plug which connects to the pre-amp. Since day one hum was always there. I did not know until today when I used a piece of aluminium foil to wrap around the jointed. Now the hum has gone.

[@BobSell]

Great tip!

[@Agent36]

Waking up dead is A miracle. I'm in.

[@angrynooblets34]

Relatable

[@chrishope170]

Thank you very much. My amp has recently began to buzz and it interferes with the sound quality of my playing.

[@chrishope170]

@Samuel Mccoy alright I'll clean them, thank you

[@generalawareness101]

I have the 60hz hum on my 25R Fender amp just from the guitar to it. I touch the strings on the guitar, and it goes away (or any metallic part of the guitar). I checked and the ground from the cord has continuity to the input jack so I am stumped. Since it is just the amp there can't be a ground loop so even more stumped.

[@iseeu-fp9po]

I'm having a nasty buzz centered around 315 Hz, and no one seems to be able to prodive me with a straight answer of what it could be... It's not a ground loop because I've checked with a D.I. Box, so maybe EMI? I really want to fix that issue.

[@KoolKatRecordingStudios]

I use the Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger...but thanks for another great solution! Cheers Bob :)

[@BobSell]

Thanks for the tip!

[@kimmolingonheimo]

HI yall, I use single coils so i get hum, one thing helped ( i think it was ground loop noise...): I put all the pedals and the amp into the same power outlet from the wall, another thing is on the way: EHX Hum Debugger, which is designed to help with single-coil hum, so there! ( I dont like the sound of the noiseless pickups so much, lets see what the Debugger will do...!!!) of course I could buy minihumbuckers, but for my three superstrats it would be very costly (six pickups!), instead of that i have yet another thing coming: Seymour Duncan Pickup Booster for humbuckish tones! so, all in all I have six pedals each having their own adapter , not too much methinks ... ( omg some people have amp stacks, but you have the effects stack!!! im so happy with my six pedals on the floor, like 40 € each, Duncan and EHX over hundred, hope theyll do their job...) Happy humming your favourite tunes...!!!

[@BobSell]

Ok keep us posted. Thanks!

[@guitarguts666]

Would I plug the humX Offer the amps power cord into my rack power or off the rack power to wherever it's going to at a gig

[@ceonach]

Excellent!

[@BobSell]

Thank you!

[@GeorgeWMays]

Very cool. Thanx. Appreciated.

[@BobSell]

Glad you liked it!

[@jamesokeeffe3216]

thank you it was the adapter.

[@carlnelson1568]

I like how it sounded like a perfect outro to his riff even when he put his guitar back on the rack. You know your a total Bad A when you accidentally sound good. 😁

[@StantsLOL]

Hey bob - great vid! So what would be the advantage to the hum x over using a DI with a ground lift on the guitar end? Are they similar? Better to use combined?

[@BobSell]

Good question! Not sure the difference but you wouldn’t use together.

[@nerdsofthefist]

I don’t want to wake up dead, either. I think I need one of these. No idea how this hum started. Just turned on my amp one day and it was there. Literally changed nothing. Guitar plugged straight into the amp. Am plugged straight into the wall.

[@brandonwimbush8431]

Man…. THANK YOU!!!!!!

[@higgnbe]

I gotta get one

[@jbgoth]

Bought this item. Wish I could say it worked..... Sadly, I still have the problem. Glad it helped some people

[@BobSell]

Sorry this did not work for you. Just a heads up for everyone: This is a great product but only works for "Ground Loop" problems. You can test this before you buy by using the 50 cent adapter I show in the video to lift the ground Do this for testing for purposes only! If the noise goes away, you have a ground loop. Buy the HumX. Don't play the guitar with the ground lifted to avoid shock hazard. Hope this helps.

[@bletheringfool]

This is happening to an old stereo from the 70s I got. It must be a built in amp (JVC KD-720). There's a left and right TRS jack for the mic that plugs in and an annoying hum very similar to the one in your video, coming through on the recordings. Not sure how to resolve

[@patshep68]

ok, i'm buying one, right now

[@batacachuck]

I have a marshall JVM210H with 1960 cabinet, everytime I put marshall overdrive or distortion, hum appears, hope this item could fix it

[@Fusions-xl3sh]

My amp keeps a hum sound when its power on i didn't even plug in aux or guitar and it keeps the noise

[@McboyLopez]

Many thanks!

[@BobSell]

You're welcome!!

[@pedrosarmentoguitar]

Hi Sir, great video great explanation, subbed. I'm having a problem with my rig and beg for your help to understand what's the cause. I plug my guitar (Ibanez RG with two Humbuckers and one single coil, properly grounded and shielded) straight to my Line 6 POD HD500x (wich is powered by a two pins plug transformer (I'm in Europe, so, no ground connection) and then monitor it through headphones. I'm getting a 50 cycle hum that goes away when I touch metal parts of guitar or POD. What's the cause of the hum? Lack of ground connection to the wall socket?

[@BobSell]

Yes, it could be a poor ground connection in your house. Have you tried playing the amp in another location and it still does it?

[@guayunai]

Can I use this with my bass guitar if I’m playing out of a 8 x 10 cab?

[@patrickferguson8720]

I'm getting issues like that running through my pedal board - I have a pretty big board rig, but have been blaming it on a TC Nova system for a while (which I include in my effect loop. I'm running power to my pedal board, and running in stereo off a Vox AC15 and a Twin Reverb. Get this hum on both amps. Would this Hum X possible cure my issues? If so would you recommend getting one for both amps, and possibly the pedal board? or just the board? Curious if this may fix my woes before I sell my Nova system for creating havoc in my chain

[@BobSell]

You would never use more than one of these in your setup. Get the $ 0.75 adapter, mentioned in the video, to lift the ground (for testing purposes only) then you’ll know before you buy one if it will work.

[@lawrencecarver4233]

I have a marshall MG 30CFX AMP. IT STARTED buzzing and humming about a month after I bought it from a pawnshop. I hooked a ground loop connected to the ground pole on the cord. An to the guitar cable input casing. Made sure all the knob's were turned down to 0. Pushed the power button on an slowly turn the knob's up to about 5. On clean. I was amazed it worked. Then I pushed the Crunch button. The buzzing humming came back. So I turned it back to clean an the buzzing humming went away. Any ideas what might be wrong.

[@Koreyisadumbfuck]

my setup is a guitar plugged into my audio interface then to my computer. it seems like the grounding comes from the computer. will it solve my problem?

[@garysnyder970]

Yeah but mine is making a loud obnoxious noise when i turn it on (everything is turned down)

[@moonburst9434]

Thanks alot gilmour!

[@BobSell]

Yeah, I’ve been call that a lot. I guess everybody looks like somebody. Wish I could play like him! Ha!!

[@derickalbert]

I’ve the limited edition thinline deluxe Tele with noiseless pickups but they’re noisy. I use line 6 helix. Can I use the same hum cancellation adapter for my helix?

[@DaveMarkovich]

I drooled all over my keyboard for your equipment

[@BobSell]

😁

[@marcoftheshaw]

I found that keeping amp as far as possible from wall socket does the trick....same amp as in vid....picks up mains hum n buzz if too close to socket

[@bkyella]

I’ll try that!

[@keithclark486]

I use the big shot Aby Pedal , Has ground lift Has the benefit of running 2 amps or 2 guitars and is just a few dollars more than the Hum X Which I've tried and didn't work.

[@pop8590]

Thanks

[@rod8855]

Do you get that hum on the amplifier when there is no instrument connected?

[@lucphu656]

my marshall also has this nasty buzz when i plug in. but when i touch the metal on the cable's head or metal on the electric guitar ( string, head, bridge or the whammy bar), the buzz sound totally dissappear. so do i have a ground problem?? i dig on the internet and i found that is a very common issue. when i ask them for a solution, they told me to shielding my guitar by using aluminium foil to cover all of the wire under the pickup. so how do i know that my problem is ground problem or the second one that i mention?? thank you very much. I hope you can help me because practicing with that sound is just like a pain in my a**