Why Does My Guitar Buzz

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[@hellgirl1512]

As a beginner who just bought a first guitar, Im truly annoyed that literally nobody, from salepersons, youtube reviews to google, said anything about this buzz. Now that I bought my guitar, the thing keeps buzzing. Apparently it is sooo sooo sooo common and normal.

[@prism223]

I recently had exactly this situation. Bought a Charvel from a popular online music store, and when I plugged it in there was a noticeable crackling sound. After ruling out everything else, I opened the back cover and found that someone failed to put conductive shielding paint on the lip of the electronics cavity which needs to be there to complete the Faraday cage by connecting with the back cover which has a metal foil attached. After putting some aluminum foil on the edge to contact the cover plate, noise gone. But the fact that no one bothered to even check for the source of the problem and sold it as it was is disconcerting.

[@b00ts4ndc4ts]

I purchased a SG standard and every time the control plate on the back touched my leg I would get a crackling noise. I just purchased some shielding foil and placed it in the cavity as well as the back of the plate and it cleared it up. But I was a bit pissed off after paying that amount of money for a guitar and having to troubleshoot it myself.

[@prism223]

@@b00ts4ndc4ts Same feeling here. Something's off with guitar price-value relation when you can pay multiple times the money and get the same problems with very cheap fixes. Makes me think the only way to really get value is to build it yourself.

[@b00ts4ndc4ts]

@@prism223 ain't that the truth brother.

[@springsteen-games5134]

I just bought a used Fender Squire p bass from 2012 and surprisingly it doesn't have that much buzz I'm kinda surprised compared to my old bass shitty off brand it had so much buzz

[@curtgreco1725]

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart l just bought new gear, and that's exactly what's happing..l was going to return it..thanks to you l won't be. Thanks again

[@Temmbbb]

same here :D

[@WilliamPeter]

Same bro😂 i bought Line 6 Spider V and new Ibanez i thought its defective but now all doubts are cleared

[@pmd7914]

Tip - if the noise while you're not playing annoys you, like when you're practicing & reading or watching something between playing, this is what I did. Make a jumper cable with an alligator clip on the bridge, run wire to contact your skin somewhere. Noise gone.

[@brushstroke3733]

Great tip!!

[@TheToneLounge]

I sometimes struggle with making videos, then I watch your stuff and go, "oh yeah, it's all about helping people". Your videos are always informative and made for the audience. I should really pay more attention to that. Very inspiring. Cheers

[@DylanTalksTone]

thats it man... that's why i do it

[@Necropheliac]

Dude, thank you so much for explaining that hands off noise. I’ve been tearing apart my home studio and troubleshooting my guitar thinking I had a ground loop or a grounding problem. I’m glad that I don’t need to buy any more stuff.

[@fiftyshadesofurban]

I also am concerned about if it's possible to get electricuted if a surge happens while you're playing? Because to me when I touch the guitar and the sound goes away it seems like I'm acting as ground, which could be dangerous it seems?

[@abhinavguitar]

Excellent, to the point video! I had doubts regarding the buzz when not touching the strings.. but no more :) Thanks Dylan!

[@galbeeri8360]

Same. Just got my first electric guitar..was not sure about that lol

[@qaximi]

The capacitance between the body and power wiring adds to the capacitance between the guitar and power wiring, increasing the level of the hum transmitted from the power wiring to the guitar. So your body is the source of noise, once you touch the strings your body picked up noise is grounded through guitar ground. Thats why its normal that when you touch the metal parts of guitar the noise disappears. May seem Strange but its true

[@leasech]

I wish I had seen this video a few months ago when I was chasing down noises on my old Aria Gibson copy. It finally came down to wiring (rookie) mistake in my wiring along with a broken ground to the bridge/strings. Great video. Keep it up!!

[@whiteymanngogh4489]

Great video, just built pick guard out of 1/8 inch aluminum diamond plate rewired with new pots and switches and thought I screwed up because of buzzing. This video set my mind at ease.

[@charleskinsey2141]

Gibson les paul special .Turn volume to about 8 it's a slight buzz ,effects the sound .Flip switch in the middle it stops but if you turn it down it buzzes until fully down

[@davidparkes9374]

Thank you. This helped me solve my issue. I recently installed polymer coated springs. They caused me to lose my ground to the bridge. Your video helped me track down the issue. Seems obvious after the fact but I was scratching my head trying to figure out how I lost my ground.

[@juleswinnfield3958]

5:42-6:10 Thank you for clarifying that the sound is normal. I’m a novice(ish) and for a while now I thought something was off with the wiring or that my pickups just suck.

[@roydominicmacasero4597]

Duuuuude! I've been looking for a video explanation of my guitar buzz "situation". Thanks heaps!

[@dingdangger]

I was getting so pissed off at my dean cuz i thought it was messed up, but really its fine. Thanks dude i needed this 😂

[@Aldsomegaming]

if you have a laptop make sure the charger is not plugged directly into the wall socket use it along with an audio interface, its night and day for me!

[@streetlegal008]

It has been suggested that if the ground wiring is good, buzzing can still be caused by the springs in the tremolo failing to make a good connection from the claw to the bridge and strings. I think this can be a possibility - the solution suggested is to connect the claw directly to the base of the bridge with an additional piece of wire, thus bypassing the weak springs connection.

[@DylanTalksTone]

Yeah… no

[@DJ8838]

This cured my paranoid thinking about buzz sounds

[@Dailyvids25]

I like you becoes you are not a victim of guitar marketing. You are not spreading all kinds of guitar mythology. And you are not guitarded. You really are a rare thing on KZbin. You don't push the " vintage" and "holly grails" and you don't treat thus instrument as an holly icon or something. People should just play the damn things!

[@ioodyssey3740]

"holly icon" ROTFLMAO.... "holly" as in Buddy? But I do totally agree with this post. I just love a good pun!

[@94djsingh]

the noise increases when I touch the screws that adjust the pickup height. does that mean I have bad ground?

[@IuliusCurt]

BUT what if I take a little wire out from my guitar ground and I clip it to my body?!

[@IuliusCurt]

Not necessarily nipple clamps, but nipple clamps.

[@calebcadainoo]

@@IuliusCurt 😂😂😂 that's crazy

[@Y_z_r]

Literally was thinking about that lol

[@0Imtheslime0]

You can actually do that. Was someone who did that on stage once recently. He took a guitar string, attached it metal on his guitar and bite down the guitar string and kept it in his mouth so he could play. All this was an emergency thing. His guitar suddenly had grounding issue and did an impromptu fix. But seriously. You are holding the strings 99%of the time during a gig... so

[@hussainaman1951]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@dannobilly]

Thank you for this video and letting me know noise is normal, turn down the volume knob. I was ready to rewire my Gretsch hollowbody. Sadly I do have a lot of RF interference. Every bulb in the 100 year old house is LED and every switch is a dimmer.

[@2580addiction]

I bought a new guitar recently, a cheap one, it made this exact noise. In my case there was in fact a grounding issue. Not within the guitar itself though. I realized the wall outlet was not grounded and that caused the noise. When i switched to another outlet is was completely gone.

[@joshgreen4521]

Happy to hear that the buzzing sound coming from the guitar when not touching the strings is normal. It really bothered me and I thought that I would need a noise gate to fix it, but I guess not. (y)

[@Hickalum]

It’s not ‘normal’. Some guitars do it and some don’t.

[@aperezdeal]

@@Hickalumon a properly shielded guitar it’s almost not noticeable. You can’t get it to go away 100% but you can get it to where you have to focus to hear it.

[@FockeWulfFW200]

@@Hickalum IT IS normal.

[@brushstroke3733]

Thank you so much for this!! I just had someone else diagnose a pickup problem and then install new pickups in my guitar, and I have been worrying myself that there was a grounding problem because of the hum (even though it's mostly the same with another guitar I own!) This will save me from embarrassing myself by telling the luthier there is a problem when there really isn't one. So glad I watched your video first.

[@yeppieyay8906]

Hi, Dylan. I feel electricity whenever I play my electric guitar and it's starting to hurt. I think I feel it when I touch the strings. My amp, which is a Boss Katana MK II bought last year, does not have a 3-pronged plug for grounding. What could possibly be the problem? Do you think grounding in the amp or in the guitar could be the problem? I also read that it is common practice for guitars to have groundings run current through the metal bridge and onto the strings to give off the excess electricity to the hands or body. When I touch mine, the electricity is very noticeable, sometimes even uncomfortable and painful. Do you think this is safe?

[@bombjelly5795]

Yes it’s safe my dude . That’s normal

[@johnnorris1983]

Check everything is ground good.

[@brushstroke3733]

I don't think you should feel electrical shock when playing your guitar. Yes, my guess is your amp is not well grounded, but I am not knowledgable about electronics.

[@everythingtakin]

It means you were made to rock.

[@tigerhunter8878]

@@everythingtakin I fucking love this comment😂😂😂😂😂😎😎

[@guitarsfunmods3986]

This should be watched by some sound engineers behind the FOH / stage mixers, who sometimes ask me "why your guitar make noise?" And I really got confused how to explain... I do really asked about the noise few times a year

[@DenisVolga]

Hi, Dylan. What products would you recommend? Trying to record an electric guitar i have lots of noise. To minimize it i have to find a certain position, i have to face away from computer, hold a guitar in unnatural position (not even 90 degrees, more like 100-110 degrees), and any deviation from that "safe zone" causes noise in my headphones (monitors are off, of course). It is either with single-coiled pickups or humbuckers (the first ones, obviously, worse). The StudioOne shows quite a high level of noise on a recording channel /quite hearable -33 to -44dB/ even with no sound coming through (when i don't produce sounds on guitar and/or when guitar is in "safe from noise" area). I am thinking about getting Electro-Harmonix Hum Debugger pedal... (?) That's the main question. Also... ~ I have too much noise when i turn the mix (comp/in) knob towards instrument (1) and a very little headroom for recording, either the signal is too weak or, after moving the gain knob just one little degree, i get distortion, noise and clipping (2). It is either with single-coiled pickups or humbuckers (the first ones, obviously, worse). PreSonus iTwo has a very little headroom, but i suspect that this is not the sole cause: maybe by increasing the gain i increase the noise (interface limitations+ground loop). (1) - waiting for a new interface Topping E2x2 (could/can't record anything with PreSonus iTwo or, recently, SSL2...SSL2 supposed to have a very low noise, but in my case (? why) i had even more noise...returned it while i could). (2) - waiting for a new interface and a ground loop breaker usb power injector for the interface C-port. For recording with a physical amp (Katana) i plan to get a Morley Humno Noise Eliminator. DI boxes (active and passive) seems like do nothing in my case (or make things worse): Behringer active DI20 gave lots of noise; DI Dolamo a bit Increases the noise compared to direct connection (TRS a bit more compared to XLR), but in nut-shell, it does not decrease the noise. Don't have any Gate pedal and not planning because it is tricky and i hardly play heavy music. In recorded track the noise is increasing in quiet times. I have a power conditioner Furman m8x, everything is connected there and it goes to one outlet. No noise-cancelling devices for pc or USB ports or 9V supply. All my guitars are in tact (grounded and shielded). The lights: no lights, some lights, big lights - not much difference. Thank you, Dylan

[@marshallohio5512]

I recently acquired a new USA G&L Legacy that was horribly set up with all the noises strat's come with off the rack. Twisted the three single coil pickups and out put jack wires. Lightly shielded cavity with aluminum foil tape. Grounded the three pots together single wire daisy chain. Install a better treble bleed. Set up the bridge and saddles that were wacked from the factory. Killer Strat now!! Forty years playing and fixing guitars. I own USA Strat s , les paul s, PRS guitars, but my go to guitar is a $400 Hagstrom Ultra that is completely stock. Cheap electronics and great pickups. Tweak the truss rod from time to time. LOL

[@Dav2112]

Hey man, I have that issue with a brand new EVH Frankie relic model where it buzzes until I touch the strings or any other metal parts that is connected to ground, but all 6 of my other guitars even a cheap Ibanez with a Mighty Mite Motherbucker 20k in the bridge don't have this buzzing at all, I'm having a real hard time accepting that it's meant to buzz as much as it does when none of my other guitars do it. It's driving me nuts, if my other guitars did this then I'd be able to accept that it's normal but when it's only happening with one guitar out of 7 it's a hard for me to accept this is normal. One thing I did discover while testing stuff to remove it is if I just have the guitar resting against my sofa all I hear is my actual amp hum, but when I pick it up and bring it close to my body that's when it starts buzzing and as soon as I touch anything connected to the guitars ground it goes back to just the hum of my amp. If it's normal why do none of my other guitars do this?

[@LordKaos666]

Hi Dylan. Nice video. I have a vibration instead buzz, also unplugged. I discard fretting issues. It sounds like betwen the tremolo springs and the inside of the body. Some people says that "stratos are noisy". My super strat don't make it. Can I upload some video showiing it? I can dissasemble it but maybe that's not some cable vibration below the pickguard...I shielded it...with aluminium, well glued...I don't have luthiers near home.... some suggestion? Thanks

[@moogdome2562]

What a great video. I'm impressed. Thank you, learned a lot

[@staugustinus]

Hey Dylan, great video! Have you ever come across electrostatic noises on an guitar or a bass? I have a passiv J-bass that sometimes makes a weird sizzling noise, especially when I slap. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the finish since my arm is in contact with the body of the bass while I'm slapping. Or could it be the strings? Looking forward to hear from you! Chris

[@Godzammit1986]

Great video and thanks. I am experiencing this issue on one of my strats but not on another which has the same pickups and identical wiring. I've checked and rechecked and both appear to be correctly wired and ground. Any idea why two basically identical guitars would vary in regards to this issue when plugged into the same amp at the same location? It's definitely something I can live with especially if it is indeed a normal occurrence as you have explained. Just curious about the variance between the two guitars. Thanks!!

[@0Imtheslime0]

Could be your mics are RWRP on one and the others not. Shielding?

[@Hickalum]

Me too … Huge respect to Dylan TRYING to explain … but ultimately it’s a fail.

[@brushstroke3733]

Maybe the quality of the soldering is better on one than the other. Perhaps a cold solder joint is causing the noisier guitar to buzz more.

[@alabamahebrew]

Ok this might be a dumb question and people with more experience with amps than I have will probably scratch their head at me for it lol but here goes - I only use modeling amps (Fender Mustang GT 200 and a Marshall Code 50), when I am going through and tweaking my custom presets and even some of the factory loaded stuff I notice whenever I am using any amp pr preset with a higher than usual amount of distortion I have noise issues. For example, if I use the Supersonic 2000 cabinet or any Dave Mustaine type of preset there is a LOT of static and other noises. So I have found to remove this I can open up the settings and adjust the noise gate, on the really high distortion presets I set the noise gate to super and it cuts that excess noise right out. Exactly what is the "noise gate" and is it better to have it on a lower setting, better for the tones as you are playing the guitar. I like it when you do these types of informational videos, you usually break it all down into enough of a laymens type of language that makes it easy to understand what you are trying to teach.Some guys get all technical and start throwing out all these technical terms and I find I am more confused after watching their video lol. Keep up the good work!!

[@mg5672]

Great video and I was getting a sire S7 vintage SSS but now I won’t, I am definitely getting the S7 HSS. Even though I can still get that hum after watching your video but I was told the humbucker can help stop that. Someone please tell me what I should do . Sire S7 or Sire S7 vintage .

[@alcg4105]

I have a Squier Japan with shielding and in a clean tone it is very quiet, on the other hand I have a new Squier Affinity electronic without shielding and it makes the same dip as Dylan.

[@colinmurray9144]

Hey Dylan love your Video's and the tips you give. Thank you. I do have a question for you I have a Tele and the volume pot is scratchy however when I touch the strings the scratchiness goes away.I have checked all grounds and they are OK. Have I got a bad pot or is something else going on I have cleaned the pot with electrolube and done all the usual but it still there driving me nuts.

[@jurgenviesemann5260]

Thank you, i just finished my first guitar and added tele style pickups and freaked out when i touched strings and noise vanished.

[@goosefukulardeath7300]

This was a very very scientific method on finding noise. Question: are active basses more noisier in terms of just noise from electromagnetic frequencies in the house like you previously described? Any tips would be appreciated

[@thenyanrobot4565]

Having my guitar setup connected with a PC with 3 monitors, a cooler, a cooling fan, and a bunch of lights, i jist have to get used to rhe noise

[@JamesThomas-zp1pm]

I know this is old video but it's a great video for new guitar players especially ones getting first guitar and amp.

[@The_Cutz559]

Awesome video 👍🏼. My Seymour Duncan Woody acoustic pickup has this hum till I touch the guitar cord at the amp. I tried hooking up a DI with ground and still doest it till I touch it. Any recommendations?

[@BushidoPhoto]

So you're saying, I need a noise gate for my Jazzmaster with single coils? It buzzes when I don't touch the strings and goes away when I touch them? Everything is normal? Thanks.

[@daneofarrell9460]

I’ve been playing guitar for over 10 years, never knew this sound was normal. So glad to know my shit was built properly

[@bobybutterfly5510]

My first guitar is an Epiphone SG G-400 and doesn't matter if I touch or not the strings or the bridge, etc, it will always make the same amount of noise. I've bought an Squier Stratocaster and I had this issue (not touching the strings, etc. = more noise). You are the second person I've found on the internet that says that it is not a problem, that it is normal (other people (majority) say that it is a grounding issue, etc). I checked my guitar wiring, everything, and it seems that it is all correct, so hearing what you said is a big relief. But these are my questions: ¿Why my Epiphone SG does not make that noise? ¿Why other Stratocasters do not make that noise? I think that it is not, but: ¿Is being the "shield/ground point" on you guitar dangerous? Thank you!

[@guitarman123456789]

I don’t believe it’s normal and “supposed to do that.” I have a 2002 American Strat, all stock, with single coils. I run it through a Furman power conditioner, and there’s zero static hum. I just bought a 2022 Epiphone 1959 Les Paul Limited with real Gibson Burstbuckers, and it is annoying how loud it hums (and goes away when you touch the strings.) I sent it back to be checked out. You can’t tell me a quality humbucker should be easily 5x more noisy than my single coils. Not to mention the Strat doesn’t hum, nor have a hum that goes away when you touch strings.

[@wittepaling]

@@guitarman123456789 i have the exact same issue with a 1959 les paul epiphone. Did you get the hummjng resolved?

[@christopherstorrier5560]

After many years of buying bass's sheilding them ,star earthing (i know you don't think it makes a difference,we'll agree to disagree about that one), re-wiring, new 8% CTS Linear pots, 1% resistor in Greasebucket tone control circuit,2 x 5% hi-fi grade polypropylene caps & a 1% high quality 1w resister but sounds better than without Greasebucket tone circuit, Pure Tone dual contact mono jack socket & i don't get much noise,a bit at gigging level but i plug my amp, pedals etc through a mains electricity cleaner/conditioner ...does help, less noise , protects & screened 2m cable with 2.5mm diameter OCC OFC cable in mains cleaner/filter, Van Damme Studio Quality Screened OCC OFC cable from guitar to pedalboard & to amp...unsheilded for speaker cabs...yes,you hear amp noise but with a bit of lateral thinking & experimenting you can lower the noise floor....sometimes, but yes your surroundings make a huge difference as you can hear clearly playing different venues...RFI, lighting, computers, digital phones/equipment ,on stage equipment, PA's etc all make a difference for sure...sometimes it's impossible in some venues to stop louder mains hum & you need a sound crew that know their jobs...some gigs i've been to have sounded dreadful just because of venue having bad accoustics....guitar buzzing,a real pain....

[@oliver.larsen.within]

Thanks Dylan, you're bloody good mate, I always come to your channel for help :)

[@johnCjr4671]

My tele is really buzzing mostly from the Bridge position with the treble turned up . Gets quieter when I switch to Neck pickup or roll tone treble off or if I touch anything metal on the Guitar ? Was hoping to minimize this ? My Gibson Les Paul and Epiphone SG are almost silent through the same amp so is it just a Tele single coil thing ?

[@persiaguitar]

Sorry for offtopic question, I was actually looking for action setting when I came here. May I know what is your Low and high e action?

[@claytonsmith1248]

Thank you so much for this bro! This vid really helped out!

[@SteveAndrews1]

Dude, I've been on a pickup merry go round for a few years now, trying to get rid of that normal buzz. The downside is I blew a lot of time and energy chasing solutions, the upside is I fell in love with Fralin pickups after having tried every other boutique pickup out there. Thanks so much for your info.

[@rudiclaeys7850]

thank you for sharing this brilliant info, keep up the good work, and in every video i watched straight to the point, cheers

[@AlfarAwayMusic]

can an anti static bracelet helps reduce the noise? thank you

[@nalditrinmartinho1781]

Guys! Don't forget that if you have active pickups(like EMG), the bridge ground is off. So the noise buzz doesn't stop if you touch it.

[@etoirelav]

If it gets quieter when you angle the guitar away from the amp, does that tell you anything?

[@brushstroke3733]

I wonder that as well. I think it just means we're picking up unwanted RF (radio frequency) interference. The electronics in our homes, the lighting, the tvs, the wireless routers, along with interference from things outside like power lines and cell phone towers, all likely contribute to this hum/buzz. When we move certain ways, the frequencies are picked up more or less. It's like when you have polarized sunglasses on and you tilt your head from side to side, and different light frequencies seem to come in and out of appearance.

[@etoirelav]

@@brushstroke3733 Agreed, thanks.

[@michaelwest7527]

Hello I am a beginner and just purchased a Donner Les Paul. I am now looking for an amp that will play clean and not break the bank. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks Michael

[@RandDCustoms2]

Thanks I fixed my tele that had a bad ground to the bridge and strings

[@axe2grind911a]

Very informative on the "normal" hum. But left unexplained is why components with ground issues will hum MORE when touched. I have one pickup with a S/P switch that hums louder when I touch the switch. Everything else checks out ok. If I knew why the hum gets louder, it might help to track down the source. For instance - could it be a disconnected portion of ground wire left in the sheath by the manufacturer acting as an antenna? If so, would solution be to ground that, or to simply extract it from the sheath?

[@0Imtheslime0]

I believe since ground will travel the shortest way it can (Usually our your jacksocket), you will act as an antenna rather than ground..

[@joshf8097]

So, serious question, then how do you explain my Schecter diamond series that has a 59 in the neck and a dime bucker in the bridge and it's literally just as quiet as my other sector SLS elite with a Floyd Rose and active fishman's. But my charvel San dimas has a lot of hum and goes quiet when I touch the bridge, strings or any metal whatever,?. Also I have a Gibbs in lisbo studio that's very quiet as well I admit I don't play that one as often because the front job on that was awful awful, But, still really quiet obviously there's a little bit of background noise but my Schecter is as loud as my charvel is when I'm touching the metal on the charvel My point is is I feel like my charvel should be just as quiet as the Schecter when I touch the strings because that's how quiet the Schecter is when I'm not touching the strings you know? I don't know I feel like there's an issue with guitars that don't have shielding inside them. The only difference between that guitar and my charvel is that the charvel San dimas hsh made in Japan model doesn't have shielding paint or tape in its control cavity? No I'm not saying that's definitely what it is for all I know there could be another issue but I'm just saying that's the only thing I can visually see you know?

[@lorencing]

Thanks Dylan, was looking for this exact info ... and now I know I have my axe all perfect ;) ... still have to figure out the on/on/on switch for the HB (was wired hum/single/parallel) which when in the middle position (3 position switch), between a tele SC and a HB, sounds like I soldered it out of phase, at least that's what it souds like.

[@John375PD]

Humbuckers that have different amounts of windings on each coil will make noise. I.E. 1000 turns on the slug coil and 800 on the screw, that humbucker will be noisy. 1000 turns on each will be quiet.

[@LuisFlores-dn6jt]

So this is my exact situation. I have a humbucker/2 single coil guitar. New guitar, new wire and new amp that is not grounded (only two prongs). Could a grounded amp improve the noise I get?

[@edgararias6601]

Came looking for fret buzz, stayed for the ground buzz. Some snobby people say the guitar should not buzz when you let go of the strings, so many myths/misconceptions. Nice informative vid!!

[@0Imtheslime0]

Fret buzz are easy to understand the problem to, not so with electricity.

[@MrStevegillette]

Thanks, Dylan! Very helpful. Doubt you're reading this after over a year, but this sparks a question (or two): Why are some pedals quieter than others, are some shielded? And, are any amps (or sections of them, tube sections for example) shielded?

[@brushstroke3733]

Could be the power section in the noisier pedals are too close to the tone circuits, and causing more interference. Apparently the power section of an amp can make an amp noisy if it is too close to the signal cicuits, so maybe it's the same with pedals.

[@johnnorris1983]

Dylan? Question? If I ground a brass trem block in contact with the strings and ground that? Won’t most of the noise folks badger you with disappear. Thanks for the video..

[@johnnorris1983]

Saving up for a Wilkinson trem and brass block . Maybe should just copper plate what I got.????

[@marsmediapro]

I just realized how old this video is! I seek a device that allows me to use mini firewire to usb 2.0 for live streams. So, does that usb to firewire cable you said not to use have any purpose?

[@JB-68]

Thanks for these explanations, it's help a lot to understand where the noise comes from. By the way, your blue guitar looks great ;-)

[@ahanlistanto2954]

been figuring out this problem the whole day. after watch this, Damn. u just save my life

[@homemovies751]

Thank you for this. I sent a new guitar back once because of the noise - that disappeared when I touched it LOL.

[@lurklingX]

that's funny you say it's normal, yet only 1 out of my 4 guitars makes that kind of racket. the others are silent.

[@ENNIO2923]

You are right to say that all electric guitars make noise because when you touch the strings the noise decreases or even disappears is because you work from the electric Earth as you are at very low potential the noise discharged through the body to the ground. The probable solution to this problem is to put the amplifier connected to a stronger Earth than the domestic one. Then connect a yellow/green cable to the metal parts of the amplifier and attach it to a radiator or a water pipe that is located after the meter,that is, connect it to the outgoing pipes and not to the domestic ones. You will see that the noise disappears.In Italian electronics that noise is called PASSIVE VOLTAGE PRESENCE.Sorry for the grammatical mistakes.

[@batmanandrobin1587]

Hi Dylan. I have 4 electric guitar, i use the same amp, guitar plug strait to the amp. Only 1 guitar (Gibson Les Paul) make noise (hum, gryffie noise) but when i turn the volume of the guitar at the top (10) there no more noise it perfect. If i bring the volume of any pick-up (neck or bridge) at 8 well all the noise is back !. I'll say like Biden Why! Why1 Why! lol. Can you help me by answering ?

[@tad5920]

Great video - thank you! Straight to the point - no BS.

[@Memper]

Every time I play a chord, lets say the E chord. I hear like a tuning fork sound, is that the frequency?

[@alexm66]

Thanks for the solution!

[@nicatquluzad8969]

Thanks man. It was helpful 👍🏼

[@tomasbarta3020]

I love your stupid-proof approach. A lot of people avoid spaking about details and that's why dumb legends spread all the time.

[@jovanradojkovic5167]

It mess up with a tone pot as well...rolling rone all way up or all way down make noise goes away, tone and volume are grounded together with a output and fixed bridge. Is it a chance that I made groun loop or a more grounding joints than it should?

[@AngryAndyToth]

6:20... why does this only happen to one of my guitars then? Zero noise from any other guitar single coil and humbucker. But my tele buzzes like hell until the strings are touched

[@DylanTalksTone]

Because those pickups are noisy

[@luiss2895]

May I ask is normal when I play a note, my single coils make a very very silent hum in the background, thank you

[@austenross4382]

I've got an SKB pedal board that's a bit noisier than I'd like it to be. (There's other shortcomings, but it's what I'm using for now. Drummers. We'll settle for anything.) It requires power and uses a female to male power cable like you'd find on an amp or InstaPot etc. Would it work to wire in an Isolate wall receptacle to the board and use a male to male power cable in an aim to minimize ground loop noise? Lemme know, and if this is foolish then what's the better/best was to improve the board power's sound or decrease hum/buzz/interference? Thanks, I enjoyed this first video above. Keep it up, sir, and thank you!

[@charvDKgtr]

thanks this made me feel better about the guitar I am assembling. I bought some single coil sized humbuckers and it is noisier or as noisy as my strat with single coils. I am trying to understand if the hum will be better by just putting a neck and strings on this thing or will it be the same. I am still worrried I have some grounding thing going on but I don't ahve a meter which I know is your thing. Great video

[@montag4516]

You Humbuckers should be much quieter than your standard single coils. Check to make sure that the ground wire from under the bridge or tailpiece is connected to metal/ground on your pots/electronics assembly. Still, double check that all your wiring is correct and look to see if you have a loose/cold solder joint anywhere. If/when everything is connected properly the humbuckers, although not silent, should be notably quieter than the single coils.

[@charvDKgtr]

@@montag4516 Thanks. This is the first guitar I have assembled so sorta guessing on some stuff. Should I expect putting the neck and strings on it and tuners) to change/lower the hum or will it stay the same as it is as just a wired body? I dont have all the parts yet so I can't test it myself but I am wondering if my hum level should go down once fully assembled?

[@montag4516]

Prior to attaching the neck and strings you can lay a single guitar string touching both the bridge and tailpiece as test if it diminishes the noise. You could also experiment by connecting or soldering the pickup(s) directly to the output jack. This could help narrow down where the noise is being introduced through elimination process. Keep in mind that differ manufacturers use different color codes for their pickup coils. If your humbuckers are four conductor (+ ground wire) then there's a strong chance that one or more of the pickup leads is connected wrong to your switcher, pots or internal ground.

[@charvDKgtr]

@@montag4516 thanks will give it a shot. Also wonder if the increased noise compared to other strat is because I thin kthe pickups are much higher output. Would that make them noiser ona clean tone?

[@MDC885]

So noise being introduced when you let go of the strings is normal? but it sounds awful! What if someone is playing a solo chord melody on an archtop and you hear that noise start and stop every time he lifts his fingers from the strings. There has to be a way to fix this terrible noise?

[@imshree2181]

If the tone pot makes the loud scream noise means it isn't grounded right?

[@pepuletrz]

if you drink to much elecrolytes will it change you ability to be apart of the ground circut??

[@arkadyrost6156]

Thanks, Dylan! It was very informative for me.

[@tobrsun]

I have a humbucker on the back of my squire strat and two single coils closer to the neck, the very back and 2nd closest to the neck are noiseless however the closest to neck pickup setting is buzzy and the two in between the back humbucker pickup setting and 2nd closest to the neck are both buzzy as well so I got 2 of 5 clean pickups and the others don't buzz any more or less no matter how I try to diagnose where the issue is, any advice?

[@christhembones8244]

Thanks. I apparently have a ground string problem. Buzz goes away when touching jack or switch. However, buzz stays when touching string (even slightly louder).

[@0Imtheslime0]

Check ground to tremclaw.

[@oscarcastellon7398]

Here. This is happening to me. It only goes away when touching the cable head

[@bhs8732]

Bridge buzz at mine... But Wonder I should use copper foil before I change the pots? Humbucker in LP style! Thanks for another great video🎸🎶

[@Gardner0871public]

Like curt Greco in the comments, I thought I had a problem. Your video helped me get things sorted. Thanks a lot! You got a like and subscribe from me

[@jovanradojkovic5167]

Thanks for a great video Dylan. I wanna ask you for tip, I recently changed factory china pots on my Ibanez GRG with CTS pots, done conections as it was before, but I have more noise on volume pot on half it way, rolling all way up or all way down kills noise but with a volune pot on 5 it 8s noisier than factory shitty pots. Any tip from you as a PRO will help a TON. Thank you forward. Greets from Serbia 🤘😉👍

[@TTSWINC]

I’ve got a 1997 MIJ ESP Viper. It buzzes no matter what I touch. The buzz never goes away when the volume is up. It’s driving me nuts. What would you recommend?

[@sheldonnorton9035]

What if you have an instrument that uses a guitar pickup but you don’t touch the strings? I have an Apprehension Engine that uses an e-bow and the buzz remains when playing. Any ideas? Thanks for your time.

[@What_If_We_Tried]

Appreciate your clear and simple explanation about guitar buzz. Subscribed...

[@toneconsultant]

I have a 2 humbucker guitar. I just installed a low output bridge pick up. All works fine, but I realized my neck pickup is dead silent. Was surprised because it’s a high output pickup. Could that mean normal? The bridge isn’t too noisy, but it much noisier than the neck. Thoughts? FYI - the bridge pickup is a no name brand. Could it just be a noisy pickup? It’s just a magnet. Could noise levels be that dit from a lovely Dylan pickup? 😘😂

[@speedruncarfixtutorial2771]

Hi dylan great video and learned a lot from this. You might be able to help as i am stomped with the buzz i am hearing. first off this is how my guitar is plugged. Gibson SG plugged to a Line 6 GX audio interface and using POD Farm 2 software. When i choose clean tone from the options i do not hear any buzz. But once i select a distortion/overdrive and switch to either neck or bridge pickup, i hear a buzzing sound and when i turn the switch to the middle "both pickups on", the buzz goes away. I hope you can help me with this. Thanks and more power to your videos!

[@benjhutchison]

I have a 93 squier that wasn't getting any sound coming through it. I took it to my local music store and they replaced the input jack. When he plugged it in to test it, it still had a bad buzz and he said it was just bc it was a fender. But watching your video, it is actually buzzing louder when I touch the strings. I tried a voltage meter and when I touch the input and the bridge, the buzz goes away. I am a total nube. What does that mean?

[@brushstroke3733]

I think he said that indicates the bridge isn't grounded. Check the ground wire from your bridge to the jack or wherever it attaches in your circuit.

[@benjhutchison]

@@brushstroke3733 thanks!

[@gnawbabygnaw]

Thank you sir.

[@breakingtherelapse]

Wow, this was very helpful!

[@charlesalmero331]

Lol...I just swapped my active EMG’s to a set of humbuckers for the very first time, and I’m going insane on this “buzzing” noise. So I’m guessing I’m going insane for nothin? Great rant (I mean, video) by the way.

[@arturobarrios8327]

Same here! I'm used to playing just a PRS with active EMGs. Just bought a new guitar with a passive humbucker on the bridge and I'm totally obsessed with that noise now. The worst part is that the bridge wasn't grounded properly. I got it fixed but am not getting used to the normal amount of hum, not yet...

[@charlesalmero331]

@@arturobarrios8327 it does take some getting used to for sure. I don’t know if I’m really used to it, but it’s like as if I don’t hear it any more. Overall, I still prefer my passive humbuckers over what I had before.

[@chrisgrabowski2678]

Hey Dylan, informative video. If we want the noise gone when our hands are off, then we turn the volume off. Is this what the big name guitarists do? John Mayer for example. Is there more to it at high volumes and PAs? Also, would a kill switch accomplish the same thing as lowering the volume? Thanks

[@DylanTalksTone]

yup, noise gate.

[@alabamahebrew]

This is exactly why I like guitars such as a Les Paul that have a pickup selector switch AND independent volume controls. Most of my playing is done on the bridge pickup so I tend to leave the neck pickup volume turned down, when I am not playing I simply flip the selector switch up to the neck and tahdah! no more noise lol. This is one of the reasons why I am not a big fan of Fender type of controls, yeah those 5 way selector switches are nice but without having individual volume control the only way to stop the noise is to mess with the volume. Also, having the individual volume controls let's me play a song such as More than a Feeling from Boston without having to step on a pedal or mess with the volume levels. I simply set up my amp for that great Boston tone and I usually will have the bridge pup at about 6 or 7 and the neck pup will be on a 1 or a 2. That lower volume on the neck cleans up the tone so I can play along with the main riff of the song, the acoustic part, and then I simply flip the selector to the Bridge when it comes time to jam along with rest of the song and for the solo. It's also for those same reasons I prefer at least two pickups. But I will say my one and only single pickup Les Paul does have a lot more sustain than my other two pickups and I think that is due to the extra wood between the neck and that bridge pickup.