I've seen this topic discussed many times on the forums, it's something I never really cared for until I recently discovered a significant slight buzzing/humming sound when I'm not touching a metal part of my guitar. If I touch the bridge, knobs, jack, strings, or tuners the buzz goes away, same if I roll the tone knob all the way down.

I'm not too bright when it comes to electronics. Does this mean that my setup is grounded or not? What does it mean when my guitar is grounded anyway, and should I do it? Is there anything I can do to remove this noise besides a noisegate?

I would've searched but I had no idea what words to search for.

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The issue may be in the improper way your guitar was grounded. Or it may be the volume knob (trust me on this one). I'd say go take it to a shop. Explain the problem and see if they can take a look at it free of charge. If not, tell them to stop being nazis. nobody likes nazis, unless you are varg, or 13 years old.

But really, just take a few pictures of your internals if the above idea fails.

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Well the device I use to read the memory cards from my camera is being a dick, so I can't post the pics I just took. My control cavity looks like a mess, the solder points look very weak. I noticed a thin black wire that goes into the upper part of the wood mass, apparently this goes towards the bridge?

I have the exact same problem, but i recently just painted my single coil pickups...and i think its that but it could be something else. Or Maybe i just knocked something off when i repainted.

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Yes, there is your problems. Most solder connections are total crap (i don't know why, but most places do it like shit). You can:

a.) do it yourself if you have a soldering iron to ensure its done in a timely manner and not rushed.
b.) take it to a GOOD shop and get them to re-solder it. It shouldn't cost that much. Its really up to you, but either one should get the job done.

CV: Yes, you probably knocked something loose. My buddy did the same thing.

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Cheap solder joints can be a problem, but so can bad cables, effects and amps. For high gain/heavy disortion you are going to always have this problem. It's a normal fact of life unless you have a noise gate/suspressor.

High gain and high volumes are going to amplify the difference between what your systems reference ground voltage and what the ground voltage your body creates. That is what you hear when you touch the metal parts of your guitar. You are the real ground. Be carful though because I got guitar strings burned into my hand once by touching a aluminum door that ended up being a better ground.

It is all about what the system sees as reference voltage and once shorted path is made current(pain/heat/damage) will flow via that short path. I have seen the voical mic be the shortest path before and burn a dudes lips.

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Damn, is being zapped by your guitar a normal thing? Correct me if I'm wrong, the bridge/strings have to be grounded so this doesn't happen or is the risk always present? Damn, it would be as metal as it can possibly get to die on-stage by conducting electricity through your body.

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It's not a normal thing unless you rip the ground plug off your amp or the place you have your amp pluged into is wired in reverse polarity and you touch something that is a real ground to what the amps thinks is not ground.

Like I did. My friends 1ooW Fender amp burned string imprints into my hand not to mention nearly stoped my heart when I opened the front door of a trailer I was playing in years ago.

Btw, people have been killed from touching their lip to mics that where grounded wrong while holding a guitar. Make the guy that does your tech set up do it first

EDIT!!!!!!: Do Not wire a ground to the bridge for EMG pickups. They don't use one and at high volume/voltage playing it CAN kill you.

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When you touch the strings or a metal part of the guitar, you are grounding it, thus taking away the buzzing. Most of the time you will have your hand on a metal part of the guitar so it isn't a problem. It's normal.
Though, I've heard that if you sheild the control cavity enough, it will make it so you don't have to ground it. dunno about that though.

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Look at it this way. Why don't birds resting on a high voltage power line get electrocuted? They are not distrupting the shortest path to complete current to a greater ground. Now if that line breaks between their legs or if they are to close to the pole that supports the line then thay are fumes.

It is all about reference. Shielding the guitar might help a bit but I have never been able to destroy the problem without having a gate/noise supressor when using high gain.

Edit: And yes, I use EMG so that I have no electrical path to the amp unless a fucking lightening bolt jumps out of my guitar, in which case I'm just dead anyway.

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hahahaha

back to topic .... i really dont see the problem. little buzzing is normal for every guitar and apart from that you got your hands on the guitar/strings all time ecspecially when u play on high volume because your feedback will blow you away if you losen youre hands from the guitar. so where is the point? if the buzzing is to strong in your opinion then just reinstall the pickups properly. this might help in most cases.

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I put an emg 81 at my bridge and left a passive in the neck, I cut the grounding wire. Is that right or should the passive be grounded to the bridge still?

Soeru, if the buzzing has developed recenty it's probably the solder joints. Get a cheap soldering iron on ebay, they're handy. Also if you know an electrician, get them to do it.

You can buy a soldering iron at a local store for 14 bucks or something. An entire kit...that is what i've used for soldering and it works great.

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I don't know much about current but what is soldering?

Ed (BURYyourDEAD) was playing his jackson one day, and he got zapped, but he couldn't move (meaning it was still zapping him). Someone else came close to touching him. I ended up throwing something at him like a smart one.

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there is no hope for you. *shakes head*

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Connecting elect components

Attached Images

soldering.jpg (50.2 KB, 105 views)

...by melting and fusing metal together.

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*rimshot on drums*

Yes, your connections are shit. Redo them and it'll be fine.

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Yea, i remember hearing about some chap (a bassist i believe) get killed when his bass strings touched his mic stand as he went to sing.

One advantage they don't mention in the manuals of wireless kits

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Once you feel it you will never want to do it again... if you live. That shit hurts worse then a stun gun to the nads

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Hah, I'm with Sqol. I think I'll make the effort to get a wireless kit JUST IN CASE.

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Actually I've used a soldering tool as a tool to to ensure the wires are connected properly when I was trying to find out where the buzzing sound from my guitar is coming from. The place where I am at people speak arabic so I never used the term soldering tool.