Ceriatone Forum

Hi!

I've been exchanging emails with Nik and calls with an amp tech. No luck so far

I'm getting buzz and hum when I'm not touching my Strat(non defective electronics) loud and just the same on clean. I know this phenomenon is normal if its relatively quiet on clean especially. I've taken advice from Nik and my tech to test different places/ venues/ power sources with grounding. No luck.

- I get a very very low volume low midrange hum as I turn the "ON" switch It comes from the speaker "Whoop-mmmmm" as you flip the switch. Its like lighting a stove whoop and then there's an elecrical sounding hum. It's not coming from the PT itself but from the speaker
- The hum (low midrange "zzz") creeps in as I lower my guitar volume knob from about 9-2 and then completely vanishes to quietness as you turn it down to 0 of course.
- The amp is quiet when the cable is unplugged.
- Is quiet with an mp3 player
- Buzz gets louder when I lean on the wall or stand on the floor w/o footwear.
- WHen the guitar vol is shut off, and you turn up the volume and master on the amp, the buzz hum is very audible (is it normal since the knobs are maxed out?)
- On most of my gigs and rehearsals on it so far it was quiet. Maybe because I am actually standing on those times...
- Its really not a big deal I actually thought it was normal. Is it?

Thanks in advance you guys!

Ive swapped tubes since then so no change there

My tech facilitated the first power up with no problems. The hum was there but he ignored it that time.

My lead dressing was well thought off.

So far no "oops" found inside as I check things out especially the power board, output etc.

Hate to say it, but it's most likely the guitar, bad (or non existant) ground within your amp or where you have it plugged in, or your guitar or power cable. Sounds like a ground is loose somewhere in the guitar, or maybe reversed, or the main ground in your amp is loose or miswired, or the grounds in your playing location is faulty. There *shouldn't* be any hum other than normal 60hz or 50hz hum from the single coils, even with the knobs maxed. hiss yes, hum, no.

I see. I should do a big checkup of everything especially the ground in the amp again then and let you know. I've confirmed that my guitar is non defective, ive checked thoroughly and its quiet in any other amps. THanks Gregg.

I agree... check the ground on the guitar. Could be a bad ground on your guitar.

You guys are right.

So I had my amp tech over to check on a couple of things. Apparently my pickups are faulty. We narrowed it down to my neck and bridge pickups which hums when you touch the pole pieces. It may not be noisy on other amps as he explained. He said something like the OTS is high gain. Is that true? High gain?

if it hums when touvhing the pole pieces, sounds like the leads are swapped on your pups, or the ground at your guitar's jack, or both. My Dano has no more hum through the BM than with my other amps, and my Strat didn't either, in fact, possibly a lil less due to the better filtering on the BM compared to my ol Sovtek and Ampeg.

Gregg

I see. We indeed checked everything on the guitar.  I guess he pointed out that nothing was really wrong except for the pickups. Maybe its time to finally upgrade to lollars or something.

I had a good bit of noise from my strat, but I did a good shielding job on it and now it is as quiet as can be!
Your tech should be able to do this and it will greatly improve the tone, as well as the gain output of the guitar.
It will make the strat useable with any amp at any volume. It will sound big, fat and powerful.
Cheers!

YOu know what I actually put a new alder body to this strat wich has that copper shilding paint. I grounded it and voila! Yes sir is quiet as it should be. I wouldnt kknow how much the tone improved or if the new body just changed the tone a bit. It's now a bit more trebley.