Danie
Hi, I play on a Fender 72 Telecaster Deluxe.
Not sure where the problem is, but I think it is somewhere in the guitar?
When the guitar is plugged in there always seems to be a bit of a hum, but when I touch any metal part on the guitar (especially the pickups, but also the tuners and the plug part of the cable and a little bit on the strings) there is this "tick" sound and then as long as my hand touches the metal part there is no noise or hum.
I have tried it through different amp, bought new cables, even tried it straight into a Boss GT6 with headphones and it still does the same.
Anyone have any idea what it can be, and how I can fix it?
Thanks
Attila
Danie I have this as well and it seems to be a grounding problem.
The room where this happens is carpeted, if I dont wear shoes its gone, and with some shoes it's less noticable,
Check the power lead for earthing on the socket side as well as the amp chassis side.
AlanRatcliffe
Perfectly normal. Single-coil pickups pick up hum and Fender designed it so that as long as you touch the strings (or any other metal part), you are earthed and become part of the screening, helping to keep the noise down. Screening the guitar thoroughly can help too, and minimises the difference between the two. The ticking is usually a static buildup in the player being earthed. During play, you have your hands on the strings or bridge 99% of the time, so it is not an issue and you learn to keep one hand on the bridge at all times when not playing.
On a Tele, just make sure that your bridge and strings are properly earthed. Originally this was done via the pickup baseplate and screws (the baseplate is earthed directly from the (-) pickup wire and the bridge and strings via the pickup height adjustment screws, which are screwed into the baseplate). Many modern Tele bridge pup designs don't use a metal baseplate, so the bridge must be earthed via a separate wire from the controls to between the bridge and body - and some don't bother fitting that wire when fitting these pickups, invalidating the bridge earth.
Tokai-SA
There's one kind of single coil 'ticking' hum that is unique to SAfrica, and that's caused by an electric fence. ?
Single coil hum and static is one thing, but a constant ticking in time, like a metronome, could be your electric fence, or your next door neighbours electric fence.
Danie
Hi, thanks for the advice, would just like to point out that my 72 Telecaster Deluxe has 2 wide range humbuckers.
I read some reviews sayinig that the wire running from the pickup selector is unshielded, and that it can cause some hum and that it is recommended to change the wire?
Would that make a big difference? Who or where would I be able to take the guitar to make the mod and to check that everything is earthed correctly?
cain
Haha
This reminds me of my Fender highway one, when i used to go for lessons i heard this noise comming from the amp. When i turned it up, the single coils where picking up 5FM.
Cannon
5fm....!!! That must have been the worst the guitar ever sounded!
AlanRatcliffe
You'll always get a little hum - not even a humbucker is perfectly silent and bridge/string earthing is needed on any guitar that does not have active pickups. Luckily the bridge is earthed by design in the '72 Deluxe though.
Yes - shielded wire is essential for the 3-way. There are two signal wires running to the switch and one back to the controls and it adds up to about a metre of unshielded wire. You can either shield the cavity or use a three core shielded wire to improve matters. The wire is easier. ?
VetGat
lol this reminds me of a problem i get every now and then when you get to a venue, and there is a rhythmic ticking noise comming through the amp and its the funniest thing trying to explain to the sound engineer that its the venue causing this haha
cain
Cannon, at least they played AC/DC that day ... haha
bENDER
This may sound dadadada stupid, but do you wear a analog watch on your strumming hand? ???
Riaan
This may sound dadadada stupid, but do you wear a analog watch on your strumming hand?
Good point. I've seen that happen! I have a friend who plays right handed even though he's left handed, and wears his watch on his right wrist. When playing a Strat, there's a steady 60 BPM ticking over the amp and it goes away when he takes off the watch.
Danie
Nope, no watch...
Im thinking I'll try the shielding route. Anybody know of someone in the Cape Town area who would be able to do this for me?
AlanRatcliffe
Speak to Gareth at Marshalls.
Danie
thanks
shaundtsl
Tokai SA wrote
There's one kind of single coil 'ticking' hum that is unique to SAfrica, and that's caused by an electric fence. ?
Single coil hum and static is one thing, but a constant ticking in time, like a metronome, could be your electric fence, or your next door neighbours electric fence.
Thats what I was gonna say. I had the exact same problem in a house I used to live in, it was the electric fence.
I also had a weird problem once, when my dad used to change the dtsv from the bedroom through one of those remote blasters my amp used to make a click, this was really annoying as he couldnt make up his mind what he wanted to watch!!!!! >☹
DaFiz
Danie wrote
Anybody know of someone in the Cape Town area who would be able to do this for me?
Since I lost my last Nokia I don't have his number anymore but Foster vd Merwe in the Northern Suburbs is the man I'd get to work on all my guitars... ?
prhaps someone might have the phone number...? :-\
