The Dreaded HUM is Gone !!!

[rct]

We do, I'm trying to address the natives in their own tonge!

 

Did you see me attempt a "vacuum tube" up there somewhere. I think that's how you people say it, right? :)

 

I did, but my international eyes filled in "valves" for you without your consent.

 

rct

[Guest Farnsbarns]

I did, but my international eyes filled in "valves" for you without your consent.

 

rct

 

I actually laughed out loud. Forgive my inability to use the common abbreviation, never have and just can't.

[milod]

Love it...

 

I was thinking the same thing pretty much about the difference between Brit and US standards in what's supposedly a common language.

 

I do know that when it comes to such as temperatures and distances - excluding guitar scale length etc. - I usually try to give the figures both in metric and what once was called the "English" system. F vs. C, Km versus miles.

 

m

[jdgm]

If the amp is NOT wired correctly or has a problem that makes it dangerous, proper wiring of the house or the plug in the house will not solve that. It can shock you from either side of the phase of the wiring. It can also shock you regardless of a properly working ground or breaker.

Good point.

 

The outlets are wired one side hot and one side neutral for a reason, crossed ones can be the reason you get some serious hum on certain types of stuff.

rct

Another good point.

 

 

Find the cause of it and address that.

 

From the description it might still be an earth, sorry, ground loop. Using effects?

 

What else is plugged into the same ring/spur/circuit? Got any neon lighting in the room? I know these are obvious and you've probably already checked all of it.

 

Check all the leads and mains plugs anyway just to be sure.

 

Regards to all!

[pippy]

I'm trying to dress the natives in their own thong...

There. I corrected your auto-spell-check for you, Farns.

 

The upside for Mr Norton is that if he goes his own merry way and it turns out that, unfortunately, his electrician was wrong after all He Still Has The Last Laugh because he doesn't have to listen to everyone's Told-You-So's on account of his being dead.

 

P.

[kidblast]

this topic,, oy I need a nap... exhausting..

 

but VERY entertaining.. more please!

[flyingfrets]

now guys, I know you all mean well and I know you all are probably much better guitar players than I am but I am afraid I am going to ignore all your predictions of my death

because, well, to be polite, I don't think you are at all as professionally qualified as much electrician .

 

One more thing, my guy is not your normal run of the mill master electrician (who would still know more about this than all of you combined, no offense) but he is one the top

in the United States, so much so that he works for Los Alamos Nuclear Lab here in New Mexico and spent three months last summer in Europe helping out on the Large Partical Collider. Ok? So these comments about him being a "fool" or should have his license "yanked", etc, are frankly, well, asinine at best.

 

Finally,I want to thank all of you, seriously, for your concern about my being killed and I know you all mean well, but everyone is an expert about everything on the internet....

 

I wish I had never offered my easy and cheap solution to amp hum because of all the emotional killing hysteria it has generated, I wish I could take it all back.

 

Ok, now go ahead and start flaming me, telling me how stupid I am and how you know more than one of the best electrician's in the US, this is a guitar forum after all....

 

I for one have no intention of flaming you.

 

Something I would consider before disregarding the warnings given here though...no-one here here has an agenda (protecting our reputations with you, or potential loss of revenue if you sought advice elsewhere). I'm not saying he does, but your electrician might.

 

IME, this forum is predominantly made up of a decent bunch of folks who try to help one another where possible. Our admonitions to reconsider using the doo-dad the electrician bestowed upon you seem to be based on nothing more than a genuine concern for your well being.

 

You are correct. Most of us are not electricians. But most of us DO have many years of dealing with electric instruments & amplification, and the consequences of faulty equipment or questionable electrical supplies.

 

Your electrician may be entirely correct that there is nothing wrong with the wiring in your house. But as Farns asked, does he understand the way a guitar amplifier operates (some of the amplified signal being shunted to ground)? Even if your house wiring is 100% to code, by disallowing the amp to connect to it properly (ie: safely), you're leaving yourself open to being the ground if anything should go amiss.

 

I just ask that for yourself, your comrades-in-arms here, and your family...be safe my friend.

 

Don

[Golden]

You don't need to be an EE or E-1 to tell anyone not to grab hanging wires to see if they are live. All of us who played during the 2-prong era have been shocked by something if nothing more than the mic on the lips. We took the learn the hard way class, we were hoping others wouldn't. It should tell you something when humbuckers are noisy and the noise stops when you fret a note. It means .............."you are the ground"!!!!!!

[deeman]

Every time i see the user name 'norton' i read everything in a Ralph Kramden voice.

[stein]

Guys, guys.....

 

I think "we" are all missing a point here...mostly everyone is correct in the experiences and suggestions posted, except the one MOST important thing...

 

You NEED to have it LOOKED at by a QUALIFIED electrician IF you are going to call anything "safe".

 

HAVE IT CHECKED-IN PERSON!

 

Many of our "safety rules" are all good and fine, but sometimes, maybe more often then we know, they aren't doing any good because of the way things are wired.

 

So add this one to the list- "Have the wiring checked".

 

Let me offer an example: suppose a house was wired throughout with no ground wires to plugs, just the two. Suppose at some point a homeowner "updates" the plugs to 3-prong so as to be able to use 3 prong plugs. How many times has that happened? What's your fix? But WAIT- what about the other wiring close by? Hmmm....

 

The ONLY thing anyone can really offer as SAFE, or GOOD advise, above all, is HAVE IT CHECKED.

 

Really, the reason I am on about this is because if "we" offer advice over the internet and such about doing this or that without having it checked (did I say that already?), or assume from here this or that is bad, it's really not having anything "checked", is it? Is there any advice or "rules" that are going to do a better job of keeping a guy safer then having things checked out?

 

I think most of us commenting on this thread have played places where we really don't know what's going on, and if we are honest, we accept certain risk because, lets face it, we aren't going to go that far with it. Some of us, also, will act "safer" then others, and some will BE "safer" than others. Yada yada. Yadda.

 

This is different than going for "safe" in one's own home or studio where he wants control over the safety aspect. For that, there is no substitute for a physical inspection and confirmation of what is actually there, by someone who knows what he is doing. A qualified electritian CAN do this without guessing. They do it all the time.

[stein]

He said he was a Master Electrician and he should gave taken a very long and very hard test to get that licence. Before that he should have been a Journeymen Electrician which also requires a test. He should have had years of being an Apprentice before being a Journeymen. So he should be Certified and Qualified.

Yes. Yes sir.

 

Usually, someone "qualified" is going to "certified". Rarely, someone certified just ain't as qualified for one reason or another- it happens. Sometimes, someone is "qualified" up to a point, but not certified.

 

I mean yea, of corse a qualified electrician is going to also be certified.

 

I point out the distingtion mostly as a way of pointing out that some are better than others, and some do thier jobs at different levels of integrity and expectation.

 

And, also, there are many tradesmen who are NOT electricians by any stretch of the term, but are knowledgeable and competent to perform some task or make observations correctly based on the proper knowledge.

[Rookie]

Since your ground lifter quieted the hum, then I'd look at a couple things.

Make sure all of your A/C powered stuff is plugged into the same source.

What else is on that source? Fluorescent lights? Dimmers? Is a coil of power cord laying on your guitar cable.

Remember, it's not just that outlet, multiple outlets share that buss, they're all tied together.

Ground issues are caused by having grounds from different sources.

IN THEORY, your ground wire is at the same potential as the neutral wire.

But different paths can cause a voltage drop between the two causing a shock.

Remember your instrument cable may be grounding things too. Pedals, effects.

 

The best advice? Change one thing at a time. Keep it simple.