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GMC Forum _ GEAR & PRODUCTION _ Buzzing

Posted by: Vaidya Aug 4 2010, 10:25 AM

Hi guys,
I have an Ibanez GRG 170DX. (5 pick ups)
At max volume,there is a lot of buzzing even if im not playing anything.I tried to figure out what the problem was,but I noticed these
1.Buzzing is maximum when its either on the neck/middle or bridge pick up.
2.Buzzing is present for the other 2 but negligible

I have not made any modifications.What could the problem be? Is it supposed to be like this?
How can I fix it?

Thanks in advance.
Vaidya

Posted by: MickeM Aug 4 2010, 11:21 AM

Correct me if I'm wrong but if you havn't made any modifications to the guitar it has three pickups. Where the "double" ones in the bridge and neck are called humbucker. (no hum)
Single coil pickups, like the one in the middle will often make a bit of noise.

It could also be your amp that is part of the buzz.
pos 1(neck) less or no buzz
pos 2(neck + mid) buzz since the single coil is involved
pos 3 (single coil mid pickup only) the most buzz
pos 4 (bridge + mid) buzz
pos 5 (bridge) less or no buzz


You can get buzz from so many places. A bad wall socket (try flipping the plug 180 degrees), fluerecent light causes more buzz than a bulb, a computer or a TV. In fact eveything elecric can be a source of disturbances.

If it's from electricity you can get a hum-killer, a pedal that has the soul purpose of washing off 50 or 60 cycle hum. Whatever your electricity runs.
If it's other equipment a Boss NS can do the trick.
If you run effect pedals they can cause quite some noise. That can be solved by running them on batteries.

Posted by: Vaidya Aug 4 2010, 01:31 PM

QUOTE (MickeM @ Aug 4 2010, 10:21 AM) *
Correct me if I'm wrong but if you havn't made any modifications to the guitar it has three pickups. Where the "double" ones in the bridge and neck are called humbucker. (no hum)
Single coil pickups, like the one in the middle will often make a bit of noise.

It could also be your amp that is part of the buzz.
pos 1(neck) less or no buzz
pos 2(neck + mid) buzz since the single coil is involved
pos 3 (single coil mid pickup only) the most buzz
pos 4 (bridge + mid) buzz
pos 5 (bridge) less or no buzz


You can get buzz from so many places. A bad wall socket (try flipping the plug 180 degrees), fluerecent light causes more buzz than a bulb, a computer or a TV. In fact eveything elecric can be a source of disturbances.

If it's from electricity you can get a hum-killer, a pedal that has the soul purpose of washing off 50 or 60 cycle hum. Whatever your electricity runs.
If it's other equipment a Boss NS can do the trick.
If you run effect pedals they can cause quite some noise. That can be solved by running them on batteries.


Oh,sorry,I dint know the "doubles" were considered as one pick up.So,yeah,three pick ups.
Just to make sure which pick ups produce the noise,i muted the strings with my left hand.
Pos 1 and 5 make no sounds
Pos 2 and 4 cause buzzing but very mildly
Pos 3 is causing way too much buzz.

Tried rotating the plug 180 degress but there is no change.
My amp is the only thing plugged into the wall socket.
I haven't connected any pedals either.

Posted by: emirb Aug 4 2010, 01:41 PM

By your last reply I can judge that is nothing wrong with your guitar at least these pickups are suppose to sound just like that. Single coils (especially cheaper ones) are prone to buzz (sometimes a lot!) - this is more pronounced with distortion or any gain amplifying device (compressor, dist, boost etc). You could get a noise gate and remove noise (and sustain a bit). Is your amplifier grounded well?

Posted by: ZakkWylde Aug 4 2010, 01:43 PM

The buzz is not going to go away, it's something the single coils produce in order to get a sound of the guitar!
The two singlecoils right next to each other are called humbuckers. They create a diffrent magnetic field that cancells out the buzzing (=humbucker)

Posted by: Vaidya Aug 4 2010, 01:54 PM

But if the buzz is too loud,do i have to change the pick up or something?

Posted by: ZakkWylde Aug 4 2010, 02:57 PM

The buzz is no problem because when you are playing on stage volumes with a band nobody can hear it anyways. Right now it is just bothering you because you are playing at bedroom levels...

Changing the pickups on such a cheap guitar is not the wisest idea - it would cost more than the actual guitar!

Posted by: Vaidya Aug 4 2010, 04:42 PM

Oh.Thanks for all the info.

Posted by: Todd Simpson Aug 4 2010, 05:10 PM

Zakk has nailed it again I believe. There is some natural buzzing involved in single coil pickups. Also at full volume any number of other factors can create unwanted noise. Any noise in your signal path (from guitar to amp) is amplified by the amp and amplified a LOT when you crank up all the way. What is called the "Noise Floor" is raised. If you have any noise due to electrical issues with the power plug in the wall, electronics in the amp, issues with the pickups, it will get quite a bit louder at full volume.

Many pros use a "noise gate" to clamp down on the signal when they are not playing. I use a noise gate in all of my patches. Without it, feedback can be a problem, as well as noise.

Todd

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Aug 9 2010, 12:00 AM

As everybody said, it's a normal thing for a single coil to produce buzzing. Don't worry, it's not a big problem, and you can try to minimize the noise with better pickup or better isolation inside the cavity. I would advise that you try to find some single coil pickup that is wax potted, and you put some metal foil on the backside of the plate that will help isolate the external noise.

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