Help! Grounding Problem w/ Hollow T

[BCoryH]

I am no expert, but my new Anderson Hollow T Classic (TV1 / TV3) does not seem to be grounded properly. When I plug it into any of the inputs in my amp - a Clark Beaufort (Tweed Deluxe) - I get a fairly noticeable buzz. When I touch the strings or any other metal on the guitar, it goes away. To troubleshoot, I plugged-in a Fender Tele and did not get any buzzing - the amp was silent.

Is this something that I can fix on my own, or do I need to return the guitar to Anderson?

Thanks!

Cory H.
Houston

[tom]

wish i had a nickel for every time i've heard this question.
My guitar is making a lot of noise that subsides when I touch either the volume or tone controls. What’s the problem?

The problem you're experiencing is a common one that has a rather complex answer. First of all, any guitar that
doesn't have active pickups will have this problem, to varying degrees depending on pickup power. The problem is that we humans are very good conductors of electricity, being sacks of mostly water. You're guitar is grounded through the guitar cord to your amp. You, are also grounded when you are touching anything metal on your guitar. You being a great conductor, acting as a shield when you are grounded. This is why when you are near your amp, and holding your guitar, you can turn your body to reduce the hum coming from your amp. When you are not grounded to your guitar (not touching anything metal), you are still a good conductor, but instead of being a shield you are an antenna for all the world's hum and noise, drawing it close for your guitar to hear and amplify. The most common solution for the problem is to roll your guitar volume pot down when you are not playing or keep your hands touching some metal on your guitar.
to add to this. fully sheilded pickups will help some. gibson made les pauls in the late 70's that had no string ground. they had a can around the controls, and covers you could not remove from the pickups. it worked in some situations but not all. they abandoned it after a few years. wrapping pickups in copper tape helps sometimes, but also messes with the high end response.

[BCoryH]

Thanks, Tom. It sounds as if I don't have a problem after all. It's just the nature of the electric beast.

Cory

[fractal]

<snip>
To troubleshoot, I plugged-in a Fender Tele and did not get any buzzing - the amp was silent.


Hey all,

This is what caught my eye, though. It seems as though there is a noticeable difference here. Granted, it might be slight... It doesn't seem like there should be that much of a difference, all other things equal.

Do people tend to have this problem on their guitars? What kind do you have?

-Garrett

[Roy (maybe)]

Keep in mind pickup type as well. The more responsive a pickup and the more musical and wide its bandwidth, the more extemporaneous noise it will also be picked up when you let go of the strings—since letting go of the strings un-shields the pickup and allows it to hear what is going on around it.

Just for fun, I always like to relate it to bike riding. When I pull up to a stop sign, I always put my foot down so I don’t tip over, and if I am riding a bike without training wheels it will tip over faster. By the same token, when I finish playing a song, I always roll off the volume control—so nothing can be heard—even if I am holding on to the strings.

Happy Playing

[tom]

roy(maybe), you are a wise man, and one who does not fall over often.

[bruce]

I didn't know TA pickups had extemporaneous voicing. Is that an option now?

[tstone]

But be aware, if you're using Elixir strings - touching only the wound strings to ground the guitar will not always remove the hum - and Elixirs can cause considerable "scratching" (eg. grounding on and off) when sliding up or down the strings while muting them. Took me a while to figure out that the Nanoweb cover doesn't conduct electricity (probably).

[Roy (maybe)]

Interesting point.

That was the case with the old Polyweb strings we but have never heard of this or experienced it personally with the Nanoweb strings. Some of Gore’s earliest test with these strings was to determine if electric current would pass the Nanoweb coating, and it did.

(Maybe)