Grounding Issues Advice

[bassista]

Hello!

If I plug my bass in and turn the amp volume loud then turn down the bass I can hear a bit of a buzz. Soon as I touch the jack the noise stops completely. I guess this means it's some grounding connection issue in the bass.

Is it ok to leave it as is or is this something that needs to be addressed. Lot of my basses had something like this before and I just usually played through it till the bass cut out completely whether it was for this reason, loose jack or something like that.

I'd like my bass to be in good shape, I took it in a few times already for loose jack etc and I'm wondering if it's advisable to take it in for this grounding issue and ask them to do a specific task to fix it so they don't just "clean" the electronics and tell me it's ok.

Thanks for you help!!

 

[uOpt]

Traditionally the bridge is grounded, to abuse your belly as an electric shield.

In your case the bridge is not connected to ground.

 

[Lobster11]

Does the "buzz" (or is it "hum"?) go away when you touch the strings, or only if you touch the jack?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

Like @Lobster11 said, does the noise go away when you touch the bridge or strings?

 

[bassista]

Does the "buzz" (or is it "hum"?) go away when you touch the strings, or only if you touch the jack?

Hi the strings as well too...or any of the pedals on the pedal board.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Is your amp plugged in to a grounded power outlet? Or is it an old amp with two prong power cable?

 

[bassista]

Like @Lobster11 said, does the noise go away when you touch the bridge or strings?

It doesn't go away when I touch bridge or strings...only the when I touch the patchchord at the jack connection...or if I touch the pedals...bass plugged in by itself same problem whether pedals connected or just on its own.

 

[bassista]

Does the "buzz" (or is it "hum"?) go away when you touch the strings, or only if you touch the jack?

Hi sorry just tested it again...only when I touch the patch chord/jack at the connection...or pedals (if they're plugged in) they also get rid of the sound....bass on it's own in amp also has this issue.

 

[bassista]

Is your amp plugged in to a grounded power outlet? Or is it an old amp with two prong power cable?

It's a grounded power outlet

 

[bassista]

Traditionally the bridge is grounded, to abuse your belly as an electric shield.

In your case the bridge is not connected to ground.

Ok thanks would this still be the case if I touch the bridge and the sound doesn't stop?

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

It's a grounded power outlet

And you've checked that ground actually is present?

 

[bassista]

And you've checked that ground actually is present?

Hi I've checked with few other outlets so I'm assuming it's not the outlet.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

Hi I've checked with few other outlets so I'm assuming it's not the outlet.

Outlets do not have their own, individual connection directly to ground, but meet at a common point in the breaker box. If there is a common problem affecting the ground system, all outlets may give the same result. I hope your assumption is correct.

 

[uOpt]

Ok thanks would this still be the case if I touch the bridge and the sound doesn't stop?

Yes, the noise should get better when you touch the strings.

 

[bassista]

Yes, the noise should get better when you touch the strings.

So is un-grounded bridge common with some basses or is this an issue that you would take to get repaired? Maybe it depends on just how bad the noise is or should it be fixed? Thanks!

 

[uOpt]

So is un-grounded bridge common with some basses or is this an issue that you would take to get repaired? Maybe it depends on just how bad the noise is or should it be fixed? Thanks!

You can leave it as-is if you can stand the noise.

For a test you can run a crocodile clip from the bridge to the output plug.

 

[bassista]

You can leave it as-is if you can stand the noise.

For a test you can run a crocodile clip from the bridge to the output plug.

Appreciate your help!

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

So is un-grounded bridge common with some basses or is this an issue that you would take to get repaired? Maybe it depends on just how bad the noise is or should it be fixed? Thanks!

In some instances the wire to the bridge is just stuck between the bridge and the body of the bass. No real connection is made to the bridge, it just gets compressed into the wood. It might be fine at first, but is subject to becoming a poor connection over time, due to physical separation causes by changes in the wood, metal corrosion, or a combination of both.

 

[bassista]

In some instances the wire to the bridge is just stuck between the bridge and the body of the bass. No real connection is made to the bridge, it just gets compressed into the wood. It might be fine at first, but is subject to becoming a poor connection over time, due to physical separation causes by changes in the wood, metal corrosion, or a combination of both.

Ok thank you for the info! I'll have it checked out again soon and at least now with all the advice I can explain it bit better. Cheers.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

A Faraday cage which is what shielding is, needs a ground. When you touch the strings or the bridge you are providing a good enough ground that does not exist otherwise. Check to make sure the ground is attached to the jack and that your outlet's ground is functioning correctly.