Any advice for grounding issues?

[JayDawg]

Hey all,

This past weekend I was jamming at a friends house after his Mom's memorial service. We were all on the porch playing but I was plugged into a really small portable amp so the two acoustic guitars could hear me. I noticed though on a few occasions that if I rested my arm across the strings when not playing or even on occasion when I was playing, I would get a very slight shock. My friend said it was because his house was very old and not grounded. Unfortunately, we live in a very small town and most of the houses that were built here, were built before houses were required to be built by code and they are all very old like pre 1950's on a majority of the homes. Now in a situation like this, is there anything I can do to avoid getting the occasional shock. It wasn't anything major, it felt very minor but still enough to let you know to move your arm. This is the first time I have experienced this so I was curious if any of you had any advice?

Also, on a side note, there is nothing wrong with my bass (A Sterling 4 H). I played the bass the next day at church with no issues at all and have played it several times this week still with no issues so this is not a post intended to say there is something wrong with my bass. I know it is my friends house NOT my bass. I love my bass very much and it plays incredibly well. If I did ever have any issues I would contact EBMM Customer Service first before posting about issues I am having.
Thanks all,
Jay

 

[MadMatt]

Hi Jay,

You also might want to check the amp you where using. It sounds like the outlet you where plugged into or amp has a "ground fault" meaning there is AC power bleeding over to the ground line. You need to be careful with this. If the wiring problem that is causing the power to bleed over develops into a full short circuit you may suddenly get the full 120V shock that could potentially kill you and your bass. my advice , If touching anything gives you a shock, unplug whatever it is and dont touch it again until the problem is found and solved.

I've learned the hard way.. maybe that is what is wrong with me *nervous twitch*

-Matt

 

[five7]

Were you wearing shoes at the time?

 

[Musicman Nut]

Hey all,

This past weekend I was jamming at a friends house after his Mom's memorial service. We were all on the porch playing but I was plugged into a really small portable amp so the two acoustic guitars could hear me. I noticed though on a few occasions that if I rested my arm across the strings when not playing or even on occasion when I was playing, I would get a very slight shock. My friend said it was because his house was very old and not grounded. Unfortunately, we live in a very small town and most of the houses that were built here, were built before houses were required to be built by code and they are all very old like pre 1950's on a majority of the homes. Now in a situation like this, is there anything I can do to avoid getting the occasional shock. It wasn't anything major, it felt very minor but still enough to let you know to move your arm. This is the first time I have experienced this so I was curious if any of you had any advice?

Also, on a side note, there is nothing wrong with my bass (A Sterling 4 H). I played the bass the next day at church with no issues at all and have played it several times this week still with no issues so this is not a post intended to say there is something wrong with my bass. I know it is my friends house NOT my bass. I love my bass very much and it plays incredibly well. If I did ever have any issues I would contact EBMM Customer Service first before posting about issues I am having.
Thanks all,
Jay

IT IS NOT YOUR BASS TRUST ME, There is a ground problem somewhere but I can Guarantee you it's not the Bass.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Background info:

Your strings are usually connected to the chassis of the amplifier. So touching strings should shock you the same as touching unpainted metal on the amp chassis.

A three-prong grounded outlet connects the amp chassis to the ground pin, which runs back to the earth at the main power panel.

In your situation:

1. If the outlet is not a three-prong with ground, there's nothing you can do to ground the amp. There may be considerable voltage leaking to the amp chassis due to the amp's construction (or faults). With other amps onstage, be extremely careful when touching both your strings and another player, his amp, or a microphone; depending on the leakage, you can be electrocuted.

2. A three-to-two plug adapter will likely be useless, because the screw on the outlet plate is probably not grounded.

3. You can't just drive a ground stake into the earth near the outlet. That would violate electrical code, because the ground stake must only be at the main panel.

4. A voltmeter will tell you how much voltage you're seeing on the chassis. Measure from your strings to a water pipe or grounded object. If you see 120v, it's lethal. If you see 60v, that's a common ungrounded situation with some amps, also dangerous.

Bottom line, it's a potentially dangerous situation. Try another amplifier.

 

[Steve-O]

Use a wireless?

 

[Rick Auricchio]

+1. Very good idea. Wireless can be a lifesaver!

 

[JayDawg]

Thanks all for the replies! And yes I was wearing shoes when playing. LOL. I actually do use a wireless 99% of the time. It was at my house and we were just playing on the porch so I borrowed my friends cable and bass amp. The amp was a Crate 50 watt little guy but I never thought that it could also be contributing too. I'm not sure if his outlets are a three prong or old school two prong set up with no ground? I had the amp plugged in to a power strip but didn't really look where it was going to. Sounds like I should just bring my wireless next time.