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thebogie

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2005
Messages
3
I know single coils have some buzz...but this is totally off the scale.

When i adjust from the bridge H to the S, as soon as i get 1/10 of the way towards the single, i get major buzz... I dont have to touch anything. It happens with different cords, different amps, different pedals. Doesnt matter other then the single coil is always "on" to cause the nasty humming/buzzing.

Has anybody else seen this issue?

Has anybody got any ideas on how to cure this issue? (Shielding?)

Sigh, i was so excited to get this new bass and it ends up with an unplayable single coil...suxor
 

tkarter

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Jun 22, 2004
Messages
5,921
Location
Kansas
Fear not help will be forth coming.

Nothing but good people at EB and if they can help you they will.

tk
 

MingusBASS

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Joined
Apr 17, 2004
Messages
3,364
Location
Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
thebogie said:
I know single coils have some buzz...but this is totally off the scale.

When i adjust from the bridge H to the S, as soon as i get 1/10 of the way towards the single, i get major buzz... I dont have to touch anything. It happens with different cords, different amps, different pedals. Doesnt matter other then the single coil is always "on" to cause the nasty humming/buzzing.

Has anybody else seen this issue?

Has anybody got any ideas on how to cure this issue? (Shielding?)

Sigh, i was so excited to get this new bass and it ends up with an unplayable single coil...suxor

My Fretless Bongo H Sc has a slight buzz but its not easy to hear unless you boost the highs or solo the single coil pickup. If somethings wrong with your bass, EBMM will help you out. They have some of the best service in the industry.

Andrew
 

dlloyd

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Joined
Mar 16, 2004
Messages
1,733
Location
Scotland
thebogie said:
I know single coils have some buzz...but this is totally off the scale.

When i adjust from the bridge H to the S, as soon as i get 1/10 of the way towards the single, i get major buzz... I dont have to touch anything. It happens with different cords, different amps, different pedals. Doesnt matter other then the single coil is always "on" to cause the nasty humming/buzzing.

Has anybody else seen this issue?

Has anybody got any ideas on how to cure this issue? (Shielding?)

Sigh, i was so excited to get this new bass and it ends up with an unplayable single coil...suxor

Where are you playing it?
 

Psychicpet

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Joined
Aug 16, 2003
Messages
3,933
Location
Sylvan Lake, Alberta, Canada
you know, my Buttercream Bongo 5 fretless H/SC/P has alot of buzz still from the SC :( so I'm not sure where it's from and whether or not it's just a bit more suseptible to the environment(electrical that is) but ya, that's why i'm curious to see if the new SC are available for upgrade..... and the buzz is noticeable when the tones controls are all centered, no need to boost the HIs to hear it.
 

Big Poppa

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Joined
Feb 9, 2005
Messages
18,598
Location
Coachella & SLO, California
Watch how this is progressing. Now three people have noticed that a single coil pickup is noiser than a humbuckng.

Bogie, or anyone else posting if there is a problem with your bass we will fix it under the terms of our warranty.

I am curious why you bought a buzzing bass or did it not buzz in the store. I am also curious why one of our dealers would sell you a buzzing bass.

A single coil pick is noisy. MUCH noisier than a humbucking. It will PICKUP all sorts of electrical signals, especially flourescent lighting. The trade off is a real neat clean sound especially in the neck position. If you stand real close to your amp it will be really noisy, if you stand next to your amp with an overhead flourescent it will be unplayable.

WE want all of our customers to be happy. We dont want you disappointed in your investment in our stuff. If I could wish for something in this internet age it would be for customers to contact us and give us a chance to fix the problem first rather than posting on the internet first. You may very well have a problem, or you may not...we will find out. The fact that there is a increased noise with a single coil is not a design or manufacturing flaw, but an inherrent trade off when you choose a single coil.

Let me know if it "buzzed" at the dealer and let me know the serial #. Also let me know if you are playing it real close to lighting.
 

bovinehost

Administrator
Joined
Jan 16, 2003
Messages
18,197
Location
Dall-Ass, TX
It happens with different cords, different amps, different pedals.

Does it happen in different geographical locations?

I get some buzz, even with dual humbuckers, in certain locations in my house. It's the wiring, not the bass or the amp.
 

maddog

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Joined
May 8, 2004
Messages
4,463
Location
Albuquerque
I found out how much my SC/H Bongo hummed when I got a HH Bongo. Before then, I didn't notice it at all. Not saying it isn't broken but maybe you have a different threshold on allowable hum.
 

arrowheadguitar

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Joined
Jul 25, 2005
Messages
104
Location
Northampton. UK
I hadn't noticed my single coil buzz and so I thought I'd experiment ..

where I sit to practice at home is next to the PC and under a light with a dimmer switch :eek:

I have managed to get a small amount of noise from the single coil (and to a lesser degree, with both pickups on).

The only way for me to achieve this though, was to turn the upper and lower mids and the treble all the way up, and as I usually play with everything set in the middle, I can't hear a thing normally.

So for me at least it isn't a problem, and I've never noticed any difference in noise from any of the pickup options in any situation up till now.

It could of course, be nothing to do with the bass. I had a customer who's guitar I had recently fitted Kinman pickups to complain of a severe buzz which was eventually traced to a dodgy 4 way extension lead that his amp was plugged into.


P.
 

thebogie

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2005
Messages
3
Amazed at the response!

First off, i am amazed at the turnout of my question!

When everything is equal, and the neck pickup is just 10% selected, then i get a nasty buzz through 2 different amps in two different rooms in two different cities through a pedal system or without the pedal system, through two different amps (roland jazz AND an ampeg (B-2R))

As for purchasing the bass at guitar center, i checked everything else, but i guess during my excitment of joining the musicaman team, overlooked such a basic issue as a buzzing single coil, which is my bad.

This was just a fact finding mission, and i appreciate all the responses.

I have just contacted customer support (however, leaving my cell phone at home... one of those days) and will follow through with them.

Cheers!
 

Steve Dude Barr

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Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Messages
5,173
If I could wish for something in this internet age it would be for customers to contact us and give us a chance to fix the problem first rather than posting on the internet first.

LOL..boy do I know that one BP. I have people posting on my forum similar potential warranty issues on various manufacturer's products which a lot of times is not a warranty issue at all and more times than not the person posting the issue didn't even buy the product from me but rather from one of my competitors.
 

Big Poppa

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Feb 9, 2005
Messages
18,598
Location
Coachella & SLO, California
Bogie

You only leave your cell phone home when you need it, only hit red lights when in a hurry. your favorite resturant only screws up when you bring friends in after bragging about how good it is, there is only a line for the bathroom when you need it, and your bass doesnt buzz at GC....We wll take care of it.
 

tkarter

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Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
5,921
Location
Kansas
See bogie? I told ya right away. All the rest of us would be guessing,but you heard it right straight from the Man this time. Not many times that happens on a forum.

tk
 

thebogie

New member
Joined
Aug 6, 2005
Messages
3
Dont forget the other one:

played the winning lottery numbers YESTERDAY...

Cheers for the customer support, gentlemen.

My word of mouth will carry far when this is concluded!

( i will check my stupid cell phone when i get home... ) :D
 

Motojunkie

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Joined
Aug 5, 2005
Messages
468
Location
Goodyear, AZ
You guys listed most of the potential causes of buzz/noise in a guitar/bass, but failed to mention one of the biggest offenders - computer monitors. We're not talking new-fangled LCD or Plasma types, but good old-fashioned Cathode Ray Tubes (or CRT). With single coil pickups, you don't even have to be too close for the CRTs to cause problems, the CRT just needs to be turned on. So, for you guys that are having problems, do you practice in front of your computer? Since all of us here seem to be computer types, I'm betting that at least one of you does. Turn your monitor and computer off - does the hum go away?

Bad wiring in a house/practice space can also cause 60-cycle hum. If you're in an old home, you may not be able to do anything about it aside from re-wiring the house. Try your bass at a friends house, or at music stores if the hum goes away, the problem is not your bass.


Good luck!
 

tkarter

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Joined
Jun 22, 2004
Messages
5,921
Location
Kansas
No matter what the cause BP said he was taking care of it. That my friends should say it all.


tk
 
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