Strange Buzzing in Bass

[bassplayer79]

There is a strange buzzing when Im not touching bass, anyone know whats up?

 

[phatduckk]

buzzing from the amp or something due to string vibrations?

if its buzzing when unplugged & playing an open string it could be something trivial like a loose knob. try plucking a string and touching anything that's screwed down and see if that stops the buzz ... if so, thighten it

good luck

 

[Morrow]

sounds like it might be a grounding problem if it goes away when you touch the strings on the bass.

 

[dlloyd]

There is a strange buzzing when Im not touching bass, anyone know whats up?

A wasp nest?

Sounds like earthing/grounding. In the olden days, when I played on those little toy instruments with six strings, I had a strat that did just that... buzzing noise coming from the amp when I wasn't touching the strings. Turned out that the earth wire to the bridge had come loose.

 

[bassplayer79]

sounds like it might be a grounding problem if it goes away when you touch the strings on the bass.

Thats exactly it. Now how do I correct that problem???

 

[skabassist13]

im not sure exactly how mm's are wired, but id say make sure all the solder joints are together and fully contacting, and then make sure the wire that goes to the bridge is at least touching it to make good contact.

 

[lowlevelster]

My stingray4 was buzzing real bad unless I grounded it with my hand.

Turned out it was dirt on the input jack.
I cleaned this by spraying switch cleaner on a cotton ear bud and put this in and out of the jack socket.

Do not use WD40 as this is oil based and will just make a mess of the electronics.

 

[dlloyd]

Hopefully the original poster has already sorted his problem.

 

[lowlevelster]

I guess he probably has.
I just wanted to say how I had fixed my buzzing as it may help someone else.

 

[niftydog]

Do not use WD40...

I agree, but some clarification for those who are geeky enough to be interested in such stuff...

WD40 stands for "water displacement compound attempt number 40." In other words, WD40 is primarily a water displacing lubricant - NOT a cleaning solvent. It is only perceived as such because of the clever marketing strategy.

Switch cleaner or electrical contact cleaner is primarily a cleaning solvent with some lubricating properties. Much better suited to the task. If anyone is serious about getting some good contact cleaner, I highly recommend Caig Deoxit.

 

[WillPlay4Food]

I wonder what was so bad about WD-39 it prompted them to make another attempt? Or 1-38 for that matter?

 

[jamesattard]

my bass buzzes too...thing is that it stops when i touch the bridge or the knobs BUT not when i touch the strings!!! Also, how can one determine if it is a bass ground problem, the amp ground problem or maybe the mains earth problem?

 

[dlloyd]

my bass buzzes too...thing is that it stops when i touch the bridge or the knobs BUT not when i touch the strings!!! Also, how can one determine if it is a bass ground problem, the amp ground problem or maybe the mains earth problem?

What strings do you have on it?

 

[jamesattard]

What strings do you have on it?

Bass Boomers (Tanglewood) roundwounds

 

[soniq]

Buy one of those 3-wire testers at any hardware store for about $5.00 and it will tell you if your outlet is wired right. I used to get that 60hz hum plus was getting zapped when touching the strings with my forearm. Using this thing I found that the outlet wasn't grounded properly.

 

[NoFrets80]

buzz

There is a strange buzzing when Im not touching bass, anyone know whats up?

I've had a strange buzz before when I'm not touching my bass, but it's not related to the bass or amp at all usually....