What causes hum when you move?

mahler

Member
Messages
1,399
In certain places If I move my guitar in a direction it will produce hum, there is generally one spot that is dead quiet, why is that?
 

Hugo Da Rosa

Gold Supporting Member
Messages
2,399
Usually a grounding/shielding issue. Make sure your guitar is properly grounded and if you use single coils, properly shielded.

On occasion, it's also an electrical issue with the house power. If that's the case, as I have learned through TGP and experience, there's not much you can do about that....
 

a1briz

Platinum Supporting Member
Messages
1,809
TV's, Monitors, Lights, all these things have fields that can be picked up by the pickups. Removing the pickups from the fields will tame the noise.
 

Will-

Member
Messages
293
The further away you stand from your amp the less hum you will get also standing with your back to the amp as well helps
 

stinkfoot

Member
Messages
6,143
When you move, you're changing the pickups' relation to the electro-magnetic field generated by the amp's power transformer (or any other EMF source close by). The further away from the source you stand, the weaker the EMF field. But turning sideways can also sometimes make a huge difference. Also, single-coil pickups are far more sensitive than humbuckers. The old studio trick is to sit on a swivel chair so you can face the direction where the strat is quiet :)

/Andreas
 

mahler

Member
Messages
1,399
The old studio trick is to sit on a swivel chair so you can face the direction where the strat is quiet :)

/Andreas

I learned this today from experience! Don't think its the pickups, I had them and all the wiring on my guitars shielded well!
 

Bluedano1

Member
Messages
8,064
The further away you stand from your amp the less hum you will get also standing with your back to the amp as well helps


F***ing Neon Bar Signs! The Curse of Death for a Strat, Tele or Dano player (me!) Sometimes I have to play my Strat all night at a gig with the pickups in positions 2 and 4 (hum-cancelling) or just deal with the noise, then remember to bring the 335 next time...
 

mahler

Member
Messages
1,399
F***ing Neon Bar Signs! The Curse of Death for a Strat, Tele or Dano player (me!) Sometimes I have to play my Strat all night at a gig with the pickups in positions 2 and 4 (hum-cancelling) or just deal with the noise, then remember to bring the 335 next time...

Yeah, The problem is I've know this happened but it's particularly bad in the one room in my house know that I'm primarily using for my playing! The good news is it's a room where I am not jumping around live, so I can just sit in a quiet spot!
 

Bluedano1

Member
Messages
8,064
Yeah, The problem is I've know this happened but it's particularly bad in the one room in my house know that I'm primarily using for my playing! The good news is it's a room where I am not jumping around live, so I can just sit in a quiet spot!

I seem to have static electricity and electrical interference issues from time to time when I practice at home- nothing sounds as good at my home as it does as at a gig- I guess I'd rather have it that way than the other way around!
 

mahler

Member
Messages
1,399
I'm using the Vox Class A Cables which have a pretty good reputation, and I'm not saying when the cables move, (i.e. I stand in one spot and wiggle the cables) but If I move the guitar in certain direction the noise comes!
 



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