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I shouldn't have to ask this question about buzzing...


dcr

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...but I do.

 

My Fender Jazz has developed quite a buzz, the sort that diminishes if you touch strings, bridge, or knob. (The pickups are humbuckers, so it's not that.) Now I have done a search, & it looks like the standard solution is to check solder on ground lines, & perhaps add shielding. OK, can do. But I'm asking because the buzz goes away when I turn the tone knob all the way down. Does that pinpoint the weak link in the chain as the tone circuit? Or is turning up the tone pot just aggravating a problem that could be coming from anywhere?

 

Thanks for help...and patience...

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Does the buzzing occur in multiple environments? That is, do you notice it when you play the bass in other rooms? I had noticed buzzing from one of my basses in my old house, but determined that it had to do with the lighting and/or computer that were proximal in the room where I practiced.

 

I'm going to guess that the buzzing is just minimized/eliminated by turning down your tone knob, and that the tone knob is not the source of the problem. (It could be the cause; I'm just guessing for the moment and think you should explore other possible causes first.)

 

Buona fortuna!

 

Peace.

--s-uu

spreadluv

 

Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars.

Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk.

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I have the same problem with my Squire. Usually caused by poor sheilding (touching metal - strings, knobs, tuners) causes that to diminish somewhat. My last house had was a '40's vintage townhouse that was remodels severly and the "modern" electrical system didn't included grounded outlets in some of the rooms! The "sheild" should be wired as to create what instrumentation techs call a "drian" to remove built up charges from capacitive or inductive reactance and shunt it off somewhere (usually ground) that won't affect the instrument's (electronic, not musical) performance.

 

Check your all your connections - axe to amp - including the soldered connections inside the instrument cavity, make sure everything is nice and tight, no rust, corrosion or grud. Make sure you are plugged into a properly grounded outlet. Make sure you are not standing near anything that might emit RF (TV, stereo, cell phone).

 

Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn

 

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There are some good ideas here. I'd suggest first turning off any tvs, computers, cell phones and any other electronic devices in the room. While your amp is on and everything is plugged in and turned up, turn the lights out. Does that kill the buzzing?

 

Have you done any rewiring on the bass? Any work at all that might've left something touching (or not touching) something it shouldn't (or should)?

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You guys are good. Before turning in last night, I picked the bass up again...no buzz! The difference? The computer had been shut off for the night. HOWEVER, it's not the computer itself that's doing it, because switching on the outlet (in Australia, outlets have their own switches) that the computer runs off of would cause the buzzing even if the computer was unplugged. (Still, my other basses don't seem to do this, just the Jazz.) Not sure how to fix that, but at least it's not a panic.
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