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Post subject: that great strat hum....again.
Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 7:24 pm
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this has probably been discussed a million times, so i apologize in advance.

what are my options to get rid of this annoyance?

i heard that using a high quality cable would help. if true, do i need one to connect my boss me-50 to my amp, and another to connect my guitar to the me, or is just the quality of the cable from the guitar to the boss?

should i swap out my pickups for noiseles ones?

is there a filter that can installed somewhere?

any other options are welcome. there are times when i play quietly, and it just bugs the tar out of me.

btw, my guitar is a 2009 mim hss model, lake placid blue/maple neck, boss me50 into a fender stage 100 amp

thanks y'all


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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 10:33 pm
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High quality cable is a good thing to have anyway - you don't need boutique brands - just stay away from the really cheap stuff.

If the hum bugs you so much - go for noiseless pickups, really. If what you're swapping out is stock MIM pickups - you'll even feel an improvement in tone.


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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 10:52 pm
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Go buy a Decimator Noise Reduction pedal. This one is made by ISP, its chrome and they are under 150 bucks new. You have to play with settings to get it just right so it doesn't take out too much tone or sustain. Put it at the end of your chain. Works for me.

If you are critical with stuff in your chain, then you may want to look at having someone make sure that your electronic connections are not grounding out anywhere. I made a dumb mistake recently on a build, when I crossed the wires on an input jack. Done a hundred of them but I guess I was in a hurry and messed up. Anyway, it was really clear what it was once I plugged it into a small practice amp I keep near my bench. It's annoying as hell. So without knowing how "much" hum your getting, that's a place to start. Sometimes after a lot of playing, that jack can get loose and cause some issues.

Next are the soldered connections and the pots. It may be hard to visually see a bad connection but look for obvious bad connections. You probably know this but if your guitar has reverse wound middle pups, then position # 2, 3 and 4 would reduce hum when playing. It will still be there somewhat but you can reduce it.

Check where you are playing. Sometimes an overhead fluorescent light can cause some buzzing in your amp. Also check where you are plugged in. You can get a ground loop buzz if you have a poorly wired outlet. I plug all of my amps into a power conditioner before the wall outlet to clean up the power.

Yes, replacing your pickups not only can get your quieter but also potentially get you better tone, depending on what pups are in the now comparatively. Lace Sensors are quiet, as well as the Fender SCN or the older noiseless.

All of this is more time consuming and potentially more costly than simply getting a noise reduction pedal. You can find other brands that other members here would recommend that would cost less. Boss makes the NS-2 for less than a hundred bucks that works well too.

Hope this helps.

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Posted: Sun Oct 17, 2010 11:23 pm
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worked for me.

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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 5:16 am
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how about a good shielding job on the body?

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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:34 am
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Shielding doesn't get rid of 60 cycle hum. It just lowers the buzz noise your guitar makes when you take your hands off the strings. The only way to get rid of 60 cycle hum is to get humbucking pickups.

OR...use the volume knob and turn it down between songs. It's worked for millions of Strat players since 1954 :P

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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:35 am
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Nevin1985 wrote:
A noise gate is basically hiding the "problem" and robbing you out your guitars full potential. Might as well drape a rug over the amp.

Some noise is expected with single coils. If you listen to many of the great single coil players, you will hear the hum on recordings, and definitely hear it live.


+1

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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:41 am
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i know my cables could use some upgrading. i have a couple of live wire cables that i paid about 15 bucks for. can you make a recommendation that won't break the bank?


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Post subject: Re: that great strat hum....again.
Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 9:42 am
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phreddybee wrote:
there are times when i play quietly, and it just bugs the tar out of me.


So are you just playing at home? If so, walk around the room and find one of the 'dead spots' where the hum is reduced. Changing your orientation to the amp and finding a quiet spot helps also. Find those spots and remember where they are. Like Chicagoblue mentioned, flourescent lights are a big noise maker for Strats.

I hope your humbucker in your HSS Strat isn't humming also. That means other trouble.

Hey and doesn't your Boss ME50 have a noisegate? Should be a knob labeled "threshold". Have you tried that?

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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:20 am
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metropolis74 wrote:
Shielding doesn't get rid of 60 cycle hum. It just lowers the buzz noise your guitar makes when you take your hands off the strings. The only way to get rid of 60 cycle hum is to get humbucking pickups.

OR...use the volume knob and turn it down between songs. It's worked for millions of Strat players since 1954 :P
I am so used to turning the volume knob off after I quit playing,I don't think I could stop without a 12 step program. :wink:
That hum doesn't even bother me anymore....it's just part of it.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 11:46 am
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tried the threshold- seems to do the trick!

i haven't played out with the amp yet. my small practice are doesn't allow for a lot of movement.

i'll know when i play my first gig how it all works out. not a major problem- i've been thru worse


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Posted: Mon Oct 18, 2010 4:16 pm
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Electro Harmonix makes a nice little gadget called The Hum Debugger that cancels out Strat hum you can check out more info at www.ehx.com

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