I own a fender stratocaster Highway one .My guitar recently started giving a lot of buzz when i use a distortion patch on my boss gt 10, The pickup also has become very sensitive i.e it even picks up the sound of my wrist watch ticking.....I use a Marshall amp and the amp is perfectly new and in good condition....IF someone could advise me on this i would b very grateful..

I have a Hwy 1 too. I'm assuming you've got a single coil in the bridge.

I dealt with the same issues.

Barring any other issues (bad cable, cheap cables, pickups too close to the strings, something went hay-wire in the guitar, something's loose or broken), an Electro Harmonix Hum Debugger is the quickest, easiest way to deal with single coil noise *and* most other interference!

Around here, there are days when the system is quiet and there's not much noise with the exception of high gain -- there's always high gain noise on a single coil. But the hum debugger just shuts it all down, done.

Try lower pickups adjustment.

Does it happen with all pickup positions?
High gain will compress everything so even what is quiet is heard.

I also have to proclaim my absolute hate of the
Electro Harmonix Hum Debugger. I see others disagree, but I disliked what it did to my tone so much it made me angry

Thank you every one for your replies but the buzzing tone started recently and the buzz persists on all pickup positions..i recently discovered that when i reduce the volume to zero and bring it to full without playing or disturbing the strings..there is no noise(this happens only sometimes most of the time there is a continous buzz)..as soon as i disturb the strings(make a small noise by shifting my hand) the buzz starts....

Try to find what you do before, when no buzzing, Why no buzzing before ?

Another amp , another practice room , wall outlet, you modify your guitar, new effect, old guitar wire to amp ?

I would check the cables, I've had crappy cables that acted
like microphones .

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Has the ground wire become unattached from the trem claw or back of the volume pot?

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No no and no

Do you have another guitar rig you can try it on OR another guitar you can try on your rig?
At this point i'm not totally sure if it's the guitar or the rig.

a cpl Qs here......does it do it on ALL the GT patches?
does it buzz w/o the multi-unit?

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The watch thing isn't too uncommon with single coils - I remember being driven absolutely nuts at a gig by a repetitive noise coming from my amp, turned out to be the watch which I had stuffed in my pocket which was resting just behind the guitar.

Stick enough gain on single coils, and they'll pick up all sorts of things regardless of grounding. Could simply be that you're standing a few degrees in a different direction to how you usually do, or the neighbours have a new microwave, or an active sunspot coinciding with the phase of the moon bouncing radiation off a passing UFO.

Could also be that you've inadvertently altered the noise gate settings on the GT-10, which ties in well with the silence until you touch the strings.

Thank you guys for your suggestions but i rechecked everything,the cables, i tried another guitar the buzz was not there when i used the other guitar ...i also opened the pick guard myself....and found the wires from the trem claw to be intact ..........i think i will take my guitar to a store and let them fix it ........anyway thanks a lot guys

My opinion and experience is that every kind of electric noise in the guitar gets louder the more power you're dealing with.(boost, effects and that kinda stuff) And the strat may be noisy guitar sometimes.

"In 1952-3 when Leo and his colleagues designed the Strat, the venues their costumers were playing were bars, lounges, and small dance halls." Paul Balmer, 2007(from the Fender Stratocaster Handbook)

Back in those days the noise were no big problem because they did not have to play so loud, and they did not have lots of pedals and stuff. I was also annoyed whit the electric noise on mine so I did a little research and found a solution; give it a shieldjob.

Its simple. Just cover the inside of the pickguard and the howls on the front side of the body with coppertape. Then solder a cord from the shielding to the grounding on the volume pot or the jackchassi. And make sure that the tremolo also is grounded.

The point here is to kill the noise were it starts, and that may be the grounding. I did it and it works well. Also gave the tones more sustain instead of fading out in the noise while using overdrives.

Then I just have to say sorry for my bad English, and god luck

Thanks a lot marlok ...i know that adding more gain and distortion adds to the noise or buzz.....my problem is that the normal patches which were buzz less have started making a lot of buzz.....ill b taking to a store soon...and thanks for the shielding advise i have head a lot about it and i will do it as soon as the store is done with the repairs ............Thanks