Hummmm

Dendrite

Inspired
So I've been playing the same Badger preset for a lot of different applications recently. It sounds great at home, and I have no significant noise from it at home.
At rehearsal yesterday though- lots of noise. Before I try to address it though, I wanted to make sure I'm thinking about it the right way...

What affected it: -switching to coil tap made it LESS noisey- it was louder with HBs.
- Touching/Muting the strings with my hand made it stop, though the gate could have been involved.
- A slight hit on the strings to open the gate, it worsened if I increased the drive knob, and improved if I backed it down. Ditto with guitar volume knob.
- Interestingly, a slight string hit to open the gate, and then touching a screw on the AX8 or touching the metal AX8 handle made the hum stop.
- Couldn't hear it on lower gain presets. Persisted on other moderate gain presets.

What didn't affect it: - Rotating my body, with coil tap or HB.
- Restarting AX8.
- AX8 ground lift switch had no change in noise.
- Moving wires/cables around.

So, I'm pretty convinced of a ground loop, just one the switch doesn't address. The AX8 is plugged into a cheap power strip with a variety of other things also plugged into it- that along with the stage wiring and lighting are beyond my control. The best option as I see it from old forum posts is inserting a HumX where the AX8 plugs into the power strip. If that doesn't fix it, maybe switch out for a Hum Eliminator...

Am I barking up the right tree here?
 
I have the same issue, and I'm plugged into a power conditioner. I've got a strat and it has a really bad buzz unless i'm in position 2 and 4. It doesn't do it at home and i'm plugged into a power conditioner there as well.
 
I've gigged for over 35 years now and never heard of a noise with HB's that was louder than one with SC's. Never. . . .Unless your HB really isn't Humbucker , i.e. .it's wired wrong. . . I'm curious as to the real answer though. Good luck! Eric

p.s. I've never had any power conditioner reduce noise at any gig. (Contrary to what you read on the internet and in advertising hyperbole constantly!) I've had ones with bad receptacles INTRODUCE noise though. .

also p.s.s if you want to see if a hum-x /hum-eliminator will work before dishing out the money, you can just drop the ground on 1 end of your cable and if that works, you've solved that problem. Best of luck
 
Plug the AX8 in a different plug than your FRFR speakers or whatever amplification you use This solved my problem
 
Argh. I always had the impression that power conditioners would fix it... No bueno.
Try a different guitar? Sounds like a ground loop on the guitar.

If it were normal 60Hz hum, it should be less with HB vs coil tap... Unless it's really parallel switch and not a tap?
 
I had similar noise issues with my Strats and Tele but not as bad as what was mentioned, I do find the AX8 more sensitive to noise than my old Boss GP-10 and GT-100 despite the usual noise gate and power conditioner treatment. Probably a good thing in the end and explains why dropping the volume on a heavy gain setting cleans up so well and better than many tube amps I have tried.

Ultimately, putting Lace Sensors and Fishman Fluence was a discovery in some amazing single coil tones for my Strats and Tele that reduced a lot of noise. Did it one guitar at a time and noticed a significant reduction in noise for each.
 
If there is no noise with the guitar volume off, this must more then likely be something the guitar is picking up. Lights, computer, neon. could be guitar grounding issue. possible bad guitar cable shielding.
 
Thanks for the thoughts all.
@unix-guy -It is a new (to me) guitar, so some guitar based issue is always possible. But I'm not getting that noise at home, so it could just be at that location. I would like to think PRS is a reputable enough builder that their stock equipment shouldn't be too susceptible, but I guess you never know.
I thought the HB vs coil tap hum was weird too- I've never had a HB be louder. But, the whole output has an audible decrease when I tap it, so it may just be output related and not RF noise, in which case it makes a little bit of sense.
@paranoid -Now that you mention it... it was a new cable. But "new" doesn't mean "well shielded". And I haven't used it at home. Easy to adjust- I'll do that.
@dpavel -I'm running direct out my XLR to a snake to the board. No FRFR in sight, but aviom for in ears- which may be on the same circuit. Maybe the aviom is involved??
@Ericbr1 -when you say "drop the ground", you mean unsolder it in the cable? What would happen if I plugged AX8 into a 2 prong adapter and took the ground out entirely? Obviously just as a test, but would that change anything?
 
Thanks for the thoughts all.
@unix-guy -It is a new (to me) guitar, so some guitar based issue is always possible. But I'm not getting that noise at home, so it could just be at that location. I would like to think PRS is a reputable enough builder that their stock equipment shouldn't be too susceptible, but I guess you never know.
I thought the HB vs coil tap hum was weird too- I've never had a HB be louder. But, the whole output has an audible decrease when I tap it, so it may just be output related and not RF noise, in which case it makes a little bit of sense.
@paranoid -Now that you mention it... it was a new cable. But "new" doesn't mean "well shielded". And I haven't used it at home. Easy to adjust- I'll do that.
@dpavel -I'm running direct out my XLR to a snake to the board. No FRFR in sight, but aviom for in ears- which may be on the same circuit. Maybe the aviom is involved??
@Ericbr1 -when you say "drop the ground", you mean unsolder it in the cable? What would happen if I plugged AX8 into a 2 prong adapter and took the ground out entirely? Obviously just as a test, but would that change anything?

Hi, yes I mean un-solder it on 1 end, OR just plug into the 2 prong adapter. Either could do the trick (not the healthiest way if the electricity is really badly wired at that place) but it's a routine thing people do on stages if they don't have something like the 'humbuster' cables, or real ground-lift direct boxes,etc. I'd just do it as a test and if that was the answer, then do it a safer way. Good luck
Eric
 
Hi, yes I mean un-solder it on 1 end, OR just plug into the 2 prong adapter. Either could do the trick (not the healthiest way if the electricity is really badly wired at that place) but it's a routine thing people do on stages if they don't have something like the 'humbuster' cables, or real ground-lift direct boxes,etc. I'd just do it as a test and if that was the answer, then do it a safer way. Good luck
Eric
Lifting the ground can be really really dangerous. People get killed this way... It's really not something you want to do.
 
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Turn off the noise gate. Unplug your guitar cable from your AX8. If the noise level drops or goes away completely, then the noise is getting in through your guitar, and there is no way to fix it by "improving" your power.

You say the noise is reduced when you tap the coils. Something is wrong with your guitar's wiring.
 
Lifting the ground can be really really dangerous. People get killed this way... It's really not something you want to do.
This, this, and so this. Yes, people do it. Sometimes, one of them dies from it. More often, they just get a nasty shock that makes them wiser.
 
Lifting the ground can be really really dangerous. People get killed this way... It's really not something you want to do.
It’s a common place thing that happens every day, and you have more of a chance of getting hit by a car crossing a street for sure, but yes it could be dangerous in a really badly wired place. However yes three prong to two prong adapters are sold every day at any store and used regularly
 
It’s a common place thing that happens every day, and you have more of a chance of getting hit by a car crossing a street for sure, but yes it could be dangerous in a really badly wired place. However yes three prong to two prong adapters are sold every day at any store and used regularly
Just because something is done every day doesn't make it safe. People text and drive all the time... And they die... Or they cause others to die.

If you do this and your guitar is improperly grounded and your lips touch a mic, you could be seriously injured or killed.

Badly wired places are pretty common, which is usually the cause of the noise to begin with.
 
HI guys, we all live with different levels of 'risk' in our lives. As I indicated above, this risk would never scare me at all, and I'm much more apprehensive driving on a highway or walking across traffic. For someone else, they won't drop a ground to test something for 1 minute until they buy a direct box. Use your own judgement. I'm 57 and have played in many venues for many years and am not concerned about risk like this. It's the same as riding on the fastest roller coaster at Cedar Point. It's risky of course but if it was a substantial risk at all (TO ME) it would've been closed a long time ago. I feel the same about the bars I play at. Again , use your own judgement and how much risk you're willing to endure. I'm not expecting anyone on the internet to agree with me, but 99% of the musicians I know outside of the internet would. Best of luck and please read my disclaimer if you try it.

Eric
 
Cleveland State University found not liable for the electrocution of biology professor

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By Karen Farkas, cleveland.com
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on November 19, 2010 at 11:59 AM, updated November 19, 2010 at 4:29 PM





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CSUCleveland State University botanist Tarun Mal collapsed and died in a campus science laboratory.


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cleveland State University is not liable for the death of biology professor Tarun Mal, who was electrocuted in 2005 when he used a nongrounded electrical device that adapts a three-pronged plug for a two-pronged device to plug in a homemade grow lamp, the Ohio Court of Claims ruled this week (pdf).


The university, however, now requires all employees to undergo electrical safety training. It also has installed ground fault circuit interrupters, which detect fluctuations in current and breaks the circuit to prevent electrocution, in electrical outlets in laboratories.

"It was obviously a tragic incident," said CSU spokesman Joe Mosbrook.

Mal, 42, was in a biology lab in the Science Research Building at CSU on Aug. 16, 2005 with two students when they decided to use a three-tiered metal rack with two fluorescent lights on the top tier to conduct an experiment, according to court documents. The three-pronged light plug was attached to an adapter called a "cheater plug," which was then plugged into a two-prong electrical timer.

Mal held on to the metal rack and knelt down to plug the timer into a three-prong wall outlet when the grow lamp emitted a surge of electricity of nearly 400 volts. The associate professor was electrocuted.

It was later discovered that one of the fluorescent lights had a defective "ballast," a small transformer used to regulate voltage.

Mal's wife, Sanchita Mal-Sarkar, an instructor in computer and informational science at CSU, and their daughter sued the university. A trial was held in fall 2007.

Mal-Sarkar's lawyers contended that CSU did not conduct routine inspections of electrical equipment and wiring in the laboratories and did not provide electrical safety training to employees. They also alleged the use of cheater plugs and the lack of ground fault circuit interrupters contributed to unsafe conditions in the laboratory because water is nearby.



Previous Plain Dealer coverage




According to testimony, the National Electric Code prohibits cheater plugs and requires circuit interrupters in bathrooms and kitchens, because water is nearby, but not in areas such as laboratories.

CSU lawyers said the university did not authorize the acquisition or use of the light rack assembly and did not require Mal to use that system to conduct his research.

In his decision, issued Wednesday, Judge Joseph Clark wrote that while he was convinced CSU may have violated certain Occupational Safety and Health Administration and Public Employees Risk Reduction Program regulations by not providing electrical safety training or inspecting its 200 laboratories, such violations did not rise to the level of an intent to injure an employee.

Even if CSU provided training and conducted inspections there was no way to determine if that would have prevented Mal's death from the use of unauthorized equipment, he wrote.

CSU's Employee Health and Safety Manual, adopted in January, 2006, has an extensive section on electrical safety. It prohibits cheater plugs and requires approval before any non-commercial electrical equipment is used in laboratories. And if water is used within six feet of an electrical outlet a circuit interrupter will be installed.
 
When I was 16 years young, I was nearly killed at a gig in Elizabeth NJ. We were playing at a Catholic school. I walked up to the mic to introduce the band and there was an arc between the mic and me. I don't remember any of it but my bandmate said a bluish arc came out of the mic and hit me square in the face. All I remember is lying on the floor with a bunch of people around me, mostly nuns. They were working their Rosaries hard. My mouth was very burned including lips and tongue. We did play the gig (the show must go on) but I kept a good distance from the mic. To be blunt, I was very fearful of the mic. I finally noticed that my left hand fingers were also burned. I was holding the strings when I approached the mic. I had the ah-ha moment.

Moral of the story is simple. Don't mess with the wiring. The result might be shocking.
 
For those who don't want to read all of what @Rex posted above, here is the important part (aside from the death):

According to testimony, the National Electric Code prohibits cheater plugs and requires circuit interrupters in bathrooms and kitchens, because water is nearby, but not in areas such as laboratories.
 
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