Hello,
I am a complete electric newbie, so please forgive my ignorance.
I recently bought my first electric, a PRS SE Tremonti off Ebay. It sounds great except for a hum when I am not touching the strings. As soon as I touch the strings the humming stops. Is this normal?If not, any ideas what the problem is?
Also does anyone know of any educational websites on guitar wiring. I have a lot to learn and have no idea where to start.
Thanks,
This symptom sounds like ungrounded strings. On electric guitars, there usually is a connection between the bridge/tailpiece (thus strings) and the ground return, a.k.a. shield or cold side of the guitar's wiring. This can be checked using an resistance ("ohm") meter to measure resistance between the tailpiece and the outer conductor of the guitar's output jack. The resistance should be close to 0 ohms. A guitar tech should be able to make a quick assessment for you.
-=tension & release=-
Another thought to add to the other great answers would be the polarity of the power or electric to the amp. does the amp have a reverse polarity switch anywhere on the back near the electric cord? Are you using a good shielded guitar cable? Example: Some cables that companies supply with those guitar packs that included guitar, amp , and accessories leave a lot to be desired. meaning their not very good cables. Anytime your purchasing a shielded guitar cable spending a couple of extra dollars on a good one will save you headaches and money in the long run.
Joe
Thanks everyone.
Your welcome. Did you find out waht the problem was?
Joe
I haven't had time to investigate further yet. I have a pretty good cable so I think the first thing I'm going to do is test the electrical outlet to make sure it's wired correctly. I have one of the outlet testers mentioned on the Guitarnuts.com site. If it checks out alright I guess I'll start checking the guitar wiring.
