Grounding myself to the guitar

[exSP5Wintergreen]

I've just gone by the three-month anniversary of my attempt to torture my fingers into adhering to my will. AKA, learning to play the guitar. One thing that really annoys me is the horrible noise whenever I'm not grounded to the guitar by touching the strings. I'm thinking of wearing a ground belt like the electronic repair guys use and clipping myself to the cable housing, or even adding a direct tap to the bridge.

Anyone do something like this?

[sumitomo]

Oh Man I tried one of those and it gave me GAS. Sumi

[Heywood Jablomie]

You may have a grounding problem with the guitar wiring, because your problem doesn't sound normal.

[DeanEVO_Dude]

I've just gone by the three-month anniversary of my attempt to torture my fingers into adhering to my will. AKA, learning to play the guitar. One thing that really annoys me is the horrible noise whenever I'm not grounded to the guitar by touching the strings. I'm thinking of wearing a ground belt like the electronic repair guys use and clipping myself to the cable housing, or even adding a direct tap to the bridge.

Anyone do something like this?

I had a similar thing going on with my EVO 1000, tune-o-matic bridge with a stop-bar tail. What I found was going on, is the ground wire, supposed to be attached thru the body to one of the stop-bar threaded inserts, was not maiking contact at all. What that did was not ground the strings like they are supposed to be. That might be some thing to check into.
If it is a strat-style with a trem, you want to make sure that the wire from the back of one of the pots to the spring claw is intact and soldered properly.

[exSP5Wintergreen]

It happens with everything I'm using; Tele, S-500, Dillion LP clone. Clean is pretty good, although the noise is there, just low. I get annoying noise if I overdrive the amp. If I hold the guitar without touching the strings, I get noise. Sat it down beside me, I get noise. Get up and walk away, noise disappears. So, it's me. I appear to be a first rate radiator of garbage sounds.

[Katastrophe]

Interesting, Ivor...

I've never had that problem. If it is happening with all of your guitars, could it be some sort of amp problem?

I don't know... Maybe DVM or Tung can help you sort this out.

[Zip]

Here's the guitar player from Cheap Trick getting ready to perform, and ridding himself of ground hum by making sure he's well-grounded:

[thearabianmage]

Have you swallowed anything magnetic lately?

[exSP5Wintergreen]

Here's the guitar player from Cheap Trick getting ready to perform, and ridding himself of ground hum by making sure he's well-grounded:

I'm gonna need more cables.

[exSP5Wintergreen]

Have you swallowed anything magnetic lately?

Maybe it's the magnetic personality I imagine myself having?

[Zip]

Have you tried a quality cable (between the guitar & amp - I'm assuming no pedalboard, correct?)?

[ZMAN]

Ivor: Don't feel too bad. I have a couple of Gibson Les Pauls that are the same. When you touch the strings no noise. I find it worse with any of my Marshall amps.
Before you start trying to find a source, try eliminating any noise from Power bars and wall warts. I eliminated 80% of my noise by plugging my equipment directly into a wall plug. IF you are using power bars and wall warts to power pedal etc. you will pickup a lot of noise especially with heavy gain. I also use a pedal board that has a conditioned power supply. I use mostly Fulltone pedals and they are whisper quiet when it comes to 60 cycle hum.

[kiteman]

Active pickups!

[Tig***]

Before you start trying to find a source, try eliminating any noise from Power bars and wall warts. I eliminated 80% of my noise by plugging my equipment directly into a wall plug. IF you are using power bars and wall warts to power pedal etc. you will pickup a lot of noise especially with heavy gain. I also use a pedal board that has a conditioned power supply.

Good advice that I've never heard before. Thx!

[ZMAN]

Good advice that I've never heard before. Thx!

I am a fanatic about hum. When I was researching my pedal board they had a lot of information about conditioned power supplies. I was totally amazed at how much each item will multiply the hum. Including the gain channel!
I had a funny situation a while back. I turned on my pedal board and I had an absolutely loud hum coming from my amps. I thought it was one of my pedals so I took every one out of the loop and tested. Still there. I was pulling my hair out.
I checked my wall plug to see if there was a problem and I found that the pedal board was not plugged into the wall. It was plugged into a nearby power bar that I use for my stereo. I plugged back into the wall and the hum was totally gone.
Apparently my wife was cleaning behind the sofa and knocked the plug out of the wall. She though it would be "better" if it was plugged into the power bar. I explained why and she now will not touch anything in my guitar room.
Including dusting!

[kiteman]

I am a fanatic about hum. When I was researching my pedal board they had a lot of information about conditioned power supplies. I was totally amazed at how much each item will multiply the hum. Including the gain channel!
I had a funny situation a while back. I turned on my pedal board and I had an absolutely loud hum coming from my amps. I thought it was one of my pedals so I took every one out of the loop and tested. Still there. I was pulling my hair out.
I checked my wall plug to see if there was a problem and I found that the pedal board was not plugged into the wall. It was plugged into a nearby power bar that I use for my stereo. I plugged back into the wall and the hum was totally gone.
Apparently my wife was cleaning behind the sofa and knocked the plug out of the wall. She though it would be "better" if it was plugged into the power bar. I explained why and she now will not touch anything in my guitar room.
Including dusting!

Well, when your friends come over and asked where are you your wife can say "in the dusty room".

[deeaa*]

I don't know exactly what kind of electric system the U.S. system is; I know it's not 230/50Hz like here, but I suppose it's quite similar in grounding etc. issues.

I've had a lot of different issues such as the one you mention, and I've also had problems with for instance amps that someone had lifted the ground off to fight a problem like that, and I've used some copper wire on my wrist in studio trying to fight it...

I don't know exactly why and how these ground loops occur, but I know it's vital to use only very good, checked, well grounded power source and from there on quality power cables. Sometimes even just turning a plug around in its socket may help, crazy as it seems...but in case of some transformer oscillation problems it can really help if all devices get the power in same phase...

But, active pickups...I started using to counter lighting noise, CRT monitor noise etc...never looked back. They work well.

[deeaa*]

BTW you can die onstage playing a ground-lifted amp...I've been shocked a few times to my lips due to those...luckily always well under the full 230V.

[Rockermann]

...I've been shocked a few times to my lips due to those...

Looks like that might be happening here?