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Shielding problem or just live with it ?


ML94
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So after looking at loads of DIY youtube videos I plucked up the courage to take apart my Marcus miller jazz and shield it as it was humming like mad !

After doing a very DIY like job to the bass i had played it through another amp and to my amazement it hummed but at the slightest. When I plugged it into my own amp a Genz Benz shuttle 6.2 with a 2x10 focus cab I could clearly hear it through there. Its decreased from when I did the shielding but i feel like there should be less hum ?

It can't be my amp can it ?

I know these basses are notoriously known for their humming issues but was just wondering if there was anything more I could do myself rather paying someone silly money for an 'easy' job.

It maybe worth mentioning that the bass has a bartolini preamp installed.

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[quote name='ML94' timestamp='1392538629' post='2369715']
It maybe worth mentioning that the bass has a bartolini preamp installed.
[/quote]

Active EQ, normal pickups...

Your Genz Benz cab has a tweeter? Did the other amp/cab have one? It still surprises me that expensive Fender Jazz basses have hum issues; my Squier Active Deluxe Jazz doesn't hum in the slightest!

If you've shielded the pickup cavities then maybe you need to install noiseless pickups? http://www.fender.com/en-GB/guitar-bass-parts/pickups-and-preamps/fender-vintage-noiseless-jazz-bass-pickups-set-of-2/

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The amp i put it thought initially just to make sure i didn't break anything was a little gens benz 3.0 combo with the extension cabinet. I was told that with these kind of pickups I shouldn't be expecting a dead silent bass as there not noiseless. When using both together they sound fine, no buzz at all. when you solo for example the bridge pickup then a definite hum is heard.

My cab has a tweeter control which I think maybe currently on at +12db (Should've checked that!)

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[quote name='ML94' timestamp='1392541091' post='2369741']
When using both together they sound fine, no buzz at all. when you solo for example the bridge pickup then a definite hum is heard.
[/quote]


That's your answer right there.

When you use BOTH together they are effectively connected in such a way that any hum induced in one pickup is cancelled out by the same hum induced in the other pickup (this is the exact principle used in "humbucking" pickups to cancel noise).

This implies that the hum you are hearing is being induced in the pickups themselves. No amount of shielding will prevent this, it's an inherent problem with single coil pickup designs.

The hum is usually airborne and is generated by other electrical devices in the same vicinity as the bass - often even the amplifier itself. You can often minimise the noise by moving the bass (turning it away from the source of hum). To identify where the hum is originating try using the bass like an "aerial" - move it towards and away from the various components of your rig (including any pedal power supplies) and try turning it around slowly. You'll often find there will be a loud spot where the hum is worst and similar spots where it is quieter. If you can easily position yourself in a quieter spot then this is the simplest answer.

Low voltage (eco), fluorescent lights, lighting dimmer switches and computer screens can also generate hum so check these by switching them off to make sure that your not chasing a hum that it created within the room itself rather than by your gear.

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  • 4 weeks later...

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