How players deal with humming strats??

Catthan

Hi guys,

I'm coming to terms with the fact that I can't afford another Suhr silent backplate for my 2nd strat and was wondering how people

deal with the hum?

I'm used to very little hum from my silenced strat, specially at home where I can hear everything, and my other strat seems noisy as f__k..

However, lots of players rely on SCs, with many pros using vintage ones..

I'm know that at gigging volumes with the whole band and while I play I won't notice anything but I'm still troubled. 

Guess it's one of these things which are always there to annoy if one decides to look for them..

Is it just this, that I won't notice it in a practical scenario, or is there a secret?

tbh last time I was gigging with a strat I didn't really bother nor do I remember it being an issue but there were very few things I bothered about regarding my tone those days..

Please share if you got any info/ experience..

Thanks,

Bogwhoppit

Its part of the Strats character. A burst is associated with a Les Paul, ££££££££££'s are associated with a PRS, and the Strat hum's like a dustman emptying the bins.  Bliss

DeeTee

Don't most people use copper foil or paint in the body cavity to insulate the pickups from anything causing the hum? Is it worth seeing if you can pick some of that up?

octatonic

Use less gain, sit/stand further from the amp & at the right angle.

Copper foil can help a bit but really it is about living with it.

Playing live in a band I hardly notice it.

John_P

I ended up fitting noiseless p/ups to my main strat so I could cure it but I suspect that better shielding - copper foil like DeeTee said would help - live with a band playing it might be something you can live with though.

thermionic

How do you stop a Strat humming? Teach it the words.

ICBM

I just ignore it. I actually like a bit - it's part of the character of the guitar, and unless it's really extreme it doesn't bother me. A RWRP middle pickup will give you two hum-free settings on the guitar, at least - I find that's enough even in the worst cases… it's not always (or even usually) the sound I want but it will do if there's just too much noise.

Copper foil won't really help with the hum. It will help with some buzz-type noise, but not single-coil hum pickup.

thermionic

I screened all the cavities of my Strat and applied aluminium foil to the back of the pickguard but it still hums as soon as I kick in an overdrive pedal. You can't really create a Faraday Cage if the pickups have to poke up out of it. It's very specific though, I can turn to a particular angle and it all disappears.

OilCityPickups

Read the following: you are over thinking this!
Turn up and wail ... the hum is part of a Strat's character. Shield the compartment if you like ... but don't get hung up about it.

That hum tells me my gear's ready to rock ... silent is worrying

Danny1969

One trick is to only open the volume pot when your playing, as soon as you stop wind the pot back down. That's generally the rule with any guitar in a high gain Live situation ..... becomes like a nervous twitch after a while and you get really quick at it. 

Or fit those Kinman pickups, those things are quiet

OilCityPickups

Handy thing about where the Strat's volume control is ... curl your little finger around it and you have a kill switch or a volume swell

ToneControl

I preferred Fender SCN pickups to Kinmans, half the price too

modern low energy bulbs can be a big problem, especially those in the next floor down sometimes, sitting far enough back from the amp

btw the self adhesive aluminium tape used between pieces of Kingspan is a really easy way to screen cavities. Going up the sides up the pickup routes can make a difference too

Have you tried a noise gate btw?

ICBM

thermionic said:

I screened all the cavities of my Strat and applied aluminium foil to the back of the pickguard but it still hums as soon as I kick in an overdrive pedal. You can't really create a Faraday Cage if the pickups have to poke up out of it. It's very specific though, I can turn to a particular angle and it all disappears.

That's because the hum is nothing to do with having a Faraday cage anyway - it's magnetic, and will go straight through any normal metal shielding. The idea that shielding will stop the hum is very common but unfortunately completely wrong. A Faraday cage will stop *electrostatic* interference, but not electromagnetic which is what single coil pickups are most affected by.

You can get a special type of metal alloy called 'Mu-Metal' which is a magnetic shield, but it's expensive, heavy, and you probably would have to shield the tops of the pickups as well, which would indeed stop them working . Normally, the only effective way to stop hum is with extra coils, either as a humbucking pickup, two RWRP pickups, or a dummy coil.

Shielding is worth it to stop the rest of the interference after you've taken care of that - as is 'star' grounding - you can easily tell which type it is because this sort is *not* directional. So if turning round to a particular angle kills the hum completely, there's no point in adding more shielding. Too much shielding can affect the tone, too - not usually too much if it's just the cavities around the controls, but don't shield the pickups or the cabling of a Fender-type guitar. (Apart from between the jack and the volume control, which is worth doing and doesn't affect the tone.)

IanSavage

These will sort it: http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/5860/fs-fender-vintage-noiseless-pickup-set-70-posted/p1 (not mine by the way) - I had a set because I'm fucking anal about hum and noise, they don't REALLY have the character of normal Strat single-coils but they're firmly in the ballpark, and I could put up with the slightly more 'polite' tone for the loss of noise. 

Catthan

Thanks guys!
It is true that at full set up I don't really notice it. My problem is when I practice parts at home; you may rightfully say that strats are meant to be hit hard live but I ve been more than happy with the suhr plate and any difference annoys me.. it's not a big deal anyway tbh.. I was just wondering whether there's a secret or smth as many guys play vintage ones and record with them too.

re SCNs, shielding etc, the only solution i liked has been the back plate
I generally don't like "versatile" Gear; a bit vintage but noiseless and things like that. if hum comes with "that" sound then I ll just live with it. and if the Gigs pay out I might consider fitting another plate.

Thanks for all your input guys!

mike_l

As has been said move away from your amp for a start.

Maybe a noise gate of some descriptio would help too.

JohnPerry

^This. The ISP G-string decimator is by far the best noise gate I've used. Doesn't affect tone at all, and v easy to operate. You don't notice s/c hum when playing and the ISP will give you total silence when not playing

xwolf5150

I use a noise gate at the start of my pedal chain. First thing the guitar sees. I set it to kill my strat hum.

EricTheWeary

I remember an interview with Chris Rea where he said that single coil hum has got worse over the years as there is more stuff around to interfere now in your average venue. He started playing with other guitars, at least some of the time, as a result.

'Chris Rea once said that the auditorium in the Kremlin is the best place in the world to play a Strat. Not a single hum, since the whole Kremlin IS a Faraday cage...'

wasn't really what I was looking for when I googled Mr Rea on this subject but interesting nonetheless. It may be that, from what @ICBM put, he was completely wrong about this and the Kremlin (did he really gig in the Kremlin?)was nice and quiet for other reasons.

Megii

I shield all my guitars well with copper tape (not the pickups) - that does seem to help appreciably with noise on my strat certainly, though I appreciate the distinction between electrostatic noise and electromagnetic hum. And then just forget about it really - I've never noticed any kind of problem at gigs and venues (maybe I've just been lucky) - in the home I find there can be more hum, but just don't get too close to other bits of electrical gear, and I seem to cope alright.

Misty

Like many have said above, I just put up with it and forget about it. I ride the volume knob on my Strats all the time anyway, so in between numbers I just turn it down. It's part of the package.