Earth/ground question

imalrightjack

I've just acquired a new guitar with humbuckers which has an unfortunate ground hum.  If I touch the pick-up it cuts out, which made me think it's maybe an earth/ground issue.  Does that sound about right?  Forgive my lack of knowledge of the correct terms.  Is there an easy way to check?  And is it a simple fix?

The pick-ups are 'wide range' humbuckers - the guitar is one of these:

http://intl.fender.com/en-GB/guitars/stratocaster/classic-player-strat-hh-bound-rosewood-fingerboard-dark-mercedes-blue/

I've no idea why @Lewligan let it go - it's a beauty!

MattFGBI

Does the noise stop when you touch the strings?

imalrightjack

Yup.

MattFGBI

That's normal. The noise is environmental in that case. It may benefit from additional shielding but realistically in normal playing conditions you won't notice it as you'll be touching the strings.

imalrightjack

MattFGBI said:

That's normal. The noise is environmental in that case. It may benefit from additional shielding but realistically in normal playing conditions you won't notice it as you'll be touching the strings.

That's good to know!  Thanks!