My guitar Zapped me

LaMaestro

Hello.

I just got a second hand Fender Mustang I and I've been playing for a while until I got a little painful shock from the strings.

I was barefoot and there is a popping sound every time I touch the strings. Also there is the weak buzzing sound coming from the amp when no metal parts are touched. I have previously used my PC to play and no notable buzzing or shocking was present, however there was a little popping sound when guitar was touched.

What should I do? Is it the amp's grounding issues or guitar's grounding issues? I switched to another socket and wore slippers to continue playing and no further shocks were received. However the popping and buzzing stayed. 

Help.

57Deluxe

Stand in a Bucket of water and see if that helps...

ICBM

It's not the guitar - it never is. If you're getting a shock it's coming from whatever it's plugged into - either the amp or the wall supply are not earthed correctly.

If the buzzing goes away or reduces when you touch the strings, they are grounded. Although that is in itself a hazard because that's how you're getting the shock, it's not the cause of the problem.

LaMaestro

57Deluxe said:

Stand in a Bucket of water and see if that helps...

Witty.

LaMaestro

ICBM said:

It's not the guitar - it never is. If you're getting a shock it's coming from whatever it's plugged into - either the amp or the wall supply are not earthed correctly.

If the buzzing goes away or reduces when you touch the strings, they are grounded. Although that is in itself a hazard because that's how you're getting the shock, it's not the cause of the problem.

They buzzing goes away when I touch em, question is what to do now? Check the guitar or give the amp to a technitian?

ICBM

It's not the guitar.

First get the amp checked. If it's OK, get the wall supply checked.

MattFGBI

ICBM;644849" said:

It's not the guitar.

First get the amp checked. If it's OK, get the wall supply checked.

This.

olafgarten

I also wouldn't play it until it has been checked, it could be dangerous.

Gassage

My guitar Zapped me.

I was playing Hot Rats at the time.

Dalefty

That's because it doesn't like you, kill it to get back at it and revenge.

DaLefty

Maynehead

Sometimes I get that when I shred too fast...

Parker

Yeah - I'm no means technical and ICBM is the guru here, but there was a documented case about 10 years ago where a teenager was killed when he knocked his strings against a metal mic stand. I believe it was the milliampage not the voltage that killed him! Don't play it until it's sorted!

Evilmags

My guitar zapped me. It started voting labour and making snide comments about @drew_fx

1nten5e

Parker said:

Yeah - I'm no means technical and ICBM is the guru here, but there was a documented case about 10 years ago where a teenager was killed when he knocked his strings against a metal mic stand. I believe it was the milliampage not the voltage that killed him! Don't play it until it's sorted!

Voltage doesn't kill you, current kills you, 30ma across the heart is enough to stop it.....but, the higher the voltage the more current flows

ohms law innit

ICBM

Parker said:

Yeah - I'm no means technical and ICBM is the guru here, but there was a documented case about 10 years ago where a teenager was killed when he knocked his strings against a metal mic stand. I believe it was the milliampage not the voltage that killed him! Don't play it until it's sorted!

It will probably have been when *he* touched the stand, not the strings. There must have been an earthing fault to either the PA or the guitar amp so that one of them was live and the other wasn't, and he completed the circuit by holding the mic and the guitar at the same time.

There have been at least three relatively famous musicians fatally electrocuted the same way - one on stage, Les Harvey of Stone The Crows - Keith Relf formerly of the Yardbirds, and the Shadows' one-time bassist John Rostill in their home studios.

It's the supply wiring that's more likely to be the cause, but it's worth (and easier) getting the amp checked first.

1nten5e

Hey ICBM, this is a bugbear of mine, due to my electrical background, but it's unnecessary to put "fatally" in front of 'electrocuted'

thanks

EricTheWeary

Ooh, I was zapped holding an electric guitar once. The machine heads touched a badly wired side light and kaboom!
I once stuck a fork in a live toaster and it was a similar experience.
Anyway, not to be recommended.

Parker

1nten5e;644961" said:

Hey ICBM, this is a bugbear of mine, due to my electrical background, but it's ounnecessary to put "fatally" in front of 'electrocuted'





thanks

I guess that depends if you're English or American - I'm a safety professional (an arsehole in both countries!) and you can be injured by electrocution in the UK.

GuitarMonkey

Strictly, electrocution is defined as death due to electric shock.

Rowby1

Get it checked out. I've had a mains voltage shock from a mis wired amp and it's really not nice!

WezV

GuitarMonkey said:

Strictly, electrocution is defined as death due to electric shock.

At what point does common usage and natural evolution of language overtake the definitions of the root words?