Hum From EMGs?

rockycreeker · June 23rd, 2008, 01:03 PM

I bought a set of EMG Tele pups on ebay a while back. They looked perfect cosmetically. My guitar repairman who does all my work installed them for me. They sound fine, except the bridge pup does have some hum when you get close to the amp - this also can be heard when combined with the neck pup. The neck pup by itself is dead quiet.

Played live in normal situations, I don't notice it, cause I don't get that close to the amp, but I'd like to nail the problem.

Could it be an installation problem or a faulty pup? Any ideas?

maestrovert · June 23rd, 2008, 01:50 PM

i'd make sure the ground is disconnected 1st thing, EMGs do not require string grounding...

rockycreeker · June 23rd, 2008, 02:11 PM

Didn't think about that.. so if the bridge pup were to be grounded in the conventional way, it could cause hum? I'll check it out. Thanks Mastrovert!!

bradpdx · June 23rd, 2008, 09:12 PM

Grounding EMGs conventionally will NOT add hum. In some cases it may help, but not here.

No, the bridge pickup is simply not 100% hum cancelling - the two coils are slightly different. I too have observed this with EMG-T sets and it is true for most humbuckers.

Don't sweat it. When you get your guitar close to the amp, you are creating an extreme situation unlikely to occur when playing. In reality the EMGs are very, very quiet. Just not dead quiet.

cdhopkin · June 24th, 2008, 07:33 AM

I get hum from my EMGs (all my Strats are loaded with EMGs) when I'm playing with a bit of gain and in front of my pc...They are very quiet but not totally foolproof.

Just make sure the strings aren't grounded. EMGs are double grounded internally and they recommend disconnecting the string ground as it could cause a ground loop.

kludge · June 24th, 2008, 10:53 AM

Check your cables, too... I've found that switching cables can kill hum that seems to be coming from the pickups.

rockycreeker · June 24th, 2008, 03:58 PM

Thanks for input guys. I spoke with my guitar repairman and he didn't remember if he grounded the strings or not. Like Bradpdx said, it's not a major problem, but I will get the string grounding thing checked out. Thanks guys.

cdhopkin · June 24th, 2008, 04:27 PM

Another thing you could check is if it's related to one particular amp/pedal combination or location where you are playing...Lots of possibilities.

rockycreeker · June 24th, 2008, 05:05 PM

Well, my main guitar is a Fender Strat that I've EMG SAs in forever, and I don't get any hum out of them, so I don't think it's any particular effect that I may be using. Of course the more gain stuff I have going on, such as compression, overdrive, etc, the more the hum is noticeable, but I just don't think it's that.

With the Tele, as soon as I switch to the neck pup alone, bam - the hum is totally gone. I can hear the hum with just the guitar plugged straight into the amp. I have three Fender amps, a 66 Twin, a 66 Vibrolux and a 76 Deluxe and the hum is noticeable with all of them. But of course I have to be really close to the speakers to hear it.

supersoad1 · June 24th, 2008, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdhopkin

Another thing you could check is if it's related to one particular amp/pedal combination or location where you are playing...Lots of possibilities.

very true...it could be a number of things

nicktele5150 · June 24th, 2008, 05:39 PM

well i learned somethin new today i thought emgs were completly noiseless lol

cdhopkin · June 24th, 2008, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockycreeker

With the Tele, as soon as I switch to the neck pup alone, bam - the hum is totally gone. I can hear the hum with just the guitar plugged straight into the amp.

It might be worth checking the wiring to see if the briad for the bridge pup is soldered to the back of the volume pot correctly. If this was a Strat I'd suggest swapping out the p/up (assuming yours use the quikconnect cables) to see if it's the p/up or the wiring.

Another thought is that something is being grounded that shouldn't be grounded when the switch is selecting the bridge p/up on it's own.

maestrovert · June 24th, 2008, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicktele5150

well i learned somethin new today i thought emgs were completly noiseless lol

mine are, but then i don't use od/dist fx or "hi gain" amplification....

nicktele5150 · June 24th, 2008, 08:14 PM

ive always heard they were i just dont like active pickups

rockycreeker · June 24th, 2008, 08:27 PM

The same deal - some folks like EMGs, some don't. They work for me - to each his own. Putting EMGs in my Tele allowed me to interchange it with my Strat on gigs without having to reset my rig, but there is still a difference between guitars, i.e my Tele still sounds like a Tele. I've always said they are real world pickups.

cdhopkin · June 25th, 2008, 01:09 AM

My guitar teacher had a Strat with a 70 body / 64 neck (neck) fitted with EMG SAs. He was able to get all the tones under the sun from it and never sounded "sterile" even through a 15w tranny practice amp.

I've got 1 Strat with an 85/SA/SA combination and another one with 3 SAs plus the SPC mid boost. I'm rejigging my Strats at the moment and am going for two with all SAs - I'm going to mount the SPC into a stompbox.

June 23rd, 2008, 01:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
rockycreeker Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 369	Hum From EMGs? I bought a set of EMG Tele pups on ebay a while back. They looked perfect cosmetically. My guitar repairman who does all my work installed them for me. They sound fine, except the bridge pup does have some hum when you get close to the amp - this also can be heard when combined with the neck pup. The neck pup by itself is dead quiet. Played live in normal situations, I don't notice it, cause I don't get that close to the amp, but I'd like to nail the problem. Could it be an installation problem or a faulty pup? Any ideas? __________________ Playing music is a permanent sickness

June 23rd, 2008, 01:50 PM	#2 (permalink)
maestrovert Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Branch Mi. Posts: 5,996	i'd make sure the ground is disconnected 1st thing, EMGs do not require string grounding... __________________ Sing the Song Bro' Play on Drummer www.godonthe.net

June 23rd, 2008, 02:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
rockycreeker Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 369	Didn't think about that.. so if the bridge pup were to be grounded in the conventional way, it could cause hum? I'll check it out. Thanks Mastrovert!! __________________ Playing music is a permanent sickness

June 23rd, 2008, 09:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
bradpdx Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Portland, OR Age: 50 Posts: 672	Grounding EMGs conventionally will NOT add hum. In some cases it may help, but not here. No, the bridge pickup is simply not 100% hum cancelling - the two coils are slightly different. I too have observed this with EMG-T sets and it is true for most humbuckers. Don't sweat it. When you get your guitar close to the amp, you are creating an extreme situation unlikely to occur when playing. In reality the EMGs are very, very quiet. Just not dead quiet. __________________ ---------- Tech Geek and Sensitive Artiste String bender ordinare!

June 24th, 2008, 10:53 AM	#6 (permalink)
kludge Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Minneapolis Age: 43 Posts: 1,013	Check your cables, too... I've found that switching cables can kill hum that seems to be coming from the pickups. __________________ Oz: Well, other bands know more than three chords. Your professional bands can play up to six, sometimes seven completely different chords. Devon: That's just, like, fruity jazz bands. -from Buffy the Vampire Slayer

June 24th, 2008, 07:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
cdhopkin Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Pontypridd, South Wales Age: 30 Posts: 197	I get hum from my EMGs (all my Strats are loaded with EMGs) when I'm playing with a bit of gain and in front of my pc...They are very quiet but not totally foolproof. Just make sure the strings aren't grounded. EMGs are double grounded internally and they recommend disconnecting the string ground as it could cause a ground loop.

June 24th, 2008, 03:58 PM	#7 (permalink)
rockycreeker Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 369	Thanks for input guys. I spoke with my guitar repairman and he didn't remember if he grounded the strings or not. Like Bradpdx said, it's not a major problem, but I will get the string grounding thing checked out. Thanks guys. __________________ Playing music is a permanent sickness

June 24th, 2008, 04:27 PM	#8 (permalink)
cdhopkin Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Pontypridd, South Wales Age: 30 Posts: 197	Another thing you could check is if it's related to one particular amp/pedal combination or location where you are playing...Lots of possibilities.

June 24th, 2008, 05:05 PM	#9 (permalink)
rockycreeker Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 369	Well, my main guitar is a Fender Strat that I've EMG SAs in forever, and I don't get any hum out of them, so I don't think it's any particular effect that I may be using. Of course the more gain stuff I have going on, such as compression, overdrive, etc, the more the hum is noticeable, but I just don't think it's that. With the Tele, as soon as I switch to the neck pup alone, bam - the hum is totally gone. I can hear the hum with just the guitar plugged straight into the amp. I have three Fender amps, a 66 Twin, a 66 Vibrolux and a 76 Deluxe and the hum is noticeable with all of them. But of course I have to be really close to the speakers to hear it. __________________ Playing music is a permanent sickness

June 24th, 2008, 05:39 PM	#11 (permalink)
nicktele5150 Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2008 Location: georgia Age: 15 Posts: 116	well i learned somethin new today i thought emgs were completly noiseless lol

June 24th, 2008, 08:14 PM	#14 (permalink)
nicktele5150 Tele-Meister Join Date: May 2008 Location: georgia Age: 15 Posts: 116	ive always heard they were i just dont like active pickups __________________ nothin beats a good tele

June 24th, 2008, 08:27 PM	#15 (permalink)
rockycreeker Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Georgia Posts: 369	The same deal - some folks like EMGs, some don't. They work for me - to each his own. Putting EMGs in my Tele allowed me to interchange it with my Strat on gigs without having to reset my rig, but there is still a difference between guitars, i.e my Tele still sounds like a Tele. I've always said they are real world pickups. __________________ Playing music is a permanent sickness

June 25th, 2008, 01:09 AM	#16 (permalink)
cdhopkin Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Pontypridd, South Wales Age: 30 Posts: 197	My guitar teacher had a Strat with a 70 body / 64 neck (neck) fitted with EMG SAs. He was able to get all the tones under the sun from it and never sounded "sterile" even through a 15w tranny practice amp. I've got 1 Strat with an 85/SA/SA combination and another one with 3 SAs plus the SPC mid boost. I'm rejigging my Strats at the moment and am going for two with all SAs - I'm going to mount the SPC into a stompbox.