60 cycle hum

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Zptx

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Help: Begginners guide to 60 cycle hum

It is killing my single coils… doesn’t help, but my “office” has the old cable lines coming in for internet, dimmable led recessed lighting. 2 pcs, 3 monitors and a ceiling fan. I play on silverface fender amps mostly and single coils are unbearable.

Would it be best to call a good electrician or are there steps I can take before I do. I know it has been always been an issue in this room before the additional interference from added lights and pc equipment.
 
Swirling Snow

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You can get an "uninterruptable power supply". The battery powered side of it should be isolated and filtered well enough to help. A typical "isolated power strip" won't be enough.

You might be able to remove or at least disconnect any motor speed controls or light dimmers. Most are very noisy, especially the digital ones ("choppers").

The PCs should be okay. They are supposed to be interference free, by law. (An old PC or monitor may well now be emitting noise, though.)

If you call someone in, make sure they have experience dealing with noise. You don't want to fund someone's education as they blindly try things.
 
King Fan

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(Edited for logic after coffee kicked in :)). So you're talking electrically noisy environment, not 60hz amp hum or poorly shielded guitar? The noise only happens when you plug a guitar into the amp? Can you confirm your guitars and amp are quiet in other environments?

As @Swirling Snow says, some electric noise is 'dirty power', coming in the electric line, and I've certainly read about power conditioners (I didn't know a UPS could do that). Other noise is radiant (RFI, EMI) -- in the air -- the kind guitar strings and pickups pass to the amp when they're working their side gig as little antennas. Fluorescent lights. Dimmers. Electric motors. If turning everything off (PCs, monitors, A/C, lights, etc.) doesn't help, it may be an always-on thing, or it may even be coming from some distance. Big motors, or the old ethernet-over-powerline systems, or various radio transmitters are famously noisy even in a neighbor's home.
 
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Zptx

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Thanks for the responses… have a Lea Paul and a 90’s radio head/widespread panic era tele plus plus with lace sensor hum bucker and they can play but still noticeable. I think the power is dirty as old cable line has had internet problems (fiber laid in neighborhood last week).

But my baby is a ‘72 strat and can’t pick it up even. I do have a led dimmer switch for fluorescent light fan which I hear I need to get rid of to start. But if you hold the pickups of the guitar facing said connectivity wall… you can hear without even playing a note. All my old amps are three prong and gone over by a good amp tech. I do have a good electrician who would have an honest discussion, but it sounds like these are some things I can try

I’ve shielded a nice garage hand me down mexican strat from the 90s in a gilmour build and it’s a no go.

I take my bass master amp to the patio with a single coil and it is clear like glass. Just entertains the neighbors a little too much.
 
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King Fan

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It's good you have 3-prong cords, but printer2's question about the outlet matters. An inexpensive outlet tester from the hardware store is a priceless tool for not only safety but also noise problems -- a shocking (!!) proportion of US homes have poor or no grounds on some or all outlets.
 
Zptx

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Swirling Snow said:
You can get an "uninterruptable power supply". The battery powered side of it should be isolated and filtered well enough to help. A typical "isolated power strip" won't be enough.
Click to expand...
King Fan said:
It's good you have 3-prong cords, but printer2's question about the outlet matters. An inexpensive outlet tester from the hardware store is a priceless tool for not only safety but also noise problems -- a shocking (!!) proportion of US homes have poor or no grounds on some or all outlets.
Click to expand...
any good advice on a ups? I wasn’t aware they were filters and I work in the data center industry lol.

I will get a tester and plan to run with all suggestions. It’s sad to be able to work from home and let my babies collect dust around me.

Thank you.
 
Swirling Snow

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I have not done a market survey recently, but the only outlet strip with real filtering I ever saw was an Isobar.

hmmmm... can't seem to include a link.

Amazon:

Tripp Lite ISOBAR8ULTRA 8-Outlet ISOBAR Surge Protector, 3840 Joules​

 
dogmeat

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do other Isobars filter too? like the one with 2 outlets. I would think so but????
 
corliss1

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I think @King Fan 's post is the most important as that helps isolate the issue. If it only happens with a guitar plugged in, and it's not just amp noise, doing things on the electrical side of the amp (power conditioners, ups, etc.) likely aren't going to help.

Can you isolate the issue a bit more?
 
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