Stage One humming like crazy.

Neal Vosberg · From: Tennessee, USA

Simple set up. Stage One into a Nashville 112. Cables have been inspected and swapped. Most anywhere in the house, any outlet, (three prong, no dimmers on the circuit) I get a really bad hum, and an overall dirty, gainy sound. I can pick up the steel and move to very specific locations in rooms and the hum goes away. I've tested the amp with six strings, dead quiet. Use the amp at practice at a different location. Dead quiet and great tone. Are these intermediate steels more susceptible to interference or is it my hastily remodeled 1942 era home?

Joseph Carlson · From: Grass Valley, California, USA

Not sure what pickup comes stock on a Stage One, but you might want to look into a humbucking pickup if it has a single coil in it now.

I'm partial to the Lawrence 710

http://www.billlawrence.com/Pages/Pickup_Window/Pedal_Steel.htm

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

It has nothing at all to do with the steel guitar. It's about the pickup and whether it's a single coil or humbucker. Sometimes the most expensive steel guitar in the world has a single coil pickup that will hum terribly in the wrong venue.

That's the age-old tradeoff. Single coil pickups may sound sweeter and better in many ways, but they will pick up hum if the environment is "hummy".

I play too many places that have a hum problem, so I only use humbuckers. I wish I could use a single coil.

B

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Lyle Dent · From: Little Rock ,Arkansas

Neal, sounds like a grounding issue. Try putting on the little orange 3/2 adapters on the plugs. I play some places where I have to use them to get rid of the hum and carry them in my seat. The weirdest place is where they have GFI plugs on the stage (too much beer) and I have to plug each rack component separately from the rack rider off the stage or all plugs go out.
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Jack Hanson · From: San Luis Valley, USA

One of these may help. Much less expensive than rewiring your home.

Douglas Schuch · From: Valencia, Philippines

Stage Ones come with a humbucker pickup, so unless this guitar had the pup changed or was ordered with something else, then that is not the problem. Can you post a pic of the pickup?
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Bringing steel guitar to the bukid of Negros Oriental!

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Neal Vosberg · From: Tennessee, USA

That's the non-descript pickup that I assume is stock.

Neal Vosberg · From: Tennessee, USA

Also, how is it possible that I've never had this issue with all my various single coil six strings in the past, but steels are just picking up every interference?

Greg Thompson · From: Taumarunui, New Zealand

Send Doug @ Stage One an email

Glenn Demichele · From: (20mi N of) Chicago Illinois, USA

Sounds like the ground wire of the pickup came loose from the jack. Trace the wires to the pickup
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mtulbert · From: Plano, Texas 75023

Neal,

You mentioned that use the amp at a different location and there is no hum. I am assuming that you are also using the steel there and there is no hum. If that is correct, you may be experiencing EMI or electro magnetic interference. I had an issue at my house with this problem and it just about drove me crazy. No grounding aid will help with this problem. I finally found the cause to be my pool pump and when I turn it off, my steel is dead quiet.

I also had it with guitar pickups however and you mentioned that you don't. I would suggest that you start pulling breakers and see if you can find the cause that way. This may not be the case but you never know.

Regards,
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Mark T

Infinity D-10 Justice SD-10 Judge Revelation Octal Preamp, Fractal AXE III, Fender FRFR 12

Doug Earnest · From: Branson, MO USA

That is one of the old original ZumSteel single coil pickups specific to the Stage One.

I can't say why it is noisy in some places at some times and not others, but will say that the pickups were inherently noisy. Great sound, but noisy.

Humbuckers have been standard equipment on all Stage One labeled guitars that I have built.

Randy Schneider · From: SW New Mexico, USA

Like many broadcast radio signals, EMI/noise/hum often seems to have a 'polarity' to it.

My single-coil Squier Strat picks up a lot of noise in this room if the body of the guitar is held parallel to the floor (as a pedal steel would be), but is much quieter when held to be played (vertically, at 90 degrees to the floor). My Tele single coils aren't as noisy as the Strat, but still hum more if parallel to the floor than if held at a right angle (as it would be when played).

Might be interesting to tip the steel to a different orientation to see if the noise fades or gets even worse.

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