[HOWEYMAN]

I just recently picked a Highwayone Strat, and I like the pickups my but they are noisier (buzzing and crackles) then hell, especially in the neck and middle positions. It's a HSS. Maybe its my real old peavy amp? (1985 or so) any suggestions here? thanks

When I turn my knobs on my amp, they crackle, but if this had something to do with problem I am having, it seems like I would get that buzz in any pickup position.

I mean it's bad, I get discouraged and just play on the position with least noise, which isn't the tone I like, which in turn, only makes me want to play my Martin instead.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[KCJones]

Try your guitar in a friend's amp that is quiet with his guitar.....if same problem, it's the guitar. If so, it may just be the nature of the beast and nothing is really wrong with your guitar.
If its quiet in your friends amp, then its your amp; but again, that may not mean anything is wrong with your amp though; again, nature of the beast. Try your friends guitar in your amp.
Also, when the amp is on, without the guitar pluged in, is there noise? If so, its definately the amp. If not, its the guitar, or guitar/amp combination.
Sorry I can't nail this down, but amp/guitar noise has many variables, some that can be hard to nail down.
Hate to say it, but noise in varying types and levels is inherint to all guitars and amps that have nothing wrong with them.

As for the crackle when you turn the knobs, that's a different issue altogether that's very easily fixed, see previous post.
http://community.rukind.org/viewtopic.p ... highlight=

[HOWEYMAN]

yea, when the amp is on, with no guitar, it is quiet.

I was thinking it was a combination of the guitar/amp causing the noise, but I guess if the amp is quiet until you plug in the guitar into it (or turn up the volume on the guitar) it must be the guitar. It just sucks, because I used to have a crappy washburn strat type guitar, and I did not have this excessive noise with that guitar. I just can't believe I upgraded and I'm having problems.

I don't have access to another amp, (I have friends, just no guitar player friends, lolo), so I guess I can go up to Guitar Center and plug into a few there for a test.

In the meantime I'll clean the pots.

[amyjared]

I once had problems with my pickups and it turned out to be the electical setup at my house. It was older, nothing was grounded so I was using an adapter from 3 prong to 2 for the amp and I had reostat (sp?) lights that all caused it to make noise and crackle. Try plugging in to different outlets, try doing it with the lights off in the room, etc. to see if that is the prob. At least it will narrow it down/rule that out.

[HOWEYMAN]

I once had problems with my pickups and it turned out to be the electical setup at my house. It was older, nothing was grounded so I was using an adapter from 3 prong to 2 for the amp and I had reostat (sp?) lights that all caused it to make noise and crackle. Try plugging in to different outlets, try doing it with the lights off in the room, etc. to see if that is the prob. At least it will narrow it down/rule that out.

Ya know, I thought that might be the case. I do have 3 prong outlets, but I was thinking it could be something with the electrical supply as you mentioned. It could be air the room is just to dry as well. I'll try plugging it into a differn't outlet, maybe that will work. thanks

I wonder if beacause it sits on a wood floor, with the basement underneath, the amp isn't grounded completely.

my amp has a switch for positive/negative ground. When I flipped this, there was no change.

[Mick]

If you are getting a lot of buzzing and crackling in the neck and middle positions and not in the bridge position, AND I am reading your shorthand correctly that you have a humbucker in your bridge position and single coils in the middle and neck positions, then I could rephrase your statement to be: I am getting a lot of buzz and crackling when playing off my single coils that goes away when I switch to the humbucker. Correct?

If so, electrical interference in the room would definitely be something I would check into first. This happens at my house too, basically if I want to play while the dishwasher is running, I have to play off the humbuckers or it is just too annoying.