Source of Buzz - My Rug

[Danley]

More ridiculous noise-abatement in my house: So I get ground buzz only when I stand on my area rug barefoot - but not on the carpet around it Using a Fuhrman power conditioner. Noise goes away when I touch the strings (or step off the rug, or put on shoes.)

• Is something probably wrong with the grounding of my house?
• ...Or with the grounding of my amp(s?)
• ...Or the guitar(s?)

[somanytoys]

I know what you mean. That is really irritating, I have the same type of problem sometimes, even after buying a Furman power conditioner, Ebtech hum eliminators, etc. - although they do help.

It could be any of those. I’ve also seen where Brad had posted in a thread that if you have any faders on your light switches in your house, it could very well be those.

But it’s weird that it’s only on the one rug, and only barefoot. Maybe you’re somehow completing a circuit being barefoot on the rug? Or becoming an antenna?

Seems very odd. Sorry, I don’t have any good advice, but similar experiences.

I’m assuming the rug really ties the room together?!?
(Lebowski joke)

[Danley]

Yeah- to be clear, the amp is not also on the rug (it's on the carpet next to the rug.) The rug is touching some shelves and things, but not touching any other electrical devices (that are plugged in; I have some un-plugged amps stacked on it on the other side of the room.)

[chrisrnps]

My theory: it has to do with grounding / partially grounding *you* - the area rug might be made out of something with different conductance / capacitance properties than the carpet, or one or the other has a stored static charge and you’re an antenna, or...

One of the theories of “guitar has buzz that stops when I touch metal on the guitar” that seems to make sense to me is that all the electrolytes and everything else make the human body a sort of vector for all the worst EMI / RFI stuff in the environment, and you’re actually sending all that stuff to ground when you touch grounded things on the instrument.

Or the area rug is more vindictive than the carpet, and you’re creating a partial ground loop / differential found potential issue when you are on it barefoot?

(Non-edit: autocorrect turned “conductive” to “vindictive,” but I like it...)

[DeathJag]

After reading David’s incredible journey to a quiet place, I ended up discovering that if I use three HumX adaptors with two amps + reverb tank, and then plug the Gigrig power (for a couple pedals) straight into the wall - the crazy hum / buzz is completely gone. It’s wild. With earplugs on and then amp at fairly deafening levels, it sounds like it’s off until I touch the strings!

Maybe the rug works for HumX!

[somanytoys]

I haven’t tried their Hum-X, but I have their small (2) and large rackmount (8) Hum Eliminators. They do make a very noticeable difference, when they’re needed.

It may be worth buying 1 or 2 of the Hum-Xs, too, since even Ebtech says that the best place to start is at the power source.

It’s just irritating, because I start with a power conditioner and everything is then plugged into good Furman power supplies from there. But I guess that’s what happens when you have that much shit all hooked up together. And I have dimmer switches on the lights, so I just do what I can.

Eliminating noise and hum is a money rabbit hole unto itself...

[Embenny]

Might be cheaper at this point to change the lights. How often do you really use the dimmers? Switching those to regular switches is really cheap.

And what kind of bulbs are they?

[somanytoys]

For me, it’s lots of Installed, recessed LED lights, most of them with faders, throughout most of the house. Way too much to undo, and the faders are used a good bit.

And i’ve already bought stuff to eliminate most of it, the rest I’ll just live with.

Another things is that when I play, I tend have a lot of stuff going - pedalboards, at least 2 !guitar amps, often a pa (for drums & bass), and sometimes a bass amp. I probably kind of deserve the noise...

[sessylU]

Is the rug wax potted?

[øøøøøøø]

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the rug itself has less to do with your issue than the physical location YOU are in (in the room) when you stand on said rug.

[Danley]

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the rug itself has less to do with your issue than the physical location YOU are in (in the room) when you stand on said rug.

Absolutely the rug. If I scoot my big toe onto it, the buzz comes. If I shuffle it back, it ends. Also eliminated if I wear shoes.

[gusgorman]

If I were a betting man, I’d wager that the rug itself has less to do with your issue than the physical location YOU are in (in the room) when you stand on said rug.

Absolutely the rug. If I scoot my big toe onto it, the buzz comes. If I shuffle it back, it ends. Also eliminated if I wear shoes.

Haha! I'm totally ignorant about what could cause this... but interested!

Are the carpet and rug made of different fibres? Is one of them natural and the other synthetic? I believe natural fibres would be conductive and synthetic fibres wouldn't be?

[somanytoys]

That's so weird.

I'm going to have to do some rug tests now to see if any of those are culprits, although I don't have carpet.

[Shadoweclipse13]

This is the weirdest thing I've ever read, but I'm very intrigued.

Are the carpet and rug made of different fibres? Is one of them natural and the other synthetic? I believe natural fibres would be conductive and synthetic fibres wouldn't be?

If the difference in fibers makes a difference, and the buzz is coming from the rug, maybe there IS a case for needing the carpet to match the drapes

[somanytoys]

This is the weirdest thing I've ever read, but I'm very intrigued.

Are the carpet and rug made of different fibres? Is one of them natural and the other synthetic? I believe natural fibres would be conductive and synthetic fibres wouldn't be?

If the difference in fibers makes a difference, and the buzz is coming from the rug, maybe there IS a case for needing the carpet to match the drapes

That’s why in almost all conceivable situations, hardwood floors are preferable to carpet.

(The carpet rarely matches the drapes anyway...)