Grounding problem?

[DFX-PCBS]

Ive built a friedman overdrive but ive just noticed that at high gain im getting that slight buzzing noise until i touch my strings or the bare enclosure. So i thought a grounding issue maybe but i checked all grounds and they're good. I tried a reflow of the solder but still no fix. You don't hear the buzz so much at lower gain settings. Anyone familiar with this circuit.

[thermionix]

Sounds like you're talking about normal pickup hum and noise, made louder by the high gain circuit.  If it goes away when you turn your guitar volume down, it's pickup noise.

[Phoenix]

Magnetic pickups are antennas. Your body, being mostly salty water, is also an antenna, a much larger one than the pickups, and right there behind them. So your body picks up all the noise and junk and couples it straight into the pickups - that is, unless you touch the bridge or strings or jack or enclosure of your pedal etc, and ground yourself out (a lot of people get it backwards and think that they're grounding the guitar by touching it, but remember, the guitar is already grounded through your amp, it's you that isn't grounded). Unfortunately there's no perfect way around this with magnetic pickups (mu-metal shielding of the back of the pickups helps), you just have to learn to always keep contact with some metal part of your guitar, it's part of good technique.

[pinkjimiphoton]

what greg just said. its perfectly normal to have what you describe happen.
that said, if you get squeals, rfi and/or microphony, check ground solder joints, and make sure pots etc are all grounded as well. an ungrounded pot in a high gain circuit can drive ya bonkers.

[PRR]

Are the strings grounded? Ohm-meter from string to guitar jack should read nearly-no Ohms (should be <0.1r, but most DMMs won't resolve <2 Ohms well).

Also pickup covers, pot bushings, tail piece....

[DFX-PCBS]

yea, goes away when i turn my guitar vol down. Also the noise isnt as noticeable on the les paul.

[ElectricDruid]

Could you wear an anti-static grounding strap around your wrist on your fret hand? Then you'd always be grounded, and you wouldn't have such a problem.
Not talking about the OP particularly, just you know - you guitarists in general.


T.

[thermionix]

Well the string ground solves that problem pretty well, almost always touching it with at least one hand.  And extra wire would be more trouble than it's worth, and mostly a solution to a nonexistent problem.  Plus, how you gonna sling your Kramer Beretta around your neck between licks?

But yeah, sounds like OP is dealing with single coil hum, amplified by a high-gain dirt box circuit.