diy
Uncle Paul's helpful hints on home recording (an ongoing series)
Sometimes I get asked, "Uncle Paul, there's faulty wiring in my bass, and the signal buzzes loudly enough to be audible in the mix. What can I do?" Well, last night I found an answer. The buzz is due to improper grounding, and you can ground it with your body; touch your hand to the strings and it stops. The problem is that when playing bass, sometimes neither hand is in contact with the strings, so you need some sort of grounding that remains steady while you play. I recommend the following simple expedient: take a guitar cord, slide one end under the strings above the nut, and stick the other end down your pants. The pressure of your waistband against your ass will give you a nice strong connection, and now you're totally jazzed up and can play bass all night long.
