10 tried-and-tested ways to eliminate noise from an electric guitar signal chain. Try these first, before you spend a fortune and replace your entire rig.
Noise in an electric guitar signal chain can come from several sources, including electromagnetic interference, grounding issues, poor-quality cables, noisy pedals, power supply problems and excessive gain.
The trick is to identify where the noise originates rather than simply masking it with a noise gate. Here are 10 practical methods to reduce unwanted hum, hiss, buzzing and interference.
Use an Isolated Power Supply
Invest in High-Quality Shielded Cables
Install a Noise Gate or Suppressor
Address Grounding and Shielding Issues
Optimise Your Gain Staging
Isolate Noisy Pedals Through Troubleshooting
Minimise Electromagnetic Interference
Choose the Right Guitar Pickups
Use an EQ Pedal to Control Problem Frequencies
Maintain and Replace Faulty Components
Additional Tips
1. Use a dedicated isolated power supply
One of the most effective ways to reduce pedalboard noise is to use a properly isolated power supply.
- Avoid daisy-chaining multiple pedals wherever possible.
- Use individually isolated outputs to prevent ground loops and shared power noise.
- Ensure each pedal receives the correct voltage, polarity and current.
- Keep digital pedals on isolated outputs, particularly when using them alongside analogue overdrives and distortions.
Why it works: Shared power connections can introduce unwanted electrical interference, particularly when digital and analogue pedals draw power from the same supply.
2. Invest in high-quality shielded instrument cables
Poorly shielded or damaged instrument cables are common sources of unwanted noise.
- Use properly shielded instrument cables.
- Keep cable runs reasonably short.
- Avoid running guitar cables parallel to power cables over long distances.
- Check connectors for loose solder joints and damaged shielding.
Why it works: Cable shielding helps prevent external electromagnetic interference from entering the relatively low-level signal produced by guitar pickups.
3. Use a noise gate or noise suppressor
A noise gate is particularly useful for high-gain guitar rigs where background hiss and hum become more noticeable.
Popular options include the BOSS NS-2, ISP Technologies Decimator and MXR Noise Clamp.
- Set the threshold just high enough to eliminate unwanted background noise.
- Avoid excessively high settings that cut off sustain.
- Position the gate strategically, depending on whether you want to suppress pickup noise, pedal noise or preamp noise.
Why it works: A noise gate reduces or mutes the signal when it falls below a specified threshold. It doesn’t actually eliminate noise at its source.
4. Address grounding and shielding issues
Poor grounding can introduce persistent hum and buzzing, particularly in guitars with single-coil pickups.
- Check the bridge and string grounding connection.
- Inspect the guitar’s internal wiring and solder joints.
- Shield control cavities with conductive copper tape or conductive shielding paint.
- Ensure shielding is properly grounded without creating unintended electrical shorts.
Why it works: Proper grounding and shielding help reduce electromagnetic interference and unwanted electrical noise.
Important: If the noise is caused by a faulty ground connection, have the guitar inspected by a qualified technician. Never defeat an amplifier’s mains safety earth to eliminate hum.
5. Keep gain staging under control
Stacking multiple distortion, overdrive and boost pedals can dramatically increase the noise floor.
- Avoid running every gain stage at maximum output.
- Keep unnecessary boosts switched off.
- Reduce excessive preamp gain.
- Balance the output levels of individual pedals.
- Use your amplifier’s master volume to achieve the desired loudness where appropriate.
Why it works: Every gain stage amplifies the signal entering it, including unwanted noise generated by earlier stages.
6. Isolate noisy pedals through systematic troubleshooting
Sometimes the culprit is a single pedal rather than the entire signal chain.
- Connect your guitar directly to the amplifier and listen for background noise.
- Introduce one pedal at a time.
- Test individual pedals with a known-good power supply.
- Replace patch cables to rule out faulty connections.
- Pay particular attention to older pedals and digital processors.
Why it works: Systematically isolating individual components helps identify exactly where unwanted noise enters the signal chain. This is considerably more effective than replacing multiple components without diagnosing the problem. Sound On Sound+1
7. Maintain distance from electromagnetic interference sources
Guitar pickups can act like antennas, picking up electromagnetic interference from nearby electrical equipment.
- Keep your guitar away from computer monitors, televisions and routers.
- Avoid placing pedals directly beside power transformers.
- Move away from fluorescent lighting and dimmer switches.
- Experiment with your playing position and rotate your guitar to find an orientation with less hum.
Why it works: Magnetic fields generated by electrical equipment can induce unwanted signals in guitar pickups and wiring. Increasing physical distance can significantly reduce interference. Strymon+1
8. Choose the right pickups for your noise requirements
Pickup design plays a significant role in how much background hum your guitar produces.
- Traditional single-coil pickups are naturally more susceptible to 50 Hz mains hum.
- Humbuckers use two coils to cancel much of this electromagnetic interference.
- Noiseless single-coil pickups offer an alternative for players who prefer traditional single-coil tones.
- On Strat-style guitars, positions 2 and 4 can provide hum cancellation when the pickups are appropriately configured.
Why it works: Humbucking designs use phase cancellation to reject common electromagnetic interference while retaining the guitar signal. Sound On Sound+1
9. Use an EQ pedal to identify and attenuate problematic frequencies
Sometimes unwanted noise occupies a specific frequency range that can be controlled using an equaliser.
- Use a graphic EQ to identify particularly troublesome frequencies.
- Attenuate excessive low-frequency hum around 50 Hz and its harmonics where appropriate.
- Address high-frequency hiss without excessively cutting your guitar’s presence.
- Experiment with a narrow notch filter if the noise is concentrated around a particular frequency.
Why it works: An EQ can reduce specific frequency components responsible for unwanted noise. However, it cannot distinguish noise from musical content occupying the same frequency range. Sweetwater+1
10. Replace faulty components and maintain your equipment
A noisy signal chain can sometimes be the result of something as simple as a damaged cable, loose connection or failing electronic component.
- Check guitar input and output jacks for loose connections.
- Inspect patch cables for broken shielding and intermittent connections.
- Clean dirty jack contacts and potentiometers using appropriate electronics contact cleaner.
- Replace weak batteries in active pickups and pedals.
- Have faulty guitar wiring, switches and amplifier components inspected.
Why it works: Worn connections, damaged shielding and failing components can introduce crackling, intermittent buzzing and unwanted electrical interference. Routine maintenance prevents these issues from accumulating. Sound On Sound+1
A few additional troubleshooting tips
Before spending money on new equipment, try this diagnostic sequence:
| Test | What it helps identify |
|---|---|
| Guitar directly into amp | Whether pedals are introducing noise |
| Change instrument cable | Cable shielding or connection faults |
| Disconnect pedals individually | A noisy pedal or power issue |
| Rotate guitar while playing | Electromagnetic interference |
| Switch pickup positions | Pickup-related hum |
| Reduce gain temporarily | Noise from excessive gain staging |
One important distinction: Not all guitar noise is the same. A 50 Hz hum, high-frequency hiss, intermittent crackling and digital whine require different solutions. Identifying the type of noise is the first step towards eliminating it.
Check the video below to understand how to use a noise gate for your signal chain-
Further reading
- Sound On Sound – Minimising Noise in Electric Guitar Rigs
- Sound On Sound – Tackling Noisy Guitar Recordings
- Strymon – Noise, Ground Loops and Signal Chain
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