noise, crackling, static, you name it

Hi guys :)

well, after doing some searching I came up with some new insights but none really helped me, so here I am. I got the following problem:
somehow I recieve a static noise when I'm not touching the strings, now you might say that's just a normal hum, but it stops when I touch the jack or the metal surrounding the jack (or when I touch the strings)

I have the following gear:
PRS SE Custom, few months old (new)
Line 6 Spider II
nothing in between except a Planet Wave cable, which I just bought 'cause I thought it was due to the cable...

so I'm really wondering what it could be, I also tried it with other guitars but with the same result, the noise is too much to play with, hope you can help me clarify

regards,
Roel

Sounds like you have a grounding isue with your guitar - easily solved but you need someone who knows what they are up to. Bring it to a guitar shop and they should do it in a matter of minutes - all it needs is a soldering iron.
If you are getting the same problem using other guitars through the same gear (and assuming they are properly grounded) - you could have a ground loop...? Do you get the same noise if you connect to a different amp? IF you don;t have access to one, try connecting through a distortion pedal direct to your pc. If there is no interference then the problem is with your amp - my money is on groudning anyway, otherwise th enoise would't go away when you touch the guitar.

a grounding issue... I've read something about that but couldn't really understand how it works, does it involve static charge that's not being directed to the ground in the same way the safety on power cables (for tv, stereo, etc.) works? 'cause most if not all power sockets aren't grounded...

I'm gonna give my landlord a call, thnx for the help! :)

I too have had static on more guitars than just mu PRS SE Custom, 300guitars.com had a disscussion on static in the pick guard makes alot of sense. Static sheets, roughing up underside of pick guard, even copper tape under pick guard. I have yet to try al these. Try all the ussuals and verify ac or dc power but I will tell ya pick guard static makes alot of sense.

If you play using a strap, loop the chord up between you and the guitar, then loop it back down and plug in the guitar. So that it is pintch and held in place by the strap. Often a wiggeling chord can make all kinds of static sounds. You can also check to make sure the little nut is tight where the chord plugs into the guitar. If that port is loose or dirty it will cause all kinds of problems. I have an old 1973 Hag that sometime in the 90's I took in to have the port replaced, the guy took a Q-tip and rubbing alcohol cleaned up the port and it was cured for a couple years then I had to do it again.

I really suggest the wrapping the chord trick.

Bad ground.

Most commonly at the ground point on the input jack or at the ground point at the bridge. If you have noticed your input jack coming loose or wiggling around...... it's the ground contact on the input jack.

Your PRS SE is a nice guitar - However, even nice guitars are made in Korea. This doesn't mean the components are bad, but sometimes the workmanship and "fit and finish" of the guitars is a little less than standards of American made equipment. It's pretty common to have poor soldering in those guitars. Hell, I have guitars that I have rewired that have this issue after a year of so of knocking them around...

There are many things that can cause unwanted noise, way many. If you live in an older house/apartment etc. it could very possibly have bad wiring especially bad grounding or even no grounding. For $5 or $6 at any home improvement store or electrical supplier you can buy a ground/circuit tester- it's a very small device that has a typical 3 prong plug on one end and a series of three lights on the other end . You simply plug it into your wall plug and depending on which lights (or combination of lights) light up, will identify a bad ground etc. or if the wiring is "correct". Do you have flourescent lights-either the long tube type or the CFL's-the little twisty bulbs that will screw into a normal lamp or light socket? These lights can cause "noise". Do you have any neighbors that operate "Ham Radios" or CB radios? These can cause quite a bit of Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) Any large or tall steel (aluminum, etc.) structures nearby-believe it or not these can cause huge amounts of electro-magnetic interference (EMI).Even Cell Phones, Cordless Phones, Microwave Ovens, refridgerators and large screen TV's etc. can cause noise, try to plug your amp etc. into a dedicated plug (one that has no other stuff plugged into that circuit) if you can-but that's not always an option that's available to us. Your guitar's pickups can "pick up" this noise and it can also bleed through your guitar cables. It could very likely be a bad ground in the internal electronics of your guitar and a good cavity shielding and securely soldered grounds can go a long way in solving the problem. A good quality guitar cable can help immensely! Too many times we save up those dollars to buy that perfect guitar and/or amplifier and then buy the cheapest instrument cables we can find. Believe me a good quality instrument cable can make the biggest difference. I'd much rather purchase a good quality cable for $50, $60 or even $100 once then have to buy a new $10 cable evry 6 months or a year. In the long run you'll end up spending more on "affordable" (nice way of saying "cheap") cables then you would have if you just purchased a good quality cable to begin with. I'd also consider purchasing a good quality power conditioner/voltage protector. These can run anywhere from $60 to hundreds of bucks. You can purchase a "Monster PowerCentr Pro 200" from just about any musical instrument retailer either online (like Musician's Friend) or the brick and mortar store nearest you. As a matter of fact just two or three days ago on Musician's Friend's "Stupid Deal of the Day" they were selling the Monster Performance Pack for just $9.99 ( normally sells for $39.99 plus) which package included the Monster PowerCenter Pro 200 AND a 12 foot long Monster Performance 500 Instrument Cable. If you look it up the cable alone sells for that much, if not more. I had purchased 4 sets of this same package deal about a year ago when it was the "New Day, New Deal" at American Musical Supply and ordered 4 more from Musician's Friend just a couple of days ago from their "Stupid Deal of the Day". I hope that we've all helped you with your "noise" problem. I know it can be very frustrating to track down and to deal with, but you CAN do it. I wish you the best of luck and keep on strummin'-Jim