How was "HUM" dealt with in the 50's ,60's early

Billy Carr · Post by **Billy Carr** » 7 May 2005 3:26 pm

I always wondered how did the players from the 50's,60's and 70's era deal with pick up hum. Emmons,Rugg,Myrick,Hughey and Green just to name a few had some great recordings in those days using equipment that wasn't nearly as advanced as what we have now.

Bill Ford · Post by **Bill Ford** » 7 May 2005 5:12 pm

Billy,
Back in the 70s, most of the steel players I knew put tin/alunium foil under the vol pedal. If you were on a concrete floor,that seemed to help with the hum. Everybody had their own solutions, thats just one I remember. Don't know about studio work.

MSA D12..8+2..Vol pedal...Bosstone...Fender Super Reverb, back then

Bill

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 7 May 2005 7:04 pm

IMO, they probably kept their volume pedal off except when they were playing. If the signal can't get through the pedal, it won't hum. While playing the string sound over rode the hum.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 8 May 2005 1:55 am

Early in the recording days, the equipment was not as sensitive as it is now, equipment was much simpler (just a guitar and amp), volume levels, even in the studio are not what they are now, etc.

However, I remember in the mid/70's to early 80's doing recording at a studio in Kansas City, MO, Hum was not an issue then. When I first started doing sessions at that studio I had a 71 Emmons PP with the stock single coild pickups and a Fender Twin Reverb. Later I got a new Session 500 amp and the engineer couldn't get over how clean it was, compared to the amps, mostly Fender, the lead guitar players and I were using.

Ron Randall · Post by **Ron Randall** » 8 May 2005 8:46 pm

In the 60's when I played a Strat thru a Dual Showman....I just played louder than the hum!

Ron

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 12 May 2005 7:44 am

Ron's right, we just ignored it!

Ray Minich · Post by **Ray Minich** » 12 May 2005 7:29 pm

Wonder why nobody ever put words to it. Must have been the monotony.

Bob Moss · Post by **Bob Moss** » 15 May 2005 11:50 am

Here is a link that might help you out with your hum problem. http://www.netads.com/~meo/Guitar/Amps/Kalamazoo/Mods/hum.html

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 15 May 2005 12:22 pm

Humbucking pickups were invented early in the history of electric guitar, so hum must have been a problem.

Dave Grafe · Post by **Dave Grafe** » 15 May 2005 3:00 pm

Hum WAS a problem, but we had no idea that we could live without it.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 15 May 2005 4:04 pm

Ialways thought the "hum" was part of being a musician! We just forged ahead and hoped for the best!
www.genejones.com