"Click"-sound when touching the strings or the hardware-problem.

[Wiborg]

Hi, I'm not sure if this is the right forum, so feel free to move it. Anyway it's rather hard to explain, but every time I touch the strings or any of the hardware connected directly or indirectly to my signal path I get a sort of "click" sound. F.ex if I were to slightly just tap the tuning screws (without touch the guitar anywere else) I get that sound. I was wondering if there is any quick way to get rid of this. I thought I might tape something to the back of the tuning screw (or anywhere else for that matter) so that I wouldn't get that sound when I touch the guitar, but I couldn't get it right. I'm sure it's a common problem, but I just don't know how to fix it. Thanks in advance.

[David Schwab]

sounds like static electricity.

[Wiborg]

how do I fix it?

[David Schwab]

It might be a grounding problem. This can be tricky to tell.

Does this only happen with the same amp, or with amy amp? Does the amp have a grounded power plug? And is it plugged into a grounded socket? Do you hear any hum from the amp when you are not touching the strings or other metal parts?

Does the amp have a ground switch?

Does this happen with different patch cords?

I'd check all these things.

[Wiborg]

It happends with any amp I've tried (both of which have been plugged into the same socket). I do not know what a grounded socket is and therefor not if the socket is indeed grounded. There is no hum when I'm not touching the guitar as far as I can hear.

[ahelseth]

it sounds like a grounding issue, either in the amp or the guitar.

[Dr. Guitar]

Use a multimeter to make sure your Bridge is grounded to the rest of the electronics. If so, try rubbing a dryer sheet on the guitar to get rid of the static charge.

[Paleo Pete]

I know this is a month old thread, but I had to chime in just for the record...

This is the exact problem I had with a Harmony Bobkat I picked up at a yard sale years ago. It turned out the strings weren't grounded, so every time I touched them the thing would pop/click and kind of sizzle. The way the thing was built it had no ground to the bridge, which is wood, or to the strings so I added a ground wire to the string claw behind the bridge, it plays almost dead quiet now.

So for anyone else browsing through with this same problem, sounds to me like Dr Guitar pegged it, the first thing to check is for a ground to the bridge, and make sure it connects to the ground on the other hardware and obviously the ground everywhere should be checked, including to the output jack. Those take a lot of abuse and sometimes develop loose connections or broken solder joints.