Just got my first Gretsch. Love the guitar but I seemed to get super bothered by a ton of buzz coming from the amp. Fist I thought it was the cord so I tried another with no difference. Then I thought it was the output jack on the guitar because when I put pressure on the end of the cable going into the guitar it stops buzzing. So I tightened the output jack. That didn't work either. I then plugged in my acoustic electric to see if it was the amp. No noise.

Do you think it could be a shielding issue with the wiring? One more strange thing is if I rest my hand on the bigsby the noise stops. It also stops when I mute the strings. Please help a nooby out. Not sure if this is even something that I should even be worried about.

Could it be a ground problem?

Could it be a ground problem?

That was my first thought too. You can test this really quickly if you've got a multimeter. Plug in a lead and see if you've got connectivity between the strings and the outer shield of the lead. The other cause of this can be the jack plug wired the wrong way round but that is less likely. Other causes can be if you're around noisy electronics (microwaves, dimmer switches, fluorescent tubes, etc). Try taking it somewhere else in the house and see if you have the same problem.

Just got my first Gretsch.

And you do realise this means we need pictures too, right?

Oh yeah, PICTURES!

What kind of pickups you got goin on?

I've had two Gretsches that required the addition of ground wires from the pickup covers to the output jack. It's really, really easy. Unscrew the pickup, stick a wire wherever the screws will hold it in place, and twist the other end onto the jack. The second pickup can just be connected to the first if that's easier. It's hard to believe that they could build them so will and omit something so essential, but they did for a while.

Thanks for the advise everyone. I'll have to try a multimeter when I get home.

New to me Gretsch Pro Jet with HS Filtertons. New silver pick guard on order from Setzer.

Will post a picture when I get home.

Well I first tried different rooms in the house. No difference but good quick idea to check. Then looked for my multi meter. With two toddlers in the house all tools are toys so who knows where it could be.

I do think however I found the source. I was playing around with all the pots and pickups and discovered when I turned the "TONE" nob all the way down the "Noise" is completely gone. Hope that's the source. May not be after I think about it as the Tone just may accentuate the issue.

Do you think I'm on the right track here or just full of it?

I have a similar problem with my Hagstrom. One of the pots is dirty so when I mess with the knobs I get some noise and sometimes my bridge pup cuts out. Annoying.

Maybe a dirty pot or faulty connection?

Hey dude this is my first post to this forum. I just bought a used G6128 that had really bad humming and buzzing.

I just fixed fixed it today (I used to be an electronics engineer) and it was wired wrong according to the Gretsch diagrams.

Anyway, I rewired it modern style and now it's perfect.

Check the wiring is correct.