LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Gospel Guitar => Topic started by: lilBB on January 18, 2008, 11:17:11 AM
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ive got hissing in my setup....and i dont know what, if anything to do about it.
approached it first from the guitar end. my tech (and every other guitarist i know) says that its invariable that your strat will hiss, especially in the 1, 3, and 5 positions (im assuming the single coil positions).
ive got some pretty decent cables, low end monster, and a couple mogami golds...
recently put together a pedal board, so now the hissing is even more pronounced.... dunlop crybaby -> boss compressor/sustainer -> blues driver bd2 -> boss super shifter.. all of these are powered by and run back through the pedalboard SKB PS - 45.
if all pedals are activated...sounds like ive got rattlesnakes hidden in the rig, lol.
ive got gray ground adaptors on my pedalboard cord and the amp cord.
what in the heck is the problem. i can only think that the connector cables for the pedals are the cause...but im not about to buy Monster 6" connectors. cant be the only solution.
do i just live with it?????
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ive got gray ground adaptors on my pedalboard cord and the amp cord.
There it is. Even a single coil Strat (S/S/S) shouldn't make THAT much noise unless you're using tons of gain. Even if you use mediocre quality cables, you shouldn't be getting excessive huming or buzzing.
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There it is. Even a single coil Strat (S/S/S) shouldn't make THAT much noise unless you're using tons of gain. Even if you use mediocre quality cables, you shouldn't be getting excessive huming or buzzing.
so are you saying its the adaptors? i thought they should help with that and not cause it??
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Your amp should be connected to ground. Those three-pronged adaptors make it possible to connect a three pronged cord to a two prong outlet, but unless you attach it to earth, it wont be properly grounded. Have you tried playing at antoher locatin with a proper 3-pronged outlet or has anyone else had similar porblems with their rig?
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If you're connecting your f/x & guitar to the front of the amp, try using your f/x loop in the back of the amp and just only plug the guitar in the front. That will (sometimes) drastically reduce the hiss. It worked for me. Good luck!
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If you're connecting your f/x & guitar to the front of the amp, try using your f/x loop in the back of the amp and just only plug the guitar in the front. That will (sometimes) drastically reduce the hiss. It worked for me. Good luck!
drive pedals rarely sound good in fx loop.
sounds like it's a ground thing...although that's usually more of a buzz/hum than it is a hiss.
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Your amp should be connected to ground. Those three-pronged adaptors make it possible to connect a three pronged cord to a two prong outlet, but unless you attach it to earth, it wont be properly grounded. Have you tried playing at antoher locatin with a proper 3-pronged outlet or has anyone else had similar porblems with their rig?
TRUE. yeah, ive noticed that at the main place we play, its bad, but he's got a lot of lighting and intertangled cords, etc. and at my apartment its very noticeable. ive got em plugged into a surge protector. sounds like i should go right into the wall...
If you're connecting your f/x & guitar to the front of the amp, try using your f/x loop in the back of the amp and just only plug the guitar in the front. That will (sometimes) drastically reduce the hiss. It worked for me. Good luck!
man great suggestion. i do have an fx loop input in the back of the amp, but never thought to put it to use. will definitely try it.
drive pedals rarely sound good in fx loop.
sounds like it's a ground thing...although that's usually more of a buzz/hum than it is a hiss.
and you're right jlynn, it is more of a buzz hum dealio. and the pedals are magnifying it when used in different combinations. i will try all suggestions until I find at least a slightly quieter set up.
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There's a reason that they're called "humBUCKERS"... ;)
1. your Strat with single coils is basically an antenna covered in wood. Short of installing hum-canceling pickups in place of your true singles, you can do a few things to lessen the noise that's inherent to the guitar:
a. shield the pickup cavities with foil tape. I used the copper stuff from Stewart MacDonald that has a conductive adhesive.
b. use a high quality wax potted pickup. Nothing says 'noise maker' like a bunch of exposed wire wrapped around metal poles...
c. be sure that the Strat is properly grounded including a wire to the trem spring claw.
2. If your amp has an effects loop then you should run some of the effects through it but as was previously said, not the gain/overdrive/distortion pedals as they tend to generate more noise than any others and will defeat the purpose of the effects loop. Time-based effects (delay/chorus/reverb/flange) should go through the loop. od/dist pedals can go in the guitar-amp chain.
3. Be sure that the power supply that you're using to power the pedals is regulated at the proper voltage. Some wall-wart type supplies that say they put out 9vdc actually will output 13vdc or higher, way above the 5 to 10% tollerance of the voltage regulator inside the pedal, and will cause excess noise in the circuit.
4. Do NOT use those ground lift plugs. Doing so can cause you serious injury or even death if your circuit fails and your body becomes the path of least resistance to ground.
Seriously, people have died from either using those ground lifts or by pulling off the ground pin on a three prong Edison plug.
5. Once you get your system all connected properly, try turning on each pedal one-by-one and adjusting them to where you'd prefer them to be. Try to recognize which one is generating the bulk of the noise and then try to adjust it out via eq and level adjustment.
Remember to get out in front of your amp a bit to listen to the sound so that you know what others are hearing.
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Yeah, you never really want to put a gain-increasing device in the loop.
I agree with all the above, but also check the distance of the power supply on your board to your wah.
I had a horrible hum that I couldn't find until I moved my p/s away from my morley. Now it's stone silent.
Certain effects pick up that magnetic field worse than others.
Also, see if your amp has a ground polarity switch. Might be as simple as flipping that dude the other way.
But, as said above, ditch those ground adapters if at all possible, and if not, at least actually anchor the little tab with the screw on the wall plate.
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I agree with GTRDAVE's list also and would like to add the following:
1. Try various AC locations on a secondary building circuit switch.
2. If you are playing with a tube amp, have the tubes checked.
3. Take the pedal board out of the loop and test for HISSS.
4. Test your pedal board inline without the effects installed. (if hisss, replace/fix the pedal boad)
5. Manually add and test effects one at a time until you start to hear Hissing.
I use a BOSS BCB-60 pedal board with the following setup:
Boss Chromatic Tuner>dunlop crybaby>AC-Booster>RC-Booster>Metal Zone>Digital Delay>Chorus Ensemble...and no Hissing.
Did you consult with a tech at any of the local Memphis guitar shops? (Guitar Center, Martin Music, Yarbroughs Music, etc.)
Take you time troubleshooting, good luck and keep us updated.
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I know I'm changing the subject but BB, what happened to your PODXT? ?/?
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thanks for all the suggestions guys. i really am going to take my time and figure this thing out..
I know I'm changing the subject but BB, what happened to your PODXT? ?/?
never had one?? i dont think i ever said anything about one... i know dave or jlynn have one, but not I kind sir.
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thanks for all the suggestions guys. i really am going to take my time and figure this thing out..
never had one?? i dont think i ever said anything about one... i know dave or jlynn have one, but not I kind sir.
Nah, I've got a Spider II and a Pocket POD but no XT.
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Try "Noiseless" Pickups! Fender makes them. They come on some American Deluxe Strats, or used to(sp). They really do sound great, and retain that single coil sound. ;)
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Try "Noiseless" Pickups! Fender makes them. They come on some American Deluxe Strats, or used to(sp). They really do sound great, and retain that single coil sound. ;)
But they may do little to reduce hiss if that hiss is being generated by the pedals and amp and not the pickups.
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Dave, you are 200% right, my brother!!! Non-discreet pedals, amps and CABLES, are noise centers! I think this may be the best argument for buying truly the BEST gear you can afford. Guitars are sooo organic, and analog, that you need your signal flow to be strong and CLEAN. I never thought I could justify paying $35-50 bucks for a cable, or $200 and up for a pedal, but once you're in a playing situation, where the only thing heard in between the quiet, is YOUR hum and noise, then you have to take stock, and start cleaning up. That said, the Noiseless pickups, are a good place to start on your single-coil based axe ;D
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it's honestly usually a matter of getting good power to pedals. even cheap pedals will perform ok if they are getting good juice.
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it's honestly usually a matter of getting good power to pedals. even cheap pedals will perform ok if they are getting good juice.
ive got all the pedals being powered by the SKB PS 45 pedalboard, which has all the claims to providing great power, but i dont know. maybe i should try batteries or something.
i still have a hard time gripping that strats will invariably buzz/hum, etc. ive got a humbucker that does minimize it when in the 2 n 4 positions (hum/single simultaneously), which is cool at church, but in a live gig setting sometimes that diminishes the sound. i often like to be all the way in the bridge or all the way in the neck position....where the noise is worst, so i stay away from em, but then what's the point of havin em???
tonight we've got a show, and i should find out if its just strat buzz because im NOT using it. gonna pull out the Ibanez AS73 semi-hollow and put her to the test. never used her live with this band, but they all were diggin it in rehearsal. we do a couple songs by Tony Toni Tone and Breezin' by Benson where she really stands out. we'll see how it goes on the other ones.
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"i still have a hard time gripping that strats will invariably buzz/hum, etc."
When I started looking for a strat... the salesman said something similar to me. He said," Ah, yes. That classic fender hum." Yeah right. You don't have to settle for the hum. I ended up buying a clapton with the fender noiseless pickups and I have to be honest. I hated those pickups. They were very weak. I had a strat and an 80w twin and I was being blown away by a friend of mine's little solid state amp.
I got fed up and bought some AGI-Lace hot gold pickups and I've never looked back. They've gotten complements from every guitar player that I've played with. And I don't get any hum. Worth looking into in my opinion. The golds are very bright pickups so they might not be your cup of tea, but the Lace Holy Grails are supposed to be pretty good. Their take on a noiseless 54' strat pickup.
Just my 2 cents. God bless, BG
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"i still have a hard time gripping that strats will invariably buzz/hum, etc."
When I started looking for a strat... the salesman said something similar to me. He said," Ah, yes. That classic fender hum." Yeah right. You don't have to settle for the hum. I ended up buying a clapton with the fender noiseless pickups and I have to be honest. I hated those pickups. They were very weak. I had a strat and an 80w twin and I was being blown away by a friend of mine's little solid state amp.
I got fed up and bought some AGI-Lace hot gold pickups and I've never looked back. They've gotten complements from every guitar player that I've played with. And I don't get any hum. Worth looking into in my opinion. The golds are very bright pickups so they might not be your cup of tea, but the Lace Holy Grails are supposed to be pretty good. Their take on a noiseless 54' strat pickup.
Just my 2 cents. God bless, BG
Buddy, you had 80 TUBE watts? And it was being drowned out by a "little" solid state? 80 tubes watts, is about 140-150, or so, solid state watts. In any event LACE sensors, do rock! :)
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(sorry, should have been under the quote!)
Buddy, you had 80 TUBE watts? And it was being drowned out by a "little" solid state? 80 tubes watts, is about 140-150, or so, solid state watts. In any event LACE sensors, do rock! :)
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"i still have a hard time gripping that strats will invariably buzz/hum, etc."
When I started looking for a strat... the salesman said something similar to me. He said," Ah, yes. That classic fender hum." Yeah right. You don't have to settle for the hum. I ended up buying a clapton with the fender noiseless pickups and I have to be honest. I hated those pickups. They were very weak. I had a strat and an 80w twin and I was being blown away by a friend of mine's little solid state amp.
I got fed up and bought some AGI-Lace hot gold pickups and I've never looked back. They've gotten complements from every guitar player that I've played with. And I don't get any hum. Worth looking into in my opinion. The golds are very bright pickups so they might not be your cup of tea, but the Lace Holy Grails are supposed to be pretty good. Their take on a noiseless 54' strat pickup.
Just my 2 cents. God bless, BG
yeah man....something must have been up with the rig.....an 80 watt tube amp should keep up with anything.
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yeah man....something must have been up with the rig.....an 80 watt tube amp should keep up with anything.
if only that were the case with bass....sigh
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if only that were the case with bass....sigh
Just takes too much juice to push that bottom end.
Just like how my 120 watt 5150 can be ear-shattering, but my 300 watts and 2 10's in my trunk barely thump the car lol.
Silly subharmonics ;)
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"Just takes too much juice to push that bottom end.
Just like how my 120 watt 5150 can be ear-shattering, but my 300 watts and 2 10's in my trunk barely thump the car lol."
Tens... those look like 5's, but you keep'em clean though!!!!!!!
yeah man....something must have been up with the rig.....an 80 watt tube amp should keep up with anything.
You're right. There was something wrong with my rig... those pickups. My friend was playing a Gibson Lucille straight into a Lab Series amp. (BB King used these amps earlier on) At that point my rig was: Strat -> Crybaby -> TS-5 tubescreamer(might not have been on) -> Danelectro Slap echo -> Twin (EQ'ed heavy on the treble, ergo the Buddy Guise/ Buddy Guy moniker).
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Tens... those look like 5's, but you keep'em clean though!!!!!!!
LOL, what is that from? I had a friend that always used to quote that.
By the way, those subs are poly cones, and, yes, I have armor-alled them before ;D I have a car cleanliness problem lol.
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It's from the movie "Next Friday". For those that don't know that's the sequel to "Friday" and precursor to "Friday After Next".... no really! ;D
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It's from the movie "Next Friday". For those that don't know that's the sequel to "Friday" and precursor to "Friday After Next".... no really! ;D
What I want to know is what happened to Saturday? Ice Cube went straight from Friday to First Sunday!!! LOL!!!
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What I want to know is what happened to Saturday? Ice Cube went straight from Friday to First Sunday!!! LOL!!!
Ice cube needs to stop with these movies man. Am I the only one who feels that way? :-\
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LILBB,
What's the status of your HHIISSS problem?
Just checking, my brother... 8)
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LILBB,
What's the status of your HHIISSS problem?
Just checking, my brother... 8)
man i believe after all of that, it still is still the strat thats the cause of it all. i say that because i used the semi-hollow for the gig friday, pedalboard and all.... no problems.
i also think its the cabling and wiring of the venue we're in too. we're on this small stage where everything is in close proximity, cables everywhere, lighting plugged in on the stage, etc. ill be fair and say that at church, when im using strat straight to the amp, i don't get any buzz/hum. so its got to be some grounding issues causing the strat to hum at the other venue. i dont know man...thnk ill just be usin the semi for a while there.
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man i believe after all of that, it still is still the strat thats the cause of it all. i say that because i used the semi-hollow for the gig friday, pedalboard and all.... no problems.
i also think its the cabling and wiring of the venue we're in too. we're on this small stage where everything is in close proximity, cables everywhere, lighting plugged in on the stage, etc. ill be fair and say that at church, when im using strat straight to the amp, i don't get any buzz/hum. so its got to be some grounding issues causing the strat to hum at the other venue. i dont know man...thnk ill just be usin the semi for a while there.
Well, as was mentioned earlier, maybe it's time for some noiseless single coils... :)
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Well, as was mentioned earlier, maybe it's time for some noiseless single coils... :)
awww Daaave...do i HAVE to? lol.
honestly i just hate being without an axe for any reason, lol. when i get em, i dont get em set up right away bcuz im so anxious to play them.
i will start snooping around the noiseless pickup market and see whats what. hope it doesnt mess up the H/S/S config on the highway 1 tho. i got to have that sound man. i needs it....it be callin me...."BBbbbbbbb.... B B bbbbbbbb" okay i didnt get much sleep.
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awww Daaave...do i HAVE to? lol.
honestly i just hate being without an axe for any reason, lol. when i get em, i dont get em set up right away bcuz im so anxious to play them.
i will start snooping around the noiseless pickup market and see whats what. hope it doesnt mess up the H/S/S config on the highway 1 tho. i got to have that sound man. i needs it....it be callin me...."BBbbbbbbb.... B B bbbbbbbb" okay i didnt get much sleep.
hahahahahahahaha!!
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man i believe after all of that, it still is still the strat thats the cause of it all. i say that because i used the semi-hollow for the gig friday, pedalboard and all.... no problems.
i also think its the cabling and wiring of the venue we're in too. we're on this small stage where everything is in close proximity, cables everywhere, lighting plugged in on the stage, etc. ill be fair and say that at church, when im using strat straight to the amp, i don't get any buzz/hum. so its got to be some grounding issues causing the strat to hum at the other venue. i dont know man...thnk ill just be usin the semi for a while there.
Do you think the original owner of your strat had the same problem and chose trade it in rather than re-wire it and/or change to the pickups?
Sounds possible and it goes back to that old phrase "Buyer beware". Man I'm sorry to hear that it's your primary axe. I say get the new pickups installed by a "you know what mean" good tech. Then crank it up and do a sound check before you write the check and leave the shop.
If you can't locate a good Tech in Memphis, take it to Nashville where I think the better Techs are located.
Good luck and God be with you my bro. 8)
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Hey, what about that hum-canceling backplate? If you already like your tone, it might be worth a look.
It's at the bottom of the page: http://www.suhrguitars.com/pickups.aspx
Not sure on prices, but they have an audio demo and stuff there, too. Supposedly works well (I believe it's essentially a dummy coil that cancels the noise without changing the integrity of the p/u.)
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Hey, what about that hum-canceling backplate? If you already like your tone, it might be worth a look.
It's at the bottom of the page: [url]http://www.suhrguitars.com/pickups.aspx[/url]
Not sure on prices, but they have an audio demo and stuff there, too. Supposedly works well (I believe it's essentially a dummy coil that cancels the noise without changing the integrity of the p/u.)
i checked out the backplate, seems pretty cool. i would almost wanna try one on a money back guarantee or something tho.
also, id have to change my middle pick up bcuz its reverse wound, and the backgaurd dooflicky wont work with reverse wound pickups.
too much work!! sounds like i just need a new guitar... ;D
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also, id have to change my middle pick up bcuz its reverse wound, and the backgaurd dooflicky wont work with reverse wound pickups.
Oh, I didn't see that. That's dumb. The reverse wound middle is part of the essence of the Strat (for me...). I like that you can throw it in position 2 or 4 and kill the hum, and get that Stratty quack.
That's just silly (makes sense electronically speaking, but it's silly lol).
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Hi, trust me when I say this.....do yourself a HUGE FAVOR...............go out to Guitar Center and Buy yourself an Digitech RP350 modeling guitar processor..........you can set it up to do anything i the world on guitar and no hiss ever.
It's digital and pure-quite noise free machine....it's Digital awesome.....It has studio sound -world class sound..........every sound effect known to man..............and you can tweak the life out of it.
On my blog site I have one posted..........go there and look at it..................so you know what I am talking about.
You can have the sound of great guitar guys....exactly perfect George Benson on jazz, or Eric Claption, Jimi Hindrex,Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Santana......and the acoustic guitar shines also.
And guess what...............ZERO Hissssssssssssssssssssssss.....yes and you can direct inject it into a Multi-track and make professonail recordings.........So I'd do a re-think about all those pedals.
Also, depending on what guitar your using, if the pickups are bad that could be it also........but from what your saying it sure sounds like a pedal mess..........The RP350....$199.00....and normally sells at $359.00.
Thanks Jordan Rivers
Here's that link......check out the RP350 in on my web site below....I don't sell it....But Guitar Center Does.
http://jordanriversguitarforum.blogspot.com/