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mattoqua
Silver Member
Canada
438 Posts |
 Posted - 02/09/2007 : 05:08:49
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A friend of mine was having some problems with his amp, where it would just buzz all the time, even when clean.
I tried the guitar on my amp, and its fine, and tried the guitar on his amp with a different cable, and it still buzzed.
So the amp has to be the one with the problem. He called a amp tech about it, and they said that fluorescent lights affect amps
I live in a college res, so theres a fluorescent light in the kitchen, but just normal lights in the rooms. The amp isnt even in a path with the kitchen light.
Has anyone else heard about this, or know how it could be caused?
And if it is true, from how far away can fluorescent lights cause damage? |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 02/09/2007 : 08:40:58
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| I heard that Chris Rea banned his techs from using fluorescent lights for this reason. They weren't happy as they couldn't see the mixer anymore and had to mix his sound in complete darkness. |
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2007 : 01:59:59
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It may not be just the flourescent lights. In this day and age with so many forms of wireless communications, computers, and digital everything, interference is hard to battle and figure out exactly where its coming from at times. Make sure no cellphones and other wireless devices are near the amp.
Also, keep in mind these tips I picked up working as a stagehand in Nashville: Never run or lay your power and audio cords parallel and/or in close proximity to another as this can cause interference. And if audio cords must pass/cross over power cords, or vice versa, cross them as perpendicular to one another as possible. I realize this cannot be done in all circumstances, but it really helps if you can. |
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stratman
Silver Member
Australia
283 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2007 : 04:18:36
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Another possibility...
Could be a ground loop/earthing hum problem. Depends what circuit the amp is running on and what else is running on that mains circuit too.
Re-wire the house?  ...probably not. |
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DeFrag
Moderator
USA
3409 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2007 : 05:11:45
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Too bad most guitars only have unbalanced outs  |
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ptero
Silver Member
Mexico
218 Posts |
Posted - 02/14/2007 : 07:25:56
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| Mattoqua, does your friend plug his amp directly to the wall ac outlet? Why don't you try using a voltage regulator, those commonly used with pc. That may helps and it will protect your gears from voltage peaks or drops too. It can work as a master power switch if you are running your pedals with power suppliers. |
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diggum12
Silver Member
USA
282 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2007 : 18:21:38
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| Another problem could be dimmer switches on lights. If they're anything but fully on or off it can introduce lots of noise. Also things like space heaters on the same circuit can introduce buzzing. |
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mattoqua
Silver Member
Canada
438 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2007 : 22:28:02
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Well the building is a college residence, so rewiring cant really be done, but I dont think theres too much wires behind the walls (most of them are concrete anyway). There arent any dimmers or space heaters either.
His amp is pluged directly into the wall, and he doesnt have any pedals (new guitarist by like a month or two, amp was brand new when he started).
He lives on the 5th floor of the building, so I dont think anything from the earth will influence it that much up here.
And thanks for those tips, jack.
They'll help me more than him though
In my setup, I have a couple long wires, and I just pile them up on the side. I'll move the wires so that theyre not interfering, but does that include the same wire rolled up on top of itself?
Anyway, my friend's amp is just one of those small 10 or 15W practice amps, so it could just be poorly built.
(I didnt know so much stuff affected quality  ) |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 02/15/2007 : 23:38:54
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i dont know much about the topic. but ive gotten radio stations on 2 seperate occasions with one of my wah pedals.
i dont know how true this is but i heard that if there is a lot of people with wireless internet around, it can interfere. |
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jack
Platinum Member
USA
1418 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 00:28:16
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quote:
Originally posted by mattoqua
Well the building is a college residence, so rewiring cant really be done, but I dont think theres too much wires behind the walls (most of them are concrete anyway). There arent any dimmers or space heaters either.
His amp is pluged directly into the wall, and he doesnt have any pedals (new guitarist by like a month or two, amp was brand new when he started).
He lives on the 5th floor of the building, so I dont think anything from the earth will influence it that much up here.
And thanks for those tips, jack.
They'll help me more than him though
In my setup, I have a couple long wires, and I just pile them up on the side. I'll move the wires so that theyre not interfering, but does that include the same wire rolled up on top of itself?
Anyway, my friend's amp is just one of those small 10 or 15W practice amps, so it could just be poorly built.
(I didnt know so much stuff affected quality )
I usually just try to not have different cords parallel with one another, especially power and audio. As far as the same cord, never had issues, and if you do, it might be time to get a new cable... |
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ptero
Silver Member
Mexico
218 Posts |
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stratman
Silver Member
Australia
283 Posts |
Posted - 02/16/2007 : 02:45:14
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quote:
He lives on the 5th floor of the building, so I dont think anything from the earth will influence it that much up here.
I meant "earth" as is electrical earthing (a.k.a. grounding) - nothing to do with the proximity to the surface of the planet. 
Sorry... couldn't resist. |
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Topic |
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Amps and fluorescent lights
