Cup Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Yeah another HELP thread. My band are doing an acoustic gig soon (Manengerie Belfast 18th Feb). So we stripped right down, brushes etc etc. Half waty through rehearsal my amp goes funny, little buzzing afterglow (sorry I can't articulate this noise) like mild trippy distortion after I play each note. I would pay good money for this noise, but I haven't, so I don't want it there. I tried everything to get rid of it, E.Q, mid, treble, bass, E.Q on, off, amp turned to -15db full volume, no gain, EVERYTHING! Just this fuzzy noise. We practice 3 nights a week, usually at full throttle and I've never heard this before. The guitarist, who's a gear freak (he helped me choose the amp) says he reckons a cone sounds stressed in the cab! What do I do? Is there a connection between the amp being played so LOW tonight and the noise? I sometimes play in the house (but the amp's too big for my little bedroom) and I've never heard this! For those that don't know, I play thru' an Ampeg SVT3 and an Ampeg 1 by 15 cab. I also lost my job recently so money's tight. Saying that I only got this set up in June...And I got a icky head first go. My ampeg Paranoia is deepening! CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanYmaL X Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 I know the feeling... at least you still have SOME sound... my amp just went "gurgle fart gurgle kghgkghgk!" and now it doesn't do squat. Fortunately where I play these days they have a PA I can DI into for the short term... next stop... SWR Mo' Bass... (Thanks Cup, you just changed my mind about Ampeg, my other choice!) DX Aerodyne Jazz Deluxe Pod X3 Live Roland Bolt-60 (modified) Genz Benz GBE250-C 2x10 Acoustic 2x12 cab Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fig Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Excuse my ignorance on Ampeg gear, but if your rig is a seperate head and cabinet, did you try the head with another speaker? Or your speaker with another head? Different cables? This would tell you where the problem is. Just some thoughts. Bassplayers aren't paid to play fast, they're paid to listen fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DWBass Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 What kind of bass do you play? Is it active? Check your battery? Try another instrument in that amp and see if it will do it. Have you rehearsed at that spot before? Check the electrical connections? www.myspace.com/thefunkfather Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cup Posted January 18, 2003 Author Share Posted January 18, 2003 Danymal X I wouldn't let my own problem put you off Ampeg, maybe I'm running too much thru' the cab, and they do sound fantastic! Fig, unfortunately I don't know anyone else with just a cab (or a head) I really do think the problem is with the cab. I've never had the need to have the amp up full volume, so I don't see how I could have blown it thru' excessive volume. I have a friend who owns a Trace Elliot 100watt combo, would there be a way to disconnect the electronic from the cab on that and put my head thru' that? Dwalmz, I play a Ric 4003 so there's nothing wrong with the guitar. The rehearsal room we rent has a wooden floor with carpetted tiles, it's also first floor so we have had floor board rumblings in the past. Usually a bit of careful amp positioning sorts this out. Last night however this had no effect. My guitarist has suggested leaving the amp resting for a few days as this sometimes helped relieve the stress in the cones. I paid £400 for this cab so I don't expect to treat it like it has feelings and tip toe around it when it's not feeling well. Any suggestions would be welcome. It's under warranty of course, but as I've said, shipping (I bought it from a store in England) would be costly and I need this amp for rehearsals, gigs etc. CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted January 18, 2003 Share Posted January 18, 2003 Here are some ideas off the top of my head: 1. Often a noise similiar to this, only noticable in quieter volumes is due to the speaker paper. Sometimes a speaker will come unglued around a portion of the edge of the paper (or you get separation in the travel portion of the paper...those wavy circles around the edge of the paper. I can see how this can happen unnoticed when you play very loud a lot of time and then you play a softer set. 2. If it's not the speaker, I think when these problems happen, they generally happen to the pre-amp section of an amp. (When the power amp fries, you hear a shriek from the amp, and then nothing...ever. If you hear a sound, the power amp side is working.) Your Ampeg is a tube amp...hybrid, I think...tubes handle the pre-amp side. I can't remember offhand...the power amp side may be tubes as well. But if you can hear the amp, I'd suspect the pre-amp tubes. Tubes can have all kinds of problems...and they just "wear out" as well. I did a websearch on "ampeg svt problems" and I didn't see a plethora of sites, but those who've had probs with the amp generally focused on the tubes. I'd contact the music store where I got the amp...ask for advice... but I would suspect the tubes are playing a role. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cup Posted January 18, 2003 Author Share Posted January 18, 2003 Thanx for the advice DaveBrownBass, I never even suspected the tubes (tho' there was a thread here recently and people seemed to expect a couple of years from tubes) If it does turn out to be the tubes, I can borrow the afore mentioned Trace Elliot for gigs and rehearsals. I've also ran a check on ampeg, I visited the official and unofficial sites but all they seemed to be able to do was either sell or date ampegs. Thanx, I'll phone them on Monday. BTW Ampeg usually fit Groove tubes parts don't they? If I remember right these tubes are kinda at the high end of the tube (or valve as we call them here) market, would cheaper replacement valves have a great detrimental affect on the sound? CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Capasso Posted January 19, 2003 Share Posted January 19, 2003 Originally posted by fig: Excuse my ignorance on Ampeg gear, but if your rig is a seperate head and cabinet, did you try the head with another speaker? Or your speaker with another head? Different cables? This would tell you where the problem is. Just some thoughts.I like this idea. What does your guitar player have? Let him play thru your head with his speakers. Use his head thru your speakers. Neither of these will damage the equipment, and you should be able to figure out which component is at fault. Then take dbb's idea and call the shop for suggestions. good luck Tom www.stoneflyrocks.com Acoustic Color Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Bassist Posted January 20, 2003 Share Posted January 20, 2003 If it doesn't turn ot to be a cone or voce coil, I'm thinking tubes, too. FWIW, in my not so humble opinion, Groove tubes are crap. See if you can find some Russian tubes. CV http://homepage.mac.com/cvreeland/BassSig.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cup Posted January 24, 2003 Author Share Posted January 24, 2003 Had to raise this thread again. I've been playing at rehearal tonight, the noise is back. I definitely believe it to be a cab problem. The floor boards of the practice room do not help tho', I played in the house at rehearsal level (for a short time, due to the neighbours) and there was no problem. After a little while tonight the problem came back. I was testing the cab and the funny thing is, when I hit a low end note the noise is greater, when I do this and push the little ampeg stick on merchandiser logo it reduces a bit(bottom right of cab). From this I've decided to drop it in to my local shop and get a true diagnosis, after that I'll pull out that trusty warranty and get this fixed. Thanx for all the responses. CupMcMali...this monkey's gone to heaven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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