LpalindromeL Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I don't so much play my bass as I do play *with* my bass. It's more or less just a hobby for me. That having been said, I need the help of some more experienced musicians... I recently moved into a new apartment, and ran into an interesting problem: My amp picks up a couple of radio stations. I've been trying to figure out how to keep this from happening, because as I'm sure you can imagine, it's really annoying. My amp is just a little 15-watt practice amp - not at all high-end or expensive. Do I just need a better shielded patch cable? Or perhaps I should bite the bullet and buy a better amp? Any suggestions are welcome. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 The first thing that you should check? Turn on your amp without your cable plugged into the input. Turn up the amp volume and listen. If you're still picking up a radio station, the problem is either with your amp or possibly poor electrical grounding in your apartment building. No radio coming through that way? Then go ahead and plug in your cable to the amp input, but not the instrument. Hold the free end of the cable so that it's not touching anything and turn up the amp volume again. If you're picking up the radio in this instance, but you weren't with your amp alone, then you've got a bad instrument cable. If both of these tests don't yield any problems, then the issue almost certainly lies with your instrument. It's entirely possible that your instrument might have poor grounding. It's an issue that plagues a lot of instruments. Bringing your instrument to a decent repairman for some upgraded shielding won't break the bank. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred TBP Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I don't know how extreme this may get, but if your landlord doesn't mind, they sell special conductive paint (it might be carbon-impregnated) that will shield your room from electromagnetic interference. You may have to special-order it. In fact, I think one of the companies that make it is in PA. Before going to that extreme, try a better-quality surge protector, one that uses a filter-trap for FM signals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Sometimes the amping gear needs a few ferrite beads on various PCB leads. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LpalindromeL Posted December 2, 2004 Author Share Posted December 2, 2004 I took Nicklab's suggestion, and found that with the amp alone, I don't get any radio signals... I get some hum, but no radio. With the cable, I get the radio. So I think I'm gonna track down a music store around here and see about getting a higher-quality cable. I'll post again when I find out if that solved the problem. Thanks, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Happy to help. It sucks that you're going to have to lay out a little cash for a new cable, but c'est la vie. Ask the guys at the music store for a cable that has decent shielding. You don't need a monster cable with gold connectors. That's just overkill and a waste of your money. But get yourself something decent. As for the hum, if it's bothering you, take Fred's advice. A decent surge protector may help eliminate that hum as well as protect your amp. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gruuve Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Why don't you just practice by playing along with the songs your rig is picking up off the radio? Let us know if the cable fixes your problem (sounds like it probably will). Dave Old bass players never die, they just buy lighter rigs. - Tom Capasso, 11/9/2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbroni Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Why don't you just practice by playing along with the songs your rig is picking up off the radio? But isn't there a fundamental law of physics that states amps can only pick up religious and conspiracy theory broadcasts. Together all sing their different songs in union - the Uni-verse. My Current Project Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
butcherNburn Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 Another thing you should try in these situations is to plug the amp into a different circuit and see if the problem follows you. At my old place, only on Sundays, I would get this hard-core preacher coming through a particular (crappy, beat up) amp. I hope he heard me playing Sabbath on the other end. If you think my playing is bad, you should hear me sing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LpalindromeL Posted December 2, 2004 Author Share Posted December 2, 2004 Actually, it's picking up news talk, and a jazz station. Don't get me wrong - I love jazz... But not coming out of my amp. At least, not when I'm not the one playing it. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted December 2, 2004 Share Posted December 2, 2004 I've tried ferrite beads in the past, and I even have some installed inside one of my basses. But I'm not really sure that they do anything. Can you tell us some more about the physics of ferrite beads, Greenboy? Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LpalindromeL Posted December 3, 2004 Author Share Posted December 3, 2004 Well, I bought a new cable. It seems to help, but I think the problem was actually two-fold. I think the electrical work in my apartment needs to be better grounded. But the higher-quality cable is definitely an improvement. it gives me less hum too. Thanks again, everyone! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Originally posted by jeremy c: Can you tell us some more about the physics of ferrite beads, Greenboy? How ferrite beads work. Cunning huh? Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bspangleyahoo.com Posted December 3, 2004 Share Posted December 3, 2004 Let's over simplify the physics a little bit; The ferrite beads changes the resonant frequencies of your elctronic equipment so (hopefully) your rig won't resonate at the same frequency as a radio or TV station. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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