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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 12, 2006 4:51:03 GMT -7
I am experiencing a buzz/hum in my reverb circuit. Last night I took out the chassis to check the Reverb ground in my 90's MAZ 18, I had done the mod to fix the grounding problem that the amp had originally. While I had the amp out, not where I normally have it sitting, it was quiet and only had a slight 60 cycle background noise when the controls were dimed, but when I put the amp back in place in the corner of the room where I normally keep it it hummed again. I have new wiring in the room where I keep the amp and plug it into a grounded recepticle. The buzz/hum is in the reverb circuit because it goes away when the reverb is turned down, and does'nt do this when the amp is away from the wall. Perhaps there's some wiring in my wall that's creating a magnetic field thats getting picked up by my reverb tank. Is there a way to shield the amp from this?
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 12, 2006 18:34:01 GMT -7
I found the culprit, a flourescent light in the circuit. But now I noticed something else. I get some other thing and it's in the electrical lines in my home, I listened to it happening tonight and it is a series of short hums and then a longer hum that increases in intensity and then it sounds like a phone ringing, it happens about every 5 seconds and it's always that series of interferences. I have a cordless phone downstairs and in the room where the amp is set up there's a computer, and I have a sattelite receiver also. I have a fender amp that it does this on also but it's not as intense as the MAZ 18. I may have to invest in a power conditioner to plug my amps into, I'll have to try it at practice and see if it does it there. I practice about 12 miles away from my home, then I'll know for sure if it's something coming from inside my home or if I'm picking up extraterrestrial lifeforms trying to communicate with our planet. strange indeed
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Post by GuitarZ on Dec 12, 2006 20:44:08 GMT -7
Let us know if the power conditioner improves things. I've had some hum issues in my house and I could not isolate the problem even after turning off every single circuit breaker in the house except for the one that I was using. I even tried a different circuit and ran through the whole thing again.
My issue is different since I get it through the guitar, but I've always been curious as to whether a power conditioner would improve things or whether the problem was airborne.
I had some issues with my house alarm circuitry also. It must send regular signals out to check the contacts and you could pick up the intererence if you got to close to the wires.
Good luck!
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 13, 2006 8:58:04 GMT -7
I'll have to borrow one and see if that works, I hope my problem is a 110v power line thing and not something thats in the air around my home. It sounds like some device is putting out a signal, I've had cell phones that played havoc with my MAZ. I eliminated the computer and the sattelite receiver that's in the room with my amp by shutting both down, I have a suspicion that the source is a cordless phone that's in the living room. I know one of my neighbors has a wireless modem for his laptop but they arent there but on some weekends. As far as cell towers, there are none in the vicinity of my home.
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 13, 2006 11:09:48 GMT -7
I e-mailed my absentee neighbor and he verified that he has a wireless computer modem and it's on over in his house next door, I have a key to his place because they are only there on the weekends so I'm going over to unplug the modem tonight and see if the noise goes away. I remember when he got the modem my neighbor on the other side was able to get on the internet with his laptop two houses away so if it's sending out a search signal that can be detected 2 houses away my MAZ is probably picking it up too. I'll keep you all updated.
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Post by kruzty on Dec 13, 2006 11:26:05 GMT -7
I don't know if by wireless modem you mean a wireless router, but if that is the case, I have one in the basement where I play and I don't notice any odd sounds.
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Post by Lefty on Dec 13, 2006 11:35:34 GMT -7
I have a wireless router too and it's pretty much next door to my guitar room, no problems. The range of a wireless router is very dependent on Line Of Site, but they do traditionally reach outside the house and next door. This is where WEP comes in...another story for another time. I would check the wireless phone, but I doubt it's the issue. They only broadcast/receive when in use. I think the solution is (without driving yourself nuts) is a power strip/conditioner. Have you check the AC in your house? You might get a outlet tester at Radio Shack/Home Depot/Lowes and see if you have any open grounds.
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 13, 2006 12:41:17 GMT -7
I have one of those plug in testers and my wiring i'm going to checks out, in fact I carry one of those to every gig I do and check the wiring I'm plugging into, you'd be surprised how many times I had reverse positive, no ground, and pretty much lethal wiring in the bar where the owner's cousin Vinny, who knows what he's doin, wired the place up. It's not any of my pedals because it does the sound when I plug straight in, and when the volume on the guitar is all the way down or no guitar plugged in at all. I'm at work now but I'm willing to bet that it's the wireless modem.
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 14, 2006 4:32:54 GMT -7
Well I went over to the neighbor's and unplugged his wireless computer router and the noise is still there coming thru the amp. While sitting in the living room last night I noticed that the lights on the Christmas tree and out on the front porch (the lights with the programmable sequence) were kind of following the same pattern as the sounds coming thru the amp. However I really don't think that that could be causing the sound I'll try running the amp with the lights unplugged. It's not anything that the amp itself could produce, it is some kind of outside RF or microwave that I'm picking up.
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Post by John on Dec 14, 2006 6:28:46 GMT -7
My house is 106 years old and the wiring isn't good. Updated, but not good. Many of the outlets are not grounded.
I have one of the units Lefty posted above. I'll check the outlet I normally use. But I'm pretty sure it's not grounded.
Is there anything I can do to help with the line noise? Addressing, in particular, the grounding issue?
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 14, 2006 15:43:45 GMT -7
Well I found the source of 2 of my problems, the weird computer-like noises were coming from the Christmas lights that are plugged into the porch light that gets it hot leg from the cieling fan in the living room that is on the same circuit as the bedroom where my amp is. I was also getting slight ocillation at times which would be the ceiling fan in the living room. I switched on the christmas lights and the sound was back, turned them off and the noise was gone. Whowouldathoughtathat? I'm a happy MAZ owner once again. I think I've experienced every stupid problem with my MAZ, but still nothing that required any major repair. Another story for the MAZ 18 archives, but it does have a happy ending.
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Post by ruger9 on Dec 14, 2006 16:07:16 GMT -7
Well I found the source of 2 of my problems, the weird computer-like noises were coming from the Christmas lights that are plugged into the porch light that gets it hot leg from the cieling fan in the living room that is on the same circuit as the bedroom where my amp is. ROFLMAO!! You gotta' love older houses...
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Post by Lefty on Dec 15, 2006 7:56:38 GMT -7
I know of a story from a Electrician buddy of mine that at this one house the lights in this one room where the computer was would dim and the computer would shut off every time the toilet was flushed. Now figure THAT one out.
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messenger
Full Member
life is good!
Posts: 194
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Post by messenger on Dec 15, 2006 11:27:50 GMT -7
electricity can be a funny duck sometimes.had the neutral wire that was buried under ground,burn into.plug in a light on 1 side of room & the fan on the other side of room, on a completely different breaker would speed up to hyperspeed.turn on the porch light & the indoor overhead lights would come on,etc.,etc.
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Post by friendlyranger on Dec 21, 2006 11:40:01 GMT -7
The UPS I bought for my computer a couple months ago ended up causing me problems. With it plugged in, even if it is powered off, I get a strange noise through my amps which sounds like a phone dialing in pulse mode. If I unplug the UPS, it goes away.
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Post by guitargeorge on Dec 21, 2006 13:14:40 GMT -7
My reverb has a hum but at the setting I run it at it's barely noticable and also when I pull the amp away from the wall where I normally have them, the hum goes away, maybe I could mount the reverb tank inside some sort of shielded bag instead of the one that came stock. There's probably wiring in the wall that is probably old knob and tube (old house) and the reverb is picking up the magnetic field around it.
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Post by nitehawk55 on Dec 26, 2006 17:49:52 GMT -7
If you have ever played with amateur radio you find lots of problems with noise and interferance on your radio . One of the big trouble makers is the transformer on the pole feeding your house .
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