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Post by needles on Sept 2, 2005 5:26:21 GMT -7
Hey guys, well i got my Maz 38 today... d**n it's nice. Just wondering though - regardless of the volume settings or whether or not a guitar is plugged in - if i turn up the cut or reverb controls i get some humming sounds. The humming from the cut on its own is pretty quiet and it doesn't bother me but the reverb has it pretty loud and if i use them together it's quite bad. It's not loud enough to really effect a live setting but when practicing it's pretty annoying as lowering the amp volume doen't make it any quieter. I also get a 'squeeking' sound with some notes when reverb is being used. Are these things normal?
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Post by needles on Sept 2, 2005 5:27:39 GMT -7
the squeaking sound is pretty faint by the way...
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Post by bluzsteel on Sept 2, 2005 6:04:50 GMT -7
Mine hums with or without cord in, thought there was something wrong with it , went over to Buddy Whittingtons house and his did the same thing. dont hear it at the gig .....I guess its a beast
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Post by needles on Sept 2, 2005 6:38:42 GMT -7
squeaking sound was just something vibrating.... never mind on that one
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Post by needles on Sept 2, 2005 10:14:34 GMT -7
played it some more... such incredible tone, i can get lost in it. Smooth with effects aswell
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Post by guitarboy02451 on Sept 2, 2005 18:59:14 GMT -7
Mine has no hum. Very quiet amp. Could it be your cable (guitar or speaker) or something in the environment, lights, dimmers, etc?
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Post by needles on Sept 3, 2005 12:18:59 GMT -7
cables and stuff are fine... anyone got any ideas?
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Post by hdahs143 on Sept 5, 2005 19:18:06 GMT -7
Try swapping preamp tubes. V1 & V2 for noise with the CUT control up, and V3 & V4 reverb noise. Swap them one at a time and see what happens. Good Luck!
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Post by needles on Sept 17, 2005 18:31:10 GMT -7
i think the reverb unit is picking up some of the hum from that power supply. anyone know how i can correct this?
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Post by tmann on Sept 22, 2005 12:15:48 GMT -7
I too have just recently have been experiencing a low grade hum independent of all the pre-amp tubes, power tubes ( I took all of them out one by one and even swapped and replaced with ones I know are good) the reverb control has no bearing on it, neither does having a cable ( nice lava cables , check him out ) in or out. It goes away in stanby mode ( not surorising. Could it be the rectifier tube (EH 5ar4)? Any thoughts from anyone would be greatly appreciated. I love the tone so much that I'm willing to put up with a little hum (it doesn't matter as much live, on stage) but if it gets any worse I may have to take it to the nearest amp tech here near Rochester NY, John Nau (another great amp guy) Thanks...T-Mann
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Post by DRZ on Sept 22, 2005 13:25:29 GMT -7
Needles swap out V4 reverb recovery. Tmann sounds like a fresh set of well matched EL-84's is needed.
Z
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Post by needles on Sept 24, 2005 9:38:13 GMT -7
roger that, I'll give it a go thnx
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Post by guitarman1 on Oct 12, 2005 6:26:50 GMT -7
I have the same problem with hum on my new Sr. Even with both volume controls and reverb control turned fully counter clockwise and no cable plugged in, I get hum/buzz. The frequency content of the noise changes with the cut control. I've tried disconnecting the fan & reverb cables, but that makes no difference. I've tried it on different circuits throughout the house, making certain that TVs, motors, dimmer switches etc., weren't on, but no change. I swapped out the stock Groove Tube EL-84s with a new set of matched JJs...no change. Swapped the stock rectifier tube with a NOS Mazda & NOS RCA...no change. Swapped out all pre-amp tubes with assorted JJ, EH, JAN Phillps, GT 12AX7M, EI & Chinese....no change, except when swapping out the LPS PI. This reduces the buzz just a wee bit. I also noticed that the reverb circuit is VERY sensitive to what type of 12AT7/ECC81 is in there. If that tube isn't perfect, any vibrations seem to be picked up by that tube and amplified through the speaker. Even light taps on the tube with my fingernail are clearly audible. I've went through 4 different brands of new & NOS 12AT7s before I found one that didn't make noise when playing. I don't remember having any of these quirks with my old Maz combo and head. Those 2 were dead quiet. I don't remember hearing this sound when I first got it about 1 1/2 months ago. I had it on a 48 trial period and I paid close attention to noise levels. One day I turned it on and this buzz started and never went away. Weird! I'm really frustrated and have run out of ideas.
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Post by bluzsteel on Oct 12, 2005 12:35:03 GMT -7
I just play louder than the hum
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arthur
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by arthur on Dec 4, 2005 15:29:53 GMT -7
I have the cut/reverb noise issue as well. I've been coping with it by keeping the treble up and the cut down. I guess I'll take the Doctor's advice and try a well matched set of power tubes.
Any other developments on this front?
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Post by needles on Dec 24, 2005 8:01:57 GMT -7
Havn't been on for a while so sorry for such a late reply guys. I have the Maz38 head and the reverb hum on that is because the tub has to be placed so close to the mains unit that it picks up the sound. Not sure what this has in relation to the cut control (my knowledge is pretty poor anyhow)- if any, but if I need the amp noisless for recording I just take the tub out from the head and place it to the side until i'm done. The buzz isn't loud enough on mine to really affect a live setting tho' .
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arthur
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by arthur on Jan 19, 2006 20:40:20 GMT -7
I attribute this noise issue to the quality of the reverb tube. I used a NOS Westinghouse that cut the hum down, but the tube was microphonic unfortunately. I've tried new EH's, way too noisy, and Sovtek, a bit noisy too. Still looking....
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Post by bluzsteel on Jan 19, 2006 21:16:46 GMT -7
I love the new 12AX'7 EH's I think they are some of the best out there
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arthur
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by arthur on Jan 22, 2006 20:27:45 GMT -7
They just might be....but way too noisy to use in the reverb. Do you have one in that spot?
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Post by bluzsteel on Jan 23, 2006 6:46:13 GMT -7
They just might be....but way too noisy to use in the reverb. Do you have one in that spot? I have em in V4 V5
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arthur
Junior Member
Posts: 85
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Post by arthur on Jan 23, 2006 21:16:55 GMT -7
Really? No hiss? I tried four there, all were too noisy to keep there. I haven't tried them in V1 or V2, maybe they'll work well there, otherwise I'll save them for my Boogie, which is less "high maintainence" when it comes to tubes.....
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buster
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by buster on Sept 21, 2006 22:46:28 GMT -7
I have the same problem with hum on my new Sr. Even with both volume controls and reverb control turned fully counter clockwise and no cable plugged in, I get hum/buzz. The frequency content of the noise changes with the cut control. I've tried disconnecting the fan & reverb cables, but that makes no difference. I've tried it on different circuits throughout the house, making certain that TVs, motors, dimmer switches etc., weren't on, but no change. I swapped out the stock Groove Tube EL-84s with a new set of matched JJs...no change. Swapped the stock rectifier tube with a NOS Mazda & NOS RCA...no change. Swapped out all pre-amp tubes with assorted JJ, EH, JAN Phillps, GT 12AX7M, EI & Chinese....no change, except when swapping out the LPS PI. This reduces the buzz just a wee bit. I also noticed that the reverb circuit is VERY sensitive to what type of 12AT7/ECC81 is in there. If that tube isn't perfect, any vibrations seem to be picked up by that tube and amplified through the speaker. Even light taps on the tube with my fingernail are clearly audible. I've went through 4 different brands of new & NOS 12AT7s before I found one that didn't make noise when playing. I don't remember having any of these quirks with my old Maz combo and head. Those 2 were dead quiet. I don't remember hearing this sound when I first got it about 1 1/2 months ago. I had it on a 48 trial period and I paid close attention to noise levels. One day I turned it on and this buzz started and never went away. Weird! ::) I'm really frustrated and have run out of ideas. :'( I recieved my used Maz sr 2x12 3 days ago and I am experiencing the exact same problem. No cable plugged in, volumes and tones turned down. Reverb and Cut controls, but especially the cut control, changes the character of the both hum/buzz. Went through all kinds of 12ax7's and 12at7's also. I haven't tried replacing the power tubes with a new quad but I did go through them changing them one at a time. No luck. The power tubes make no noise when tapped on and are the appropriate color. I also found that the v3 tube is very critical to noise in the amp and went through 3 12ax7's and the tech I took it to went through 3 also. I'm at my wits end also. Makes recording a problem. The first time my tech looked at it he ended up replacing v3 tube, and when I listened it seemed improved. His shop can at times be in a slightly noisy environment, so although there was still a slight buzz we thought it was acceptable. When I got home however and compared it to some of my other amps(Gibson goldtone ga15, Fender deluxe reissue, Mesa S.O.B.) realized it was still much buzzier/hummier. In fact, my other amps don't buzz at all even when cranked. I had tried a brand new Maz sr on loan from the local music store, and even recorded it, and it was close to dead quiet. If you find a solution please let the rest of us know what it is. I am taking the amp to my tech for a bench test tomorrow if he is available.
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messenger
Full Member
life is good!
Posts: 194
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Post by messenger on Sept 22, 2006 10:18:44 GMT -7
i have just orderd a 38sr nr head & you guys are making me a little nervous.i'm not very fond of noisy amps.just sold 2 mesas & that was one of the reasons why.of course biggest reason being lack of good tone.i'm sure this is not going to be a problem,.....right?
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Post by billyguitar on Sept 22, 2006 11:10:02 GMT -7
Most are dead quiet.
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Post by JASON (aka jgleaton) on Sept 22, 2006 12:38:37 GMT -7
Mine is quiet and it also has the built in reverb... it did go out one time but I sent it back to DR Z and it came back FIXED and even better sounding than before... I cranked it up LOUD today and it still blows me away... awesome amp! ;D
if ever in doubt send it back to DR Z, he'll fix it!!!!
Jason
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buster
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by buster on Sept 23, 2006 12:31:18 GMT -7
Okay so I took my maz38 to a tech for the 2nd time and he was very busy and in a hurry but he messed with tubes some more. The buzz didn't appear quite so bad at his shop (but more on that later). None the less we tried different tubes to no avail. Because the tone and volume controls and even the fact that no cable was plugged in seemed in his mind (and mine) to mean it couldn't be preamp tubes. He thinks that the amp is just very sensitive and is picking up ac hum in the circuit and I should get a power conditioner or possibly when the amp was made a wire could have been run slightly differently or something soldered poorly as to create a buzz or ground loop. I don't believe that. All my other amps are dead quiet, you can barely tell they are on and so was the maz I demo'd from the music store. I took the back panel off and pulled the reverb tank out of the bag. I made sure the connections to the tank and chassis were good and snug and moved the cable around for 5 minutes..no difference cables and connections fine. I then picked up the reverb tank and slowly moved it around. In certain positions the buzz almost dissappeared completely. It was acting just like an antennae. I don't know what this means, if anything but maybe there is a grounding problem in the reverb tank itself? Guitarman, did you ever get your buzz resolved? If so how and if not maybe some of this info helps. One other funny thing unrelated I think. I tried 2 different rectifier tubes (both of them GZ34/5ar4) and they didn't work in the maz. One blue the fuse and the other didn't even light up. They are both fine in my deluxe. Odd.
Buster
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buster
Junior Member
Posts: 73
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Post by buster on Sept 28, 2006 22:30:18 GMT -7
Well I took my Maz to another tech for a good run through and all he could find was a loose tube socket. He replaced it and when I got it home the buzz was gone. Who would have thought. I new it was a little loose but I didn't think it would cause a buzz. So there's a new one for me. Looking forward to finally gigging and recording with it.
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Post by jwr on Sept 29, 2006 10:51:36 GMT -7
I made my own rca cables and replaced the ones that came in my Sr and that seemed to help the tone quite a bit. A good 12at7 in V3 will help too. Loose tube socket is pretty weird, thanks for the info. +1
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Post by boognish on Oct 7, 2006 23:43:17 GMT -7
I just got my Maz about a week ago and it has also developed the buzz. It has the same symptoms with the cut and reverb. I would like to try and fix this on my own but I don’t what to do anything to void the warrantee or get myself shocked. Should I take my amp back to the dealer???
Help!
P.S. Other than the buzz this thing sounds amazing.
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Post by boognish on Oct 15, 2006 10:05:19 GMT -7
Update:
I worked with the dealer (Wildwood Guitars) who has always been good to me. They got in touch with the Dr. Z the next day and had an answer for me that afternoon. In my case it was the 12AT7 tube which I replaced with a Grove Tube. No more buzz, just out of the world tone! I still get a slight hiss when the cut is turned up all the way but I think it’s normal.
I was really happy to hear that the dealer and Dr. Z were willing to do whatever was needed to fix this. The Wildwood offered to send it to a local amp tech for a once over on his dime. Amp was the right choice as was the dealer.
Thanks Steve & Dr. Z!
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