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Post by 6stings on Apr 11, 2012 13:19:11 GMT -7
A new Blonde arrived today! Don't have time tonight to drive a long test round, but after a half an hour test, it sounds like it hums a little and the noise increases with the higher vol and drive. I usually open the amps first to check the soldering and all connections, to smell the tubes and all, but this time I just plugged it in. Any thoughts about the hum? I have Z28 which is perfectly quiet, I wonder why the hum from Monza!?
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Post by Keith on Apr 11, 2012 15:08:34 GMT -7
Tightening the 4 large bolts holding the chassis in the cabinet sometimes helps, give it a try.
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Post by jimmysmith on Apr 11, 2012 17:54:07 GMT -7
i also had a used monza arrive today in blond!, it seemed to have factory tubes in it, el84s were a bit worn and the sovtek lps int he phase inverter slot was microphonic. i swapped some tubes in and out till i found a nice mix, nos gz34 for the sovtek in there. it had some noise or cycle hum, but it is way quieter now. i think the tubes just need changing out 6stings. this is the loudest amp ever even louder than my old mazerti gt, almost. i am using an airbrake on bedroom setting and around halfway on the max and min, i am actually playing a coffee house gig tomorrow night with this monza and a z 2/10 cab.. am using the acoustic piezo on a parker nitefly for softer stuff. works great so far.
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Post by 6stings on Apr 11, 2012 23:15:53 GMT -7
Tightening the 4 large bolts holding the chassis in the cabinet sometimes helps, give it a try. The bolts are as tight as they can be, I'll try to swap the tubes as Jimmy said, not all at the same time, don't know if I have them all right now... My god, this is one loud box! Tried it thru 212 cab with Celestion G12Hs, I'll see how it sounds thru 112 and 115.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2012 7:09:41 GMT -7
It's a high gain amp and will produce some hum at higher drive settings. Nature of the beast, to some extent. That's rock 'n roll!
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Post by pcns on Apr 12, 2012 9:15:47 GMT -7
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Post by 6stings on Apr 12, 2012 13:47:45 GMT -7
It's a high gain amp and will produce some hum at higher drive settings. Nature of the beast, to some extent. That's rock 'n roll! I wanted the beast, sure, but it hums at lower settings. I'll check what happens with the new tubes. I have JJs ecc83s and el84, but no new 5ar4. The amp came with 12ax7 Sovtek on v1, v2. I just saw that '12 models comes with ecc83s on v1 and 12ax7 on v2, are those not the same? Here's the pic!
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Post by 6stings on Apr 12, 2012 13:50:15 GMT -7
Why can't I post the pic??
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Post by 6stings on Apr 12, 2012 13:51:42 GMT -7
It worked:)
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2012 16:35:40 GMT -7
Get some Deoxit (Radio Shack) and clean the tube sockets when you replace tubes (spray the Deoxit on the tube pines and work them in and out of the socket a few times). Ditto with the guitar input jack. Sounds like maybe a tube issue, though, if it's happening at low volume. Single coils or humbuckers?
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Post by 6stings on Apr 14, 2012 8:29:58 GMT -7
Thanks flea! The hum could be heard without anything plugged in. Opened it, checked all connections, all look good, checked all screws, all dead tight! Changed the ecc83s and both el84. There was 12ax7 Sovtek on V2, I left that one and the 5ar4. I can hear a weak shhhh sound a little but not the hum like when I powered it the first time. Ran my Explorer Studio with minibuckers into it, excellent! I think the house prices in the area will go down very soon:))
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Post by 6stings on Apr 14, 2012 23:21:48 GMT -7
i also had a used monza arrive today in blond!, it seemed to have factory tubes in it, el84s were a bit worn and the sovtek lps int he phase inverter slot was microphonic. i swapped some tubes in and out till i found a nice mix, nos gz34 for the sovtek in there. it had some noise or cycle hum, but it is way quieter now. i think the tubes just need changing out 6stings... Jimmy, congrats on your new Blonde! What tubes you have in it now?
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Post by jimmysmith on Apr 15, 2012 5:36:18 GMT -7
yeah , mine looks just like yours. not sure if i will get the master volume yet. i have some new jj el84s in it, and i found a mullard 4004 i had put back, and a simple jj in v2. and i actually have a nice real mullard gz34 rectifier. mine came with a sovtek rzr4/gz34. i wonder if 5v4s work in this amp and if it makes any tone difference?. i have one of those. this amp has the greatest sustain of many z amps i have owned. its lightweight and very satisfying to play. another fantastic design from doctor z. he just quietly keeps coming out with these great little amps. i couldnt be happier with this monza. i havent really even cranked it a whole lot yet.
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Post by 6stings on Apr 17, 2012 21:12:43 GMT -7
Thanks, Jimmy. I'd like to try it with the Brake.
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Post by pcns on Apr 19, 2012 7:45:10 GMT -7
I was playing around with mine last night, it does have a slight hum to it but nothing I would call excessive and cannot be heard at all when I am playing, even at low volumes. sure sounds good
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Post by 6stings on Apr 20, 2012 18:58:43 GMT -7
I like it a lot. Just got the Boomerang III, so i thought, what a hell, lets try it with Monza. Pretty clean to my ears
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Post by 6stings on Apr 23, 2012 21:45:11 GMT -7
Just when I thought that the noise was gone, it came back! Plugged it in on Sunday and there was the same, loud, buzzing sound. It started with the low vol and increasing. The gain didn't do any changes, well some, but I kept it on zero, trying to figure out what was happening. I tried different guitars and cables, nothing changed. At one moment, while plugging and unplugging the cables, I heard the weird, whistling sound, just one short whiste. Replaced preamp and amp tubes yesterday, one by one, checking the sound in between - still buzzing! What's left to replace is the 5AR4 rectifier, I don't have any at the moment, I'll have it in a week or so.
I wonder if the rectifier was damaged during the shipping?
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Post by 6stings on Apr 25, 2012 10:01:00 GMT -7
No, the rectifier was just fine, I tested it with a GZ34. All tubes were good, there was nothing wrong with them or the Monza! The problem was the distance between the amp and thew guitar!!! After I read the posts here describing the noise / buzz/ feedeback just like I got, I tried the 9 m / 30 ft cable, stretched it to the other room, plugged the guitar - no noise!!! The noise was gone!!!
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Post by 6stings on May 8, 2012 21:54:52 GMT -7
Monza got a new friend, the Line 6 DT25 112 Cab with the Celestion G12H-90, designed for Line 6's DT25 topp. I like it better then 212 cab I used earlier.
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