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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 14, 2020 20:08:35 GMT -7
Hi all! I’m the proud owner of a glorious Jetta. My issue is with a very noisy basement where I have dimmers, a PC, and lots of EMI and AC line noise. I can hear a digital switching noise when I crank the gain (which I do frequently because I’m a single coil guy). I get the same noise in my Boss Katana too, so I don’t think anything is wrong with the Jetta. (SEE CLARIFICATION ABOUT THE KATANA BELOW.) My outlets are properly grounded, but not isolated (it is a 70 year old house after all). The noise happens when I don’t even have a cable and guitar plugged in. I’m using a Furman power stop with some modest EMI filters, but it’s not enough. Does anyone run an isolation transformer to keep line noise like this out of their gear? Any other suggestions? BTW, I’ve been emailing with Dr Z’s people. At their request, I sent them a clip of the noise. I’m hoping they get back to me soon, but am totally understanding of the delay with the pandemic and all!
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Post by DRZ on May 15, 2020 2:04:04 GMT -7
Well, first welcome to the forum, you'll find it is a great place to hang out. I believe you answered your own question. It's not the JETTA , it is an environment issue one that is behond our scope . Possibly having a clean dedicated outlet wired to your practice spot my a savvy electrician along with a good isolation type transformer will help very much like many studios do.
Z
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 15, 2020 7:09:58 GMT -7
Well, first welcome to the forum, you'll find it is a great place to hang out. I believe you answered your own question. It's not the JETTA , it is an environment issue one that is behond our scope . Possibly having a clean dedicated outlet wired to your practice spot my a savvy electrician along with a good isolation type transformer will help very much like many studios do. Z Thanks Doc. Just ordered a 250W Tripp Lite isolation transformer. I’ll probably also get a Hum Debugger to tame my single coil guitars, too.
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Post by digs57 on May 15, 2020 7:52:26 GMT -7
Doc said it...dedicated is the way to go...could be neighborhood,dimmers are culprits...someone else house (ham radio) + a 70 yr old houses wiring/box?
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on May 15, 2020 9:13:02 GMT -7
Plus fluorescent lights in or near the room, HVAC fans in the basement, lots of stuff. Some rooms just can’t be “fixed.”
I ran a dedicated circuit to my music room for both “cleaner” electricity and not sharing the load from amps, PA, etc., with other things in the house (no more tripped breakers). I also put incandescent bulbs in the room (then LEDs when those burned out). Pretty quiet EMI/RFI wise, but the still some “hummy” spots with the single coils with the laptop on, cellphones in the room, etc.
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bigez
Junior Member
Posts: 50
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Post by bigez on May 15, 2020 12:18:12 GMT -7
I had a similar problem. Not sure what kind of guitar you play, but my strat w/single coils caused horrible noise in my house. An Ilitch back plate system solved this issue for me, and playing is much less frustrating now! I was really surprised with how well it worked. You can find them used from time to time on reverb as well.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on May 15, 2020 12:39:19 GMT -7
StewMac has a good vid of Dan Erlewine showing how to completely shield a strat - using shielding paint and foil on the pickguard - that may be an option as well.
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 15, 2020 14:21:03 GMT -7
My tele is already shielded with copper tape. That was the first thing I did. I really hope the isolation transformer helps. This has been a long fight against noise... :-(
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Post by premiumplus (Dave) on May 15, 2020 15:33:59 GMT -7
I have suffered from noisy power for 20 years here at my home. 18 years ago I rebuilt the whole house, new 200 amp electric, new wires, everything new from the outdoor feed to isolated outlets in my studio. It didn't help a bit. I took a Pignose battery power amp, a Strat, and started walking the property. I found where the problem was, a pole pig transformer on the power pole in front of my house. I talked to the electric company and there's nothing they'll do for me. So now I play my humbuckers here at home a lot more than my single coils. Maybe an Illich backplate system is in my future.
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Post by digs57 on May 15, 2020 17:46:23 GMT -7
I have suffered from noisy power for 20 years here at my home. 18 years ago I rebuilt the whole house, new 200 amp electric, new wires, everything new from the outdoor feed to isolated outlets in my studio. It didn't help a bit. I took a Pignose battery power amp, a Strat, and started walking the property. I found where the problem was, a pole pig transformer on the power pole in front of my house. I talked to the electric company and there's nothing they'll do for me. So now I play my humbuckers here at home a lot more than my single coils. Maybe an Illich backplate system is in my future.
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Post by sharkboy on May 15, 2020 18:35:36 GMT -7
I have several of the Tripp isolating transformer boxes and they definitely help where I live. Keeping cell phones away and making sure you have a correctly grounded, 3-prong supply is critical. Make sure to test all of your outlets- I blew up a Vox Continental once at a friend’s house where the PA and the organ were grounded differently through the outlets.
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 16, 2020 14:15:29 GMT -7
UPDATE: The isolation transformer didn't do anything to improve the noise I'm experiencing. However, I did some more investigating and here's what happened.
1) The noise is linked to increasing the volume control. If I dime the volume control, I get the noise, which is crackly and almost sounds digital. Here's a quick video. The noise is much louder in the room than it is in the YouTube video.
2) I tried to isolate the power amp by plugging straight into the return jack. When I turned up the master, volume went up without the problematic noise. I did get some increase in white background increase, but nothing I would consider outside of normal.
I flicked all the tubes while it was running, and no noises came out. Any advice is very welcome!
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Post by Righty on May 16, 2020 15:20:51 GMT -7
What about the part where your Boss Katana gets the same noise?
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 16, 2020 15:38:46 GMT -7
What about the part where your Boss Katana gets the same noise? I was mistaken about that. The Katana was at church and I just brought it home yesterday. I misremembered how it was getting noise in my practice space. The Katana only get digital noise when a guitar is attached. I interpret that as the guitar picking up interference. The Katana only gives flat white noise when you crank it up with nothing attached. I just ordered a Hum Debugger to hopefully address the interference the guitar picks up.
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Post by daddyelmis (Greg) on May 16, 2020 18:08:43 GMT -7
Did you try using the Jetta in another room (other than the basement)? That would at least tell you if it’s purely the basement.
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 16, 2020 18:31:53 GMT -7
Did you try using the Jetta in another room (other than the basement)? That would at least tell you if it’s purely the basement. Yes, and the noise was still present. I’m planning to get out an extension cord and try out in the yard tomorrow!!
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Post by DRZ on May 17, 2020 1:30:02 GMT -7
Did you try using the Jetta in another room (other than the basement)? That would at least tell you if it’s purely the basement. Yes, and the noise was still present. I’m planning to get out an extension cord and try out in the yard tomorrow!! Am I sensing a bit of sarcasim from your response ? I hope not as we are are just trying to help you. I would also venture to say the digital noise you mention is caused from your cell phone being too close to the amp. You also mention "flicking tubes" as a test, that is the worst thing you can do to a warm glass tube that is plugged into a circuit, I know people do it but two wrongs don't make a right. My limited initial diagnosis added to your "misremembering" is a slightly noisy V1 tube, try swapping it with a known good one. This along with your less than perfect environment may be the cause of your concern. BTW how does the amp sound when you plug in a guitar and play it ? Also were did you buy it and what is the serial number ? Z
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Post by Rockerfeller on May 17, 2020 4:51:03 GMT -7
When I dime my Jetta master volume, there is definitely white noise present. But I wouldn't call it digital, just your regular amp noise. It's louder than my other Z amps. It's certainly noticeable at home. But I gigged the amp several times back in the day, and it was NEVER noticeable or an issue.
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Post by KeithA on May 17, 2020 5:22:56 GMT -7
1) The noise is linked to increasing the volume control. If I dime the volume control, I get the noise, which is crackly and almost sounds digital. Here's a quick video. The noise is much louder in the room than it is in the YouTube video.
The 'crackly' noise sounds like what I refer to as frying pan noise. Whenever I have had that issue in the past it could always be tied back to a preamp tube (as Doc alludes to in his post above). If you have a spare 12ax7 (or two) I'd try cycling them through the preamp positions to see if the crackling goes away.
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 17, 2020 6:06:00 GMT -7
1) The noise is linked to increasing the volume control. If I dime the volume control, I get the noise, which is crackly and almost sounds digital. Here's a quick video. The noise is much louder in the room than it is in the YouTube video.
The 'crackly' noise sounds like what I refer to as frying pan noise. Whenever I have had that issue in the past it could always be tied back to a preamp tube (as Doc alludes to in his post above). If you have a spare 12ax7 (or two) I'd try cycling them through the preamp positions to see if the crackling goes away. Just ordered two new ones! Fingers crossed! And yes, I am going to try plugging in outside with an extension cores just to totally eliminate my basement as the source of noise. Not trying to be sarcastic! Just trying to troubleshoot as best I can. That noise (“frying pan” is a much better description than “digital”) is present no matter where my cell phone is.
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Post by ridiculouswonk on May 17, 2020 6:24:56 GMT -7
BTW how does the amp sound when you plug in a guitar and play it ? Also were did you buy it and what is the serial number ? Z The guitar sounds great! The amp fills the room and has plenty of headroom for me. Depending on how high I have the volume set, the noise starts off low in the background and goes up as I add gain. When I play with the volume around 9:00, the noise is almost imperceptible. Above that, the noise comes in, especially when playing lower notes (standard tuning). I bought the amp through Sweetwater. Serial number DD-49075.
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Post by perryr on May 18, 2020 23:07:53 GMT -7
I have suffered from noisy power for 20 years here at my home. 18 years ago I rebuilt the whole house, new 200 amp electric, new wires, everything new from the outdoor feed to isolated outlets in my studio. It didn't help a bit. I took a Pignose battery power amp, a Strat, and started walking the property. I found where the problem was, a pole pig transformer on the power pole in front of my house. I talked to the electric company and there's nothing they'll do for me. So now I play my humbuckers here at home a lot more than my single coils. Maybe an Illich backplate system is in my future. Yep, pignose and a strat for locating source of environmental noise!
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