mab
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Post by mab on May 2, 2010 15:22:19 GMT -7
I just received my Monza head a few days ago. Couldn't be happier with the amp--it sounds outstanding and is much more versatile than the demos and discussions I'd seen before I was able to put it through the ropes on my own.
I've only had one chance to stretch its legs at our rehearsal space. I ran it through my 112 Tone Tubby cab loaded with an alnico. I started with my PRS Custom 24 and it sounded wonderful; threw a bunch of pedals at it and it showed a variety of shades and tones I hadn't expected.
Next I went in with my Tele and IMMEDIATELY I was greeted with such a loud hum/buzz that I had to stop and unplug the guitar. I went back to my PRS and tapped the coils--same problem, though not quite as loud as the Tele. I need some help!
I don't have enough experience to diagnose the problem for certain as a ground hum, but that's my best guess so far. The hum was mitigated slightly when I turned myself around in the room and faced at a perpendicular angle to the amp. But not a cure-all. Has anyone had this problem and can you recommend some solutions?? Would an Ebtech Hum X help solve the problem, or is there possibly something loose (a ground wire) either in the amp or my guitar? I am dubious that it's a guitar issue since the same thing happened with my PRS. Also, I've never had a problem with hums in our rehearsal space, though admittedly I haven't been able to try the amp elsewhere yet.
I'm hoping to cash in on some the collective wisdom here...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 2, 2010 15:46:36 GMT -7
I get more single-coil hum through my Monza than other lower gain amps, for sure--though with a Strat in the 2 or 4 postions it disappears, ditto tele in the middle position. Not a problem with humbuckers, as you say (hence the name, I'm thinkin'). It seems to be a function of the gainy-ness of the Monza: not a big deal for me as I'm a position 2/4 guy mostly, and as you say if you turn the right way that can also cancel a lot of it. It's there, but even in neck or bridge pickup only it's not overwhelming or problematic at all--just a bit more than I get from my Maz 18s or my LSS.
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Post by bluzman on May 2, 2010 16:54:19 GMT -7
Because when you turn it's most like emf or rfi. Turn off all dimmers in the house and shut off any fluorescent lights.
I think the front end it tweaked kind of hot and it will pick up stuff. Where we rehears, with my Teles, I have to shut off one of the fluorescent lights, then all is well.
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Post by headshrinker (Marc) on May 2, 2010 19:09:58 GMT -7
Not to sound condescending but that's why they invented humbuckers. Single coils pick up electrical stuff in the air and the it gets amplified. With a gainy amp it gets amplified more. Try playing p 90s in a bar with florescent lights through something like a 5150. The best solution is first make sure your hand is always on the strings so you have a good string ground. Also get farther from the amp. The closer to the amp you are the worse it will be. You have found the other remedy and that is standing so your guitar is at a different angle to the amp. Usually with the neck around 90 degrees to the amp.
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Post by doctorice on May 2, 2010 19:12:24 GMT -7
Same issue with my Tele and the Monza and the MAZ. Humbuckers and Strat with noiseless pickups are all fine. My room has dimmers and some pedals have rfi issues, so it's like bluzman says....
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mab
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Post by mab on May 3, 2010 7:53:50 GMT -7
Thanks for the notes, guys. I agree completely on the nature-of-the-beast argument when it comes to single coil hum. But what I'm getting with my Monza is MUCH more noticeable and intrusive than anything I've dealt with before--both with other Z amps or other high-gain rigs. I'll try working with the lights, thanks. But with the fear that I run into the problem at gigs, I'd like to carry a solution to at least cover me a little when I've got bad hum. Does the Ebtech Hum X work in this situation???
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Post by jammergreg on May 3, 2010 9:24:01 GMT -7
Try an Ebtech Hum X in the wall plug it worked for me . I don't leave home with out it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 3, 2010 16:40:18 GMT -7
I had a similar problem . I switched outlets and it went away. It definitely wasn't coil hum..Something is going on with an electrical issue.
I have played 2 different Monza ::With singles from a tele and P-90's. No real issues.
It's possible you just need a better cord.
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mab
New Member
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Post by mab on May 4, 2010 6:47:16 GMT -7
Thanks all for the tips. Greg, I got a Hum X on your recommendation and will check it out at rehearsal tomorrow night. I'll post my thoughts on it!
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Post by grassrat on Jun 3, 2011 10:31:39 GMT -7
im getting some good hum as well. a hum that sweeps into a solid hiss by increasing the volume knob. ive changed tubes, chords, speakers and guitars. The hum goes to hiss passing 9 oclock Ive never played another monza so im not to sure if its normal or not. Way more noise than an AO-35 or a blackface bassman.
Just curious if this is normal or if yalls amps stay quite. i get the mean noise even with no input to the amp
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Post by Phil (aka Phil) on Jun 4, 2011 5:52:23 GMT -7
My Monza (head) is very quiet with no cord plugged into the amp (amp on of course). With humbuckers it's what I would call very quiet noise-floor wise. With single coils I pick up all the usual single coil noise but it's no worse than any of my other higher-gain amps.
I agree that the guitar cord could be a contributing factor. If the ground integrity is broken at any point from the guitar to the amp the cord will act like a very efficient antenna for noise.
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Post by bluzman on Jun 4, 2011 10:05:15 GMT -7
It's a higher gain amp and to me it seems the front end is already pushed as if there is a pedal even when it's at idle. I'm using P90s lately so here's how it goes for me. In my controlled environment in the bahn it's pretty quiet but not as quiet as my other Z-Amps... If I turn it up I can pick up the "invisible dog fence". If I turn on the fluorescent lights downstairs, it's humming. In some bars I can almost tell where the fridge is and I sometimes have to position myself for less hum. When I use the Monza at a club I need to turn off all of the neon lights close by. Like Phil says, with HBs, no real issue at all.
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Post by texan2step on Jun 15, 2011 8:20:58 GMT -7
I'm not sure whether you picked up a used Monza or a new one but I would look into the tubes as one of the possible culprits. There are two companies that offer balanced and matched triodes to go in the phase inverter and then a low-noise/microphonics option for the others. Given that this amp is a high gain amp, having low noise tubes could help the problem. I don't think it will fix it completely and there might be some trade off in the overall gain of the amp with low noise tubes as they also have a high-gain option. But if the noise is bothering you too much, it's worth looking into. Here's a link to the tube websites I used and I've also included one explaining the matched and balanced sections. Hope this helps! Also, I don't know if you can find a shielded power cord but I found one for one of my amps and it really helped in one of my amps. A lot of power cord these days are not shielded from what I've seen. Then if you're still having problems, I know that Lindy Fralin has a silent single coil system that he offers. I've never tried it but here's a link to it. It might be helpful. www.fralinpickups.com/bpssc.aspthetubestore.com/triodematching.htmlwww.thetubestore.comwww.tubedepot.com
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