feedback/hiss help with mIV

[guitardude05]

i play high gain a lot and when i turn up to play with a band i always get feedback really bad when i stop playing so i have to roll back my volume knob really quickly... will switching to EMG's help? (i have stock p/u's in my ibanez) or do i need something like an NS?

 

[Nick_cor]

Do you use a power conditioner? Do you know if it feedsback in different places? Maybe it's a bad tube? I don't think Mesa would make an amp that cannot handle its' own settings without going into horrible amounts of feedback, but if none of this appeals to you, i'd say try the ISP decimator. That's the best Noise Supressor on the market.

 

[guitardude05]

-well i asked the original owner if he's ever had the preamp tubes replaced and he said no. the amp is about 10 years old... so maybe its time for a full retube? stock mesa tubes? or doug's tubes?

-i dont use a power conditioner but i am looking into them, i keep reading mixed opinions about them and i dont know what a good one would be. suggestions?

any help is appreciated. i would rather keep the signal clean without a noise suppressor if at all possible.

 

[Nick_cor]

I hear ya'

If the tubes are old than maybe it's time for a change, you'll need them sooner or later. Remember, there are many reasons why an amp can squeal or feedback. A bad tube is one of them. So are the electrical appliances around you, they help with the excess noise and I believe this is called interference.

Which takes us to the Power Conditioner. A power conditioner regulates and cleans the the current being drawn. Basically your mark IV is drawing electricity from the outlet but the outlet may not be sending a constant amount of electricity that the mark IV needs for it to run at it's prime. A power conditioner essentially means your mark IV will be happier and less noisy. Now, pretty much everyone uses Furman Power conditioners because they have a reputation. You don't need anything special, I recommend the PL-8.

For example, in my neighborhood, we have horrible electricity. The houses and lines were built 80+ years ago. We still have 2 prong outlets. I had to change a few in the house and stuff. Anyways, after I get my mark IV cabinet and guitar back, I'll be getting a new set of tubes from Doug's as well.

Best of luck

 

[tony777]

or do i need something like an NS?

Yep, a pickup change will probably not help to get rid off the feedback completely. A Boss NS-2 works great to eliminate the unwanted feedback when you play really loud.
There is probably other boxes that can do the job as well.

Tony

 

[Tuna141]

A noisegate would probably do the trick too.

Also, as Mesa mentions in the IV manual, if you have the gain /drivemaxed, it will probably squeel/feedback. Try reducing the gain a little.

 

[Zorshelter]

you could also simply try to play far from your Amp, I think 10 or more feet would help you with hiss, at least it does the trick for me....

 

[fpoon]

MXR Smartgate. Get it. But seriously, when playing with a band there are tons of frequencies flying all over the place so it's pretty normal that you'll be getting some feedback when Lead Drive, Treble, and Gain are close to 8 or so. So yeah, get the MXR.

 

[guitardude05]

MXR smartgate? ive heard it sucks tone but ive never used one. i am looking into the Rocktron Hush Super C, but really into the ISP Decimator's. Does anyone have experience with the Hush or Decimator? also, is the ISP rack any different from the pedal besides the dual channels? it seems like one could use 2 pedals, 1 in the loop and 1 between the guitar and amp.