How noisy is your rectifier?

[nicoroy123]

I will sound probably stupid but I am trying to figure out if the level of noise of my solo 50 is normal or not.
I have changed all the tubes and the level of noise is still the same.

Here are my settings for Red channel Modern mode:
Output: 10h00
Master: 9:00
Presence: 10h00
Bass: 9:00
Mid: 12:00
Treble: 12:00
Gain: 1:00

Is it noisy on your rig? I mean plain. The guitar, the amp, the cab, that's all.
Mine has serious hum/buzz...

Thanks

 

[mikey383]

Mine is quiet. My rack processor induces a little hum, but if I forget that it's on sometimes because it's so quiet.

 

[primal]

mine is very quit as well. In fact, it is probably the quitest amp I have owned.Even quiter then the Mark IV which is also pretty quite

 

[screamingdaisy]

Unplug your guitar cable from your amp. If it's still noisy the problem is the amp.

Plug the cable back into your amp, but leave your guitar/pedals unattached. If becomes noisy, the problem is you cable. Replace it with one with good shielding.

Next, plug in your pedalboard. If it becomes noisy now the problem is in your pedalboard. Start sorting through them by unplugging them all and powering them by batteries. Then, plug them back in one at a time until you find the source of the noise. If a pedal is the source, ditch it and move on. Next, plug whatever you're using to power your pedalboard. If it starts to hum badly at this stage the problem is either you have a noisy power supply or you have a ground loop through the power supply. Either way I suggest ditching the power supply and replacing it with a Pedal Power 2 as this unit will solve either problem.

Next, if your pedalboard is silent, plug in the lead that goes from the pedalboard to your guitar. See the second paragraph for the solution to this one.

Lastly, plug in your guitar. If it starts to get noisy now then you'll want to look at adding shielding to your guitar. Also, double check to make sure the bridge is grounded correctly (if the guitar hums when you let go of it, but gets quieter when you touch the strings then it's grounded correctly).

Most of my noisy amp problems revolved around using cheaper power supplies.

 

[nicoroy123]

Unplug your guitar cable from your amp. If it's still noisy the problem is the amp.

Plug the cable back into your amp, but leave your guitar/pedals unattached. If becomes noisy, the problem is you cable. Replace it with one with good shielding.

Next, plug in your pedalboard. If it becomes noisy now the problem is in your pedalboard. Start sorting through them by unplugging them all and powering them by batteries. Then, plug them back in one at a time until you find the source of the noise. If a pedal is the source, ditch it and move on. Next, plug whatever you're using to power your pedalboard. If it starts to hum badly at this stage the problem is either you have a noisy power supply or you have a ground loop through the power supply. Either way I suggest ditching the power supply and replacing it with a Pedal Power 2 as this unit will solve either problem.

Next, if your pedalboard is silent, plug in the lead that goes from the pedalboard to your guitar. See the second paragraph for the solution to this one.

Lastly, plug in your guitar. If it starts to get noisy now then you'll want to look at adding shielding to your guitar. Also, double check to make sure the bridge is grounded correctly (if the guitar hums when you let go of it, but gets quieter when you touch the strings then it's grounded correctly).

Most of my noisy amp problems revolved around using cheaper power supplies.

Your trouble shooting procedure is very interesting...
Without anything plugged in the amp (no guit/cable), I only have a little hiss when the Master knob goes high. I think this is normal or acceptable.

So like you said next, I plugged a guitar cable in the amp with no guitar and now here it comes! The buzz definitely appears.
So it may not be the amp!

But now I have tested with 3 different cables, even a 3 feet one and the noise is always there.
So with a guitar or not, as soon as a cable is connected to the head, the buzz appears.

If I hold the ground part of the jack with my fingers, the buzz seems to go away and it gets back the the hiss I have with no cable.
With a guitar connected, the buzz is there, no matter if I touch the bridge or not. So how do I add shielding to a guitar?

I don't get it...

Thanks again

 

[screamingdaisy]

Yeah, I forgot than an amp will hum like a ***** if there's an open cable plugged into it.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/index.php

It's written for Strats, but the info is good.

 

[nicoroy123]

Yeah, I forgot than an amp will hum like a ***** if there's an open cable plugged into it.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/index.php

It's written for Strats, but the info is good.

Thanks for the info. I have been reading on this site today. What makes me freak out is that I have the same buzz with 2 different guitars.
Same thing with my Ibanez and my Strat...what are the chances that I suddenly have ground problems on two guitars?

This is what sent me to the amp direction yesterday. But well, with no cable in the amp, the buzz disappears so it can't be the amp!?!!

What a headache!

 

[screamingdaisy]

So you're getting this buzz with no pedals and just a guitar? Nothing in the loop?


Have you tried moving it to a different room as an experiment? Being close to TV monitors (the old tubed kind), fluorescent lights, or electric motors (like a refrigerator or fan motor) can induce a lot of noise into a guitar.

 

[nicoroy123]

So you're getting this buzz with no pedals and just a guitar? Nothing in the loop?


Have you tried moving it to a different room as an experiment? Being close to TV monitors (the old tubed kind), fluorescent lights, or electric motors (like a refrigerator or fan motor) can induce a lot of noise into a guitar.

2 different guitars, 3 different cables and the amp. That's it. Nothing in the loop.
Yes I did move the amp in the basement to make sure I get a different circuit, and get far from computers etc.

Same exact thing.
This is why I am getting crazy!

 

[fluff191]

Time for a power conditioner. Is your place old? Mine is very very old and has pretty 'dirty' power. Makes a huge difference in a high gain amp.

 

[screamingdaisy]

Sounds like the shielding is your next option.

A certain amount of background noise is expected with high gain... it's the nature of the beast, however I assume you're talking about an excessive amount of noise/hum. Your options at this point are shielding, quieter humbuckers (like EMGs) if you're using humbuckers, noiseless single coils if you're using single coils, or using a noise gate (like a Boss NS-2).

I consider noise gates to be a band-aid solutions myself... better off sorting out the pickups and shielding since the more noise you need to gate off the more intrusive the gating will be to your playing.

 

[nicoroy123]

Time for a power conditioner. Is your place old? Mine is very very old and has pretty 'dirty' power. Makes a huge difference in a high gain amp.

Duplex built in 1948. And it is sticked to the neighbords..
It may be the cause...
A product to suggest?

But I thought a ground lisf would have fix it...

 

[nicoroy123]

Sounds like the shielding is your next option.

A certain amount of background noise is expected with high gain... it's the nature of the beast, however I assume you're talking about an excessive amount of noise/hum. Your options at this point are shielding, quieter humbuckers (like EMGs) if you're using humbuckers, noiseless single coils if you're using single coils, or using a noise gate (like a Boss NS-2).

I consider noise gates to be a band-aid solutions myself... better off sorting out the pickups and shielding since the more noise you need to gate off the more intrusive the gating will be to your playing.

Yeah this is why I started this thread. What is an acceptable amount of noise with high gain pops and amps? I am ok at bedroom levels. It only becomes a problem at rehearsal level.
I just noticed the sound last wednesday in a gig. It seems to be a problem since then but I can't remember what was the level of hum before. Maybe I just didn't notice...

Now my next step will to move my rig to my rehearsal studio and see if the problem is still there. It would exclude the crappy electricity of my building or any kind of interferences.

 

[rs11gps]

I am trying to figure out if the level of noise of my solo 50 is normal or not.

I have a triple rectifier Solo 150. It is dead quiet. Once in a while I will get the characteristic 'pop' when changing from channel 2 to channel 3. That's it. Probably the quietest amp I've ever worked on. A line conditioner would at least let you know if it is your house mains. - Roger

 

[nicoroy123]

I am trying to figure out if the level of noise of my solo 50 is normal or not.

I have a triple rectifier Solo 150. It is dead quiet. Once in a while I will get the characteristic 'pop' when changing from channel 2 to channel 3. That's it. Probably the quietest amp I've ever worked on. A line conditioner would at least let you know if it is your house mains. - Roger

Would you mind make a quick and easy test for me? With nothing plugged in the amp, not even a guitar jack, nothing in the loop, just the amp (with the cab plugged of course, we don't want to damage anything).

Red Channel: Output 10h00, Gain 1:00. Then start raising the Master knob. Do you ear a hiss starting at 9h00? A hiss that would increase while the Master knob goes up?
(Like a pink noise but not a buzz)

Thanks a million.

 

[Silverwulf]

I would think you have an issue somewhere in your chain. Coming from a guy who has owned 40+ Rectos, and practiced at a few places with less than adequate grounding and wiring...I can say all of my Rectos have been dead silent for the most part. Even with a boost with the output maxed, and my volume on the amp around 11:00 (and that's LOUD on a Triple Recto), I can stand beside it and it's dead silent. I've been using the BOSS NS-2 Noise Suppressor as the last pedal in my chain going into the amp though. It's probably the one pedal I wouldn't play without these days.

 

[daveyboy]

If you have any lights on dimmer switches/rheostats try turning those off. Even if they are in another part of the house etc.

For some reason my gear (even emg equipped axes) hates those things bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Good luck.

 

[nicoroy123]

If you have any lights on dimmer switches/rheostats try turning those off. Even if they are in another part of the house etc.

For some reason my gear (even emg equipped axes) hates those things bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Good luck.

I have a lot! Almost all of them...So it makes another thing to try beside a power conditioner.
I will try these solutions and report back...

 

[nicoroy123]

If you have any lights on dimmer switches/rheostats try turning those off. Even if they are in another part of the house etc.

For some reason my gear (even emg equipped axes) hates those things bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Good luck.

I have a lot! Almost all of them...So it makes another thing to try beside a power conditioner.
I will try these solutions and report back...

Ok I tried to shut down all dimmers in the house, even closing the breaker that has the most.
Same noise.

Moved the amp to the basement, plug in a different circuit, same noise

I will test with a third guitar tomorow.

Last test will be to bring the amp to my rehearsal studio. I am sure it has been quiet there in the past weeks. So we will see...