Buzz sound from Tube amp.

  • Thread starter Thread starter jonl
  • Start date Start date
jonl

jonl

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OK so I know what the problem is, but I don't know how to fix it.
My electrical work in the house is pretty old...
When the dimmer light is on down stairs its super buzzy! When I turn it off it's not as bad but still there.
I turned off mostly everything in the house I could and it still has a buzz sound.

It's not my amp as I have had this problem with 3 of them, it's not my cables, its not my guitars.

Anyone have a suggestion?
 
Marshall Law":33fiode7 said:
try a ground lift on your amp
Click to expand...

Never try a ground lift on the amp. That is very unsafe and is the exact reason marshall was forced to quit offering it as a switch on early 70's era builds.

Never lift the ground of an active circuit, most states require a ground reference and the reference properly labeled for your own safety.

If you really want to remove the hum hire an electrician to pull new wiring and update the house to proper electrical codes in keeping neutral and hot in proper phase with one another at any and all outlets on that particular breaker.

The other option you have is to run a power conditioner.
 
thanks for the responses, power conditioners are pricey...trying to find a friend to help me run a new line
 
Are you sure it is not the guitar cable or guitar wiring?
 
Yea, I tried several cables straight into the head, 4 different guitars, one being brand new.
2 different heads as well.
Plus if it was a bad cable or guitar you wouldn't here a buzz tone change when spinning the dimmer.
Also does it with guitar unplugged
 
dimmers are designed with SCR's which phase angle fire a given AC wave into a percentage on and off, the RMS voltages and phase relationship of current is no longer an AC relationship and therefore anything requiring a filtered AC wave will run/sound like absolute garbage.

all of the symptoms you're experiencing can be caused by bad cables, bad wiring on a guitar, improper input jack wiring, bad ground and hot/neutral wiring, etc.

If you are concerned with cost i would suggest not "trying to find a friend" to rewire your home. The cost effective solution would be to invest $100 into a power conditioner. If you're looking to upgrade the wiring in your home it is going to cost you much more than $100 and a few seconds of your time....
 
glpg80":2pvwjrkh said:
dimmers are designed with SCR's which phase angle fire a given AC wave into a percentage on and off, the RMS voltages and phase relationship of current is no longer an AC relationship and therefore anything requiring a filtered AC wave will run/sound like absolute garbage.

all of the symptoms you're experiencing can be caused by bad cables, bad wiring on a guitar, improper input jack wiring, bad ground and hot/neutral wiring, etc.

If you are concerned with cost i would suggest not "trying to find a friend" to rewire your home. The cost effective solution would be to invest $100 into a power conditioner. If you're looking to upgrade the wiring in your home it is going to cost you much more than $100 and a few seconds of your time....
Click to expand...

I wouldn't rewire the entire house, just ad a new dedicated circuit...
The first paragraph you wrote is way out of my knowhow :doh:
Will a $100 power conditioner clear it up for sure? And if so could you point my towards a good one.
 
Have you tried the amp outside of your house and the buzz was gone?
 
Check to make sure you have a 10ga bare copper wire to a ground stake outside near where your panel is located

Its a thick bare copper wire that should go from the stake to the buss bar in your panel. Its possible that you've lost your connection

Just a thought...
 
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