Eliminate EVH 515OIII 5O-watt 6L6 hum?

5

515O_GUY

Member
Hey,
New member here. Had my EVH 515OIII 5O-watt 6L6 for a few years now. Love it but I've never really opened her up since I lived in small apartments before now.

GEAR RUNNING:
SHURE BLX14 Wireless
MXR Smart Gate (M135)
DUNLOP CryBaby Junior
MXR Reverb (M3OO)
EHX Pitch Fork



I opened here up on the RED CHANNEL recently, past 9 O'clock Volume and she's really noisy/hummy even with an MXR Smart Gate (M135).
(in this situation) turning the Gain below 9 O'clock on the RED CHANNEL weakens the hum but it's still there and I really want to get to at least 12 O'Clock gain on this channel. And even my frankenstein red stipped series is microphonic as high enough gain/volume... not terrible but niticable even when coating the whammy bar's well with plumber's tape.

It's certainly less noticable when I walk 10+ feet away from the amp, I haven't built a switcher drawer/rack yet (going with RJM Mini Gizmo and Mastermind next month) and I'm using a really cheap power supply currently (will use MXR CAE Power System or a STRYMON Zuma when I build the rig out next month)... But even when I eliminate the pedals, kill power supply and plug directly into her, she still is noisy above 9 O'clock Gain/Volume on channel 3.

Is this something that just needs to be lived with because tube amps are noisy? Or is there shielding (amp or areas of the home) or other solutions that can fix this?

Thanks!
 
515O_GUY said:
How would I text this?

So this isn't normal and can be fixed?
Click to expand...
Turn on your amp, and turn the volume low. Take a pencil eraser or anything non metal and gently tap the tubes (start with v1 position) . If you hear some ringing, it's probably microphonic. The fix would simply be get a new 12ax7 and put it in.
 
How noisy are we talking? Is the noise as loud as the signal from the guitar? There will probably be a small amount of hiss but if you have the gain around 9:00 or so, even on the red channel, the hiss should easily be manageable.

Have you removed the wireless unit and tested?
If you simply unplug the connection to the amp's input and that removes noise, it's not the amp.

Also, do you sit next to a computer with a glass window on the case? You mention that if you move back the noise eases up a bit. PC's emit a ton of interference.
 
Devin said:
Put the smart gate in the amp's effects loop (assuming you aren't using it there already)

These amps are quite noisy by nature simply because of the insane amount of gain in them
Click to expand...
+1
The preamp circuit is ultra high gain which means it can get noisy. Certainly noiser than a hb guitar would be.

Eq, noise gate and time based effects are always more effective in the loop
 
Pedal power supplies could also be making it worse. Try to plug straight in with no other gear connected.
 
I have your exact amp and there are so many things associated with it. The effects loop is noisy on some (like mine) and as mentioned, they are gainy amps, especially the red channel. I have used different noise gates in the front and effects loop and definitely helps. Can also be outlets, tubes, etc.

I think mine is a problem with the effects loop somewhere because I get a hiss even on the clean channel but totally worth it. I love this amp!
 
TheGreatGreen said:
How noisy are we talking? Is the noise as loud as the signal from the guitar? There will probably be a small amount of hiss but if you have the gain around 9:00 or so, even on the red channel, the hiss should easily be manageable.

Have you removed the wireless unit and tested?
If you simply unplug the connection to the amp's input and that removes noise, it's not the amp.

Also, do you sit next to a computer with a glass window on the case? You mention that if you move back the noise eases up a bit. PC's emit a ton of interference.
Click to expand...
Have tried everything you suggested... nothing is eliminating the remaning hiss/hum after the SMART GATE is turned on. The SMART GATE is right before my CryBaby Junior. The hiss isn't terrible, doesn't overpower the playing... but it's my first tube amp so I want to make sure there is no problem with my amp or my setup. I am going to try the noise gate in the loop instead and see if that takes care of the remaining hiss/hum.

Thanks!
 
515O_GUY said:
Have tried everything you suggested... nothing is eliminating the remaning hiss/hum after the SMART GATE is turned on. The SMART GATE is right before my CryBaby Junior. The hiss isn't terrible, doesn't overpower the playing... but it's my first tube amp so I want to make sure there is no problem with my amp or my setup. I am going to try the noise gate in the loop instead and see if that takes care of the remaining hiss/hum.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
Oh man yeah didn't realize it is your first tube amp. From an old timer, I'll tell you this. 5150-III amps are some of thr noisier of tube amp brands but some folks have no issues. But, they have a tone of gain compared to others and sound phenomenal cranked or low volume.

Just FYI, the red channel is a ton of gain. Keep gain at 9 o'clock. The blue channel is where the magic is. It is a lot of things though like plugs, etc
 
Are you using the effects loop? I actually think thst is where my issue stems from but who knows. I have used a ton of gates and noise suppressors and finally was happy with the REVV G8. I am not even using the loop in there and only in the front end and had cut noise down significantly.
 
Devin said:
Put the smart gate in the amp's effects loop (assuming you aren't using it there already)

These amps are quite noisy by nature simply because of the insane amount of gain in them
Click to expand...
I tried the smart gate in the effects loop.

It didn’t work. It killed time and hated my entire signal making it so quiet you can barely perceive a thing.

Perhaps the 515OIII effects loop is wired differenlt than most other amps?

Or, I may be placing it in the wrong place? I put it first in the chain in the loop…

🤷🏼‍♂️
 
515O_GUY said:
I tried the smart gate in the effects loop.

It didn’t work. It killed time and hated my entire signal making it so quiet you can barely perceive a thing.

Perhaps the 515OIII effects loop is wired differenlt than most other amps?

Or, I may be placing it in the wrong place? I put it first in the chain in the loop…

🤷🏼‍♂️
Click to expand...
In the effects loop it is not as big of a deal but up front, you want to put it after any Distortion pedals, etc (if you use those).

It can be frustrating trying to figure out what is wrong with noise, etc and what is "noisy" to some folks isn't too bad to others. I'll be honest, with a 5150-III amp, it is hard to get rid of all of the noise.
 
515O_GUY said:
I tried the smart gate in the effects loop.

It didn’t work. It killed time and hated my entire signal making it so quiet you can barely perceive a thing.

Perhaps the 515OIII effects loop is wired differenlt than most other amps?

Or, I may be placing it in the wrong place? I put it first in the chain in the loop…

🤷🏼‍♂️
Click to expand...

Damn that sucks - it did that even with the knob set low? I'd probably put it last in the loop chain but idk maybe the Smart Gate doesn't play nice with the loop of that amp for some reason
 
Devin said:
Damn that sucks - it did that even with the knob set low? I'd probably put it last in the loop chain but idk maybe the Smart Gate doesn't play nice with the loop of that amp for some reason
Click to expand...
I have a Mini Volume X last in the loop to adjust volume for night jamming. I tried it in the begining and end of the loop and it behaved the same in both cases...

😕

It still works great in the front of the amp... just can't get the amp completely quiet... like I stated earlier: when I'm standing away from the amp the noise is barely noticeable but it is noticable... I guess tube amps are just noisy (especially when on insanely dirty channels like the EVH 515OIII RED Channel).

I'll just have to become an Arena Rockstar... then I'll be standing so far from the amp I won't be able to tell the difference... :p
 
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