How to tame a noisy 5150 Combo.....

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Dimebag11

Dimebag11

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I've replaced v1 already and that helped a little...but even a decimator doesn't remove the uncontrollable feedback this amp gives......wtf is wrong with this thing? It sounds amazing, but the noise is just awful.
 
You do the normal checks? Lightly tapping tubes to see if one is microphonic? Contact cleaner on effects loop jacks? Also what kind of settings are you using. That amp will feedback like crazy if you have the gain up past 6 or 7 (which is really more gain than anyone needs! :P)
 
Ummm... I don't know how to break this to you, but it is what it is. Get used to clicking to the Rhythm channel after every song. It has essentially a built in compressor on the Lead channel. It's a byproduct of compression. The sound you hear is electrons dying. :lol: :LOL:
 
Well, I don't even use the lead channel...and I'm not talking about hi-gain hum...this amp squeels like a pig when I mute the strings, the only way to get it to stop is to roll back the volume on my guitar a little bit. I use the Crunch Channel with the gain around 8, no boost.
 
What pickups do you have. I will say that they do feedback and squeal like crazy. Try moving as far away as you can and get your pickups potted.
 
I'm rocking stock pickups in my EBMM 25th Anniversary. I'll bring another guitar to the studio and try that.
 
Yeah, I think trying another set of pickups is the way to go. I never had a combo but have played one and had a 5150 and currently have a 6506+ head, and they don't have any worse/uncontrollable feedback than any other high gain amp I've owned, though like the Laney VH100R they do have some hiss. If it's new to you, it may be worth trying to back down a bit on that gain, though I can't remember what a gain of 7 is like on the rhythm channel on the combo.
 
Oh, that. That's the other thing it does. :lol: :LOL: Use your tuner as a kill switch or get a volume pedal. Make sure it has shields on all the preamp tubes.
Your guitar is fine, though some pickups will be more prone to this than others. I used 5150 combos for a dozen years traveling around the SW.
 
i played 5150's for years. i just stayed as far away from it as i could. lol
 
what we did in the studio for the 5150 signature model combo is turn the gain down to around half, hit it in front with a maxon OD & ran a noise gate in the loop. Really kept it quiet. Which was suprising, but...it worked wonders for an amp that normally buzzed & hummed to high heck
-Brent
 
I played one for years and still have an old blockletter at the rehearsal space. Boosted lead channel at 3 on the pre gain with high output pups. Not real noisy at all. It was way noisier without the boost and gain on 5! The noise level starts getting bad at around 4 imo.
 
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