Question:
how can i reduce my guitar amp buzz/noise?
jojogummy
2009-04-28 05:55:18 UTC
theres this amp buzz comin from my amplifier and its pretty loud. is there any ways that i can reduce that? my amp is a marshall vintage modern combo tube amp.
Three answers:
Saul
2009-04-28 07:46:31 UTC
There are a number of ways to attack the issue.



First off, you want to make sure your guitar is properly grounded and shielded. You can google "quieting the beast" for a very good website on the topic.



Make sure all of your cables are good - sometimes a bad connection can cause grounding issues.



Only use as much gain as you absolutely need.



Don't play close to your amp, a computer, or even many lights and appliances. They all throw off a lot of electromagnetic noise, which will get "picked up" by your pickups.



If you haven't changed your tubes out in a few years, it might be time to do that, as well.



Sometimes dirty power can be a problem, or a bad power strip. Try plugging it into a surge protector, or if it is now, straight into the wall. Tube amps have a lot of power filtering circuitry (usually) due to the nature of what they are, but dirty power is still dirty power, and that can cause a significant amount of noise and hum.



Beyond that, assuming the issue is indeed your amp, it might be time to take it to an amp tech for a proper diagnosis and repair. Sometimes the issue can be as simple as needing a cap job - the filter caps are sometimes not beefy enough, or are going bad. Could be a short or ground somewhere.... hard to say.



Good luck!





Saul
2016-02-27 04:19:53 UTC
Your laptop power supply most likely has a switching mode regulator which is emitting a bit of radio frequency noise. Likewise, your laptop has many high speed digital signals which create radio frequency noise, some of which can escape the laptop. Touching your laptop causes your body to become an antenna and radiated this leaked energy more efficiently. All of this is pretty normal for electronic gear. The culprit is your amplifier which is picking up these radio frequency noise signals and injecting them into the signal path in the amplifier. I have a Crate amplifier that has this problem severely when I plug it into an inverter for outdoor use. I installed an EMI (Electromagnetic Interference) filter at the power inlet to the amplifier which reduced the noise quite a bit. The noise can enter your amplifier in two ways: radiation, and conduction (through the AC power line. Adding an EMI filter to the power input will help with conducted interference. Shielding the amplifier circuits with conductive sheet metal or heavy gauge aluminum foil will help with radiated interference. Unless you are skilled in working with electronic equipment, I don't recommend you attempt the shielding approach. You might try plugging the amplifier and the laptop into separate outlets which are on different branch circuits in your house. The longer electrical path between the amplifier and computer might attenuate the interference signals enough to improve the situation.
?
2009-04-28 09:43:11 UTC
Yeah check tubes, but I think what you're looking for is a Noise Gate. They minimized the noise of your guitar when your not playing anything at all. Boss makes a NS-2, and digitech is ok lol...oh check the speakers


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