Guitar amp hiss -- normal?
Tuesday, July 31st, 2007 - 10:27pm
Bought an amp today. Marshall MGCD10, solid state. Sounded quiet in the (big and busy) shop, but when I got home I noticed the amp hisses.
Even when the guitar isn't plugged in, it hisses. Is this normal? It gets worse when one turns it up and is more noticeable when the overdrive / gain, overdrive volume is up too.
Depending on the power socket it's plugged into, I it buzzes slightly too. The buzz goes if one touches the metal on the front of the amp.
It reminds me a bit of the hiss from my stereo's amp. It's a kind of 'noticeable when it's gone' thing.
Any ideas? I'd rather not take it back if I have to; it's a bit of a trek to the shop.
Sounds like a ground is loose somewhere in the amp.
Mat,
The ground is the buzz or the hiss? Or do you think it could be both?
Hatchet Job - intelligent and irrevent gaming discussion.
It could be both. The buzz would happen if one of the electronics was shaken loose somewhere in the signal chain between the guitar jack, and the speaker. Check the area around the jack, see if the solders are good, if anything is lose, then look at the amp to speaker wires and connections.
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In general, I've found that you need really clean power for a good quiet amp. I have a monstrous filter box (weighs like 10 pounds) I bought back before you could get good UPS units that also did power filtering. Try plugging it into a good UPS (if you have one) and see if its the same.
I've had two amps, one tube, one solid state, both had some level of noise. Note that your cords make a huge difference in this regard as well.
But SOMEONE here has to know way more about this than me.
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It's probably because you have it on 11. Very few amps are designed to go to 11. Turn it down to 10 and you should be fine.
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The pickups in your guitar might be causing it. Did you try out the amp at the store with your guitar or one off the shelf? If it sounds different at home than it did at the store, it could be the wiring in your wall socket is not grounded properly. That will definitely cause a buzz and can result in a serious shock if you complete a circuit with something like a microphone. Is the amp setup near a fluorescent light? That can also cause hum.
Since the sound goes away when you touch the amp, my guess is a ground problem either in the amp or in your wall socket. If you can try a different socket (or go to a friends house and plug in), that will probably give you the answer.
It could also be a broken connection/cold solder in your guitar electronics or cable/plug. Does the sound also go away if you are plugged in and touch something metal on the guitar (jack or control assembly?)
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We tried the amp at the shop with various guitars. It was a big shop and busy, while I play in small, quiet room.
THe hiss is constant whether the guitar / cables are plugged in. The cables are brand new, so I doubt there's a problem there too.
I tried it at a friend's house and there was still a hiss.
The first time I plugged the guitar in, the buzz was noticeable. That went away when I touched the pick ups, strings etc. The guitar and amp were very close together then. When I moved the amp to a different socket, and the guitar further away, the buzz lessened.
Anyway, will try it in different plugs in house. May have to take it back.
Hatchet Job - intelligent and irrevent gaming discussion.
AFAIK (and have always experienced on the 3 or 4 i've used) there is always a base hiss/hum that comes from the general "noise" from the wires and pick-ups.
Diagnostics:
If you take your lead out of your guitar and press it with your finger does the sound get worse or is it a different type of sound.
If the sound is the same but worse (as you're describing feed-back in the post above) this is normal. You can't avoid it unless you find some way of encasing your pick-ups from outside interference. Also, how thick are your leads? Are you running your lead straight from the guitar into the amp or through a pedal/switch first?
Cheap leads will be thinner but carry more noise and will more easily be interfered with. Having certain pedals and switches between the guitar and amp can also clean up the signal.
However, you're probably best waiting until someone with proper guitar experience comes and comments.... showing that i know nothing.
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Duo,
There's a hiss even if nothing is plugged into the amp. No cables, nothing. There's a slight buzs which goes when I touch the metal faceplate of the amp.
They're cheaper leads. There's a hiss whether or not I run through an effects pedal.
I'll try touching the end of the lead.
Thanks all.
Hatchet Job - intelligent and irrevent gaming discussion.
I just don't have much to add compared to what others have said.
Some hiss is normal when it's turned up loud; when it's not turned up loud, it should probably be quiet. I've never worried about things like clean power or cables, and I've never had much problem.
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What is your volume set at when you are hearing the hiss? If you cut it down to almost nothing or even 0 and it is still there then I would think you have an amp issue. Also, does the hiss continue if you switch over to a clean channel that has very low or no gain. If it does, most likely you have either something wrong with the amp (probably just some loose or dirty components) or like others have said, it is dirty power. If you Drop the gain/volume and you loose the his but can still hear your giutar, I would say that you have nothign to worry about. Every amp is different, and depending on how you have everything set for your clean channel, it may be creating the hiss. Also, if you have any pedals hooked up to the amp they could be helping to create the hiss/buzz.
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Volume zero, no overdrive, still hiss.
Could well be the power in the house. The wiring is at least 30 years old. The house is about 120 years old. I did try at a slightly newer house down the road, but that place is at least 30 years old.
I'll try it for another couple of days and see. I might have to put up with it, because the shop doesn't have any more stock of this model and the manager's unwilling to do a straight swap (ordered in from a different branch), unless he hears the amp. And of course the hiss isn't loud enough to hear in a noisy shop. Plus there's the cost of getting into and out of central London; time and money.
Hatchet Job - intelligent and irrevent gaming discussion.
If this was sales/repair shop you may want to brig it in and have a tech do a quick run over of it. Especially if it is a used amp. You will probably be able to get the amp inspection and a cleaning for free. One other quick check, if it is a combo amp, you may want to check the connections between the head and the speakers. You may just have a loose wire, or a partial connection on the speaker.
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Also... fluorescent lights can induce a 60Hz hum. If touching the faceplate reduces the hiss, it's probably poorly grounded. Is the plug 3 pin?
Can I mention that dirtier sound just makes you rock harder?
Buck up. Rock out.
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I'd say that if the volume is zero and you're hearing anything, there's a problem, period. I've never heard anything out of an amp that has a zero volume.
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Yup, should be zero noise at zero volume. Think of it this way: when you turn up the volume you're actually lessening the attenuation. You always have a noise floor, better equipment just has the noise floor lower. When you turn up your signal (again, lessening the attenuation) you're also bringing up the noise floor and at a certain point it becomes audible.
Hum, however, is intrinsic to electric guitars. CRTs and fluorescent lighting especially will give you hell. Humbuckers help a lot but single coil guitars have to deal with it. But having the hum stop when you touch the strings probably means you have a ground issue. There should be a wire running from your bridge to the sleeve connection on your guitar jack. If that isn't there or the connection is broken then your strings will have a floating voltage difference.
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I've rung around three shops. Two said all amps have a slight hiss, third said only tube amps should.
All shops agreed the buzzing was unusual, especially considering it stops when I touch the amp.
Will take it back tomorrow and see what the shop says. No doubt I'll end up unhappy.
Hatchet Job - intelligent and irrevent gaming discussion.
Is that Eeyore the donkey?
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Indeed. 1Dgaf is clearly channeling Eeyore. However, that makes me wonder.. since Eeyore is a she, is 1Dgaf a she now too?
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No, I'm normally unhappy after I buy things. I keep thinking I could have got a better price, or something in better condition.
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I totally thought Eeyore was a dude.
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