Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

Humming noise.


Joebethell
 Share

Recommended Posts

So I have recently got a nice new amp and cab with the plan to get out gigging again in the near future. 

My issue is I get a quiet hiss/hum with no instrument plugged in but when plugging a bass into the amp the hum/hiss becomes extreme. 

I have tried differing rooms so I know it' not the plug socket, two speaker leads, basses,cables etc. 

The only thing I can think is it' s cab issue as the head and cab are new. 

The company are happy to have it shipped back but I was wondering if I can try anything else before having to go through the hassle of shipping? (I only have one cab/amp at home)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What amp are you using and what are your settings? Also, what bass?

Most amps will have an audible “noise floor” which means a little bit of hiss is inevitable, depending on how high you have the amp turned up. Boosting treble on an active preamp (on the amp itself or on a bass) will often add to the hiss. If using a traditional Jazz bass, soloing either the neck pickup or the bridge pickup on their own will introduce hum. Noise cancelling jazz pickups avoid this issue. If your bass is poorly shielded then it can be susceptible to picking up electrical noise from dimmer switches etc.

Using an overdriven sound (whether from a pedal or the amp itself) that can contribute massively to the overall noise/hiss level of the amp, even when nothing is being played.

If you have a pedalboard the number of potential causes of noise can multiply very quickly! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi no pedals in the chain just straight in. 

As I said there is a noticeble hum when nothing plugged in, (wasn't noticeble in the shop where I purchased the head ABM 600) the cab is a zilla 2x12 600w also purchase new. 

I did try another head an old swr which had even more noise and my old mesa setup which I recently sold never hummed in this way with any bass etc. 

If you plug a bass in regardless of volume a large increase in the hum doesn't matter which bass I have tried 3 a guild starfire, fretless ESP and a yamaha BB. 

It' got me a bit stumped the only thing I  think is to get someone to bring another  head and cab to me and see if we can isolate the problem or take them to a retailer to do the same. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have had another play this evening after work and the hum is quiet without a bass plugged in. It is noticeablyworse with a bass plugged in and as you increase volume and is worse with certain pickups. So it looks like earthing as mentioned.

The only confusion I have is when I tried the amp on purchase sounded perfectly normal with no buzz/hum even with the same bass. So that accounts for part of the sound but not all of It. 

Would a speakon connection alter anything as I only have jack speaker cables and the head was connected to the cabs in the shop via speakon? 

Is there anything else I can try? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If it is quiet with nothing plugged in then I would assume the Amp/Cab/Speaker cable are OK, although that said Speakons are considered the "norm" now..

Could it be the instrument lead? They can be notorious for introducing all sorts of noises when they start to fail.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...