Earbrass Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 (edited) Hi all, Yesterday I took delivery of an Ibanez PD7 bass overdrive. Love the sound, just what I was after. But I may have a problem; playing through the PD7 and my practice amp and headphones late at night, it was very noticable that I was picking up foreign radio stations. A bit of experimentation revealed the following: Bass >> PD7 >> Amp: radio Bass >> Bad Monkey >> Amp: no radio Bass >> Behringer Bass Driver >> Amp: no radio Bass >> Amp: no radio Bass >> PD7 >> Bad Monkey >> Amp: radio <unplug bass> >> PD7 >> Amp: no radio Bass >> PD7 >> Mixer >> Headphones: no radio The combination of Bass / PD7 / Amp seems to be the one that causes the problem. My concern is that this could happen at a gig (I wouldn't be using the practice amp, but I may not have choice over what amp I use, and if it can happen with this amp, I suppose it could happen with another) Questions for the panel: Do I have a faulty pedal? Are these pedals particularly prone to this problem for some reason? Do I need to get my bass properly screened? If so, why do I only have an issue when using the PD7? Does anyone else have a particular combination of gear that causes this? What fixes it - if anything? P.S. I also tried plugging in a guitar instead of my bass, with the same results Thanks and regards, E Edited January 16, 2009 by Earbrass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
escholl Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 I never had a problem with mine picking up radio, but it did seem to pick up a fair amount of noise. Does seem to be an issue with the PD7 though. Does it only happen with the pedal engaged, or does it happen in bypass mode too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alun Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Oddly enough my Boss DS1 does exactly the same - no idea why! Not much help, but you're not alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boneless Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Have you tried switching cables? Cables can act as an aerial. Maybe yours isn't properly shielded or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathode Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 it could be that the pedal aints grounded propper or it could be that your bass is shielded or whatever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 [quote name='escholl' post='382771' date='Jan 16 2009, 08:04 PM']Does it only happen with the pedal engaged, or does it happen in bypass mode too?[/quote] Both, as I recall. I'll try it again tonight if I get a moment. Cables and bass could both be an issue, but they're fine when the PD7 isn't in the chain. Cables are good quality though. Thanks for all your thoughts anyway. Regards E Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 You get no radio with the bad monkey in the chain. Does the bad monkey have to be on? Otherwise, there's your solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 On the subject of the PD7 – does anyone know how to fix the problem with the dodgy switches on the earlier ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted January 19, 2009 Author Share Posted January 19, 2009 [quote name='cheddatom' post='384783' date='Jan 19 2009, 11:08 AM']You get no radio with the bad monkey in the chain. Does the bad monkey have to be on? Otherwise, there's your solution.[/quote] Sadly... Bass >> PD7 >> Bad Monkey >> Amp: radio Thanks anyway Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOD2 Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 Have you tried moving the amp to a different part of the room ? I'm not an expert on radio station reception but it sounds to me like there is something in the PD7 that, when connected, is creating a "tuned circuit" that is unfortunately tuned into the frequency or a radio station. The guitar, or leads, will be acting as an antenna but you need this "tuning" effect to actually pick up the radio station. It may be that you're in a relative "hotspot" for the radio signal so that it doesn't need much to tune into it. If that was the case then the chances of setting up at a gig and being in another hotspot would be pretty remote. Screening the bass might help but it's no certainty. Can you borrow another bass or guitar and try that plugged into the setup to see what happens ? The PD7 itself probably isn't faulty - it's just that when combined with the rest of your setup it creates this "tuned circuit". I would try moving things around a bit to see if that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted January 19, 2009 Share Posted January 19, 2009 [quote name='Earbrass' post='384976' date='Jan 19 2009, 02:23 PM']Sadly... Bass >> PD7 >> Bad Monkey >> Amp: radio Thanks anyway[/quote] LOL! Sorry. Deffinitely try another bass or guitar. I have an amp which picks up the radio at my practice room, and at home my 5.1 surround speaker set is always blurting out some eastern european weirdness. Neither have ever caused me a problem though, as what I want to hear is louder than the radio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toasted Posted January 21, 2009 Share Posted January 21, 2009 I think it's almost definitely a dodgy ground or an un-shielded cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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