Technical Question Regarding Pre-Amp

[mefoolonhill]

The hum and buzz we often get when plugging a guitar into a tube amp drives me nuts. I suppose it isn't noticeable at a gig, but in the living room it's a real annoyance. I'm wondering whether putting a pre-amp in the line between guitar and amp would filter the noise out? I have a chance to buy an Acoustimax (link below) at a good price, am curious if that might be a solution. Also suspect that perhaps the electrical system in my house is not properly grounded, could that aggravate the situation? Anyway, I'm a low-tech geezer, would appreciate any insights. I'm new to the Heritage Owner's Forum, would like to say Hello and Happy Holidays to all....

 

http://www.bbesound.com/products/instrument-preamps/acoustimax.aspx

[kbp810]

Welcome to the forum! And Happy Holidays to you as well

 

What kind of amp (make/model) are we talking about? If the hum is indeed coming from the amp itself, the preamp is unlikely to help; new preamp tubes that have been tested for low noise and low microphones may perhaps be a better investment. There are other internal components that could potentially be the culprit, but in that case it might be time to consult a local amp tech.

 

If the outlet you are using is not grounded (three prong plug), that can indeed also cause hum, and in some cases can also be unsafe. Some other considerations to take into account - things like fluorescent lights (including those cfl bulbs) and single coil pickups can cause hum as well.

[mefoolonhill]

Thanks KBP,

 

I have two tube amps, a Traynor YCV20 and a Fender Princeton, and I'm getting excessive 'buzz' from both. I'm having an electrician come over and check out the wiring in the house for starters. It's an 1880's structure that went through renovations about 10 years ago, and I'm not sure that the wiring job is kosher.

[212Mavguy]

Welcome!

 

1) What instrument(s) are you playing through those amps and

 

2) What pickup(s) are employed doing so?

[SouthpawGuy]

Dimmer circuits, overhead fans and fluorescent lighting would be my guess. Any combination of the above can add extra noise.

[212Mavguy]

+1

[mefoolonhill]

Thanks for the responses, I'll keep tinkering. Or, maybe I should embrace the amp buzz and become a heavy metal hero !

[Gitfiddler]

Have you taken your amps to other locations to see if the dreaded hum remains?

[smurph1]

I really LOVE the sound of my Stratocaster, So I have just learned to Love 60 cycle hum..The tone is so good it's worth the trade-off..And Welcome to the HOC!!

[Blunote]

I had my Marshall 18 watt clone apart earlier in the week. Took it over to Graydons (GDS Amps) where swapped out a few resisters, replaced the rectifier tube, etc... The original builder used vintage style braided solid wire that a couple of cases are picking electromagnetic interference. One particularly long wire running from the master volume mod to one of the TMB pots in particular would buzz -especially if the wire got pushed closer to some of the other connections on other pots it ran past.

 

He gave me some more modern shielded wire to replace it with that, like metal shielded pick up wires, can be grounded.

 

So that's a small project I'll take on in the next few weeks.