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My AMPS BUZZZZZZ NOW. any electrical smart guys please give some thoughts

Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
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So all of a sudden I'm noticing (and I"m saying noticing because I don't have any evidence that it wasn't there for sure before) but my amps (particularly the fender Champ and Princeton) now have a really bad buzz / hum

its in different outlets, different amps, everywhere

my tele is like a freaking theramin - if you hold your hand away from strings you can make the hum go up and down

I never had it this bad before. I thought maybe if the air handlers or heat pumps were on it was causing it but now they are off

any thoughts?

do power conditioners help? seems like its picking up a frequency or something

kind of annoying. I could probably live w it but wanted to see if anyone could help me w this mysterious thing
 

sonar

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Jan 10, 2003
Messages
3,589
Buzz, not hum?

I would guess ground issues in the house? The fact that it happens on different amps would make me think it's the house electricity.

There are some outlets in my place that I can't play because of noise, while others are fine.
 

thejaf

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Oct 27, 2006
Messages
527
Did you recently change any light bulbs, install dimmers, get a new appliance or lighting fixture? In short, anything that's connected to your home's wiring could be the culprit.
 

renderit

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Jan 19, 2009
Messages
10,951
Did you install one of them bidet heated terlit seats, use an electric razor while playing or buy a new electric eel for your mancave? Are your fillings picking up radio stations? Are you in the American Embassy in Cuba? Do you know Cuba Gooding Jr? I'm hitting the major points I would check. As I think of more I will subliminally send them to you. You may hear them as a buzz on your side though...
 

Pellman73

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Did you install one of them bidet heated terlit seats, use an electric razor while playing or buy a new electric eel for your mancave? Are your fillings picking up radio stations? Are you in the American Embassy in Cuba? Do you know Cuba Gooding Jr? I'm hitting the major points I would check. As I think of more I will subliminally send them to you. You may hear them as a buzz on your side though...

So that's what those thoughts were. Although for some reason I also kept craving peanut butter cups.

You were on the money. It was the electric eel. I took him back to the pet store and traded him for the one that only is capable of producing 30 joules of energy and I've been told that will not cause humming or buzzing w my guitars any more.
 

Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
Messages
1,762
Buzz, not hum?

I would guess ground issues in the house? The fact that it happens on different amps would make me think it's the house electricity.

There are some outlets in my place that I can't play because of noise, while others are fine.

Its like a hum that graduated into buzzdom

I think I'm just going to put a generator in my house to power my guitar amps. This will take care of the buzz. I will just have to play my Friedman small box on 10 so the guitar sounds override the sound of the gas motor. And I will have to remember to open some windows.

that would make for a great Darwin Award.
 

Pellman73

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Aug 9, 2016
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Did you recently change any light bulbs, install dimmers, get a new appliance or lighting fixture? In short, anything that's connected to your home's wiring could be the culprit.

Im going to be thinking about this today. So far nothing comes to mind.

this also reminds me a little of on better call Saul when his brother goes bezerk tearing the house apart to find the source of the electricity that is still causing his symptoms of electrical allergy

my family may come home to a very dark, hot, house, lit ominously with candles and me happily playing my guitars. Like jack Nicholson in the shining I'll have a psychotic grin "DO YOU HEAR THAT! NO BUZZ!!"
 

britbender

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Aug 23, 2011
Messages
241
Check if your neighbour has an robot lawnmower, the "fence" they use could cause what you describe.
 

AA00475Bassman

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Apr 26, 2016
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I moved last March , now i live on a small private Island way out in the sticks . All my amps make odd sounds now Im sure its a combination of my house & power provider infrastructure .
 

Pellman73

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I think I found the culprit

there is a bank of switches to a bunch of outside lights and I turned them off and it went away-- some of them are lights with broken bulbs so maybe that was it?

not sure... but much better now
 

renderit

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So that's what those thoughts were. Although for some reason I also kept craving peanut butter cups.

You were on the money. It was the electric eel. I took him back to the pet store and traded him for the one that only is capable of producing 30 joules of energy and I've been told that will not cause humming or buzzing w my guitars any more.

I LOVE joules! And GOLD! I didn't know those little rodents could produce JOULES! I'm gettin' one! That goose you gibbed me ain't laid no gold eggs yet either. Sucker just sits there and shits all over my lawn...
 

corpse

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Jun 9, 2007
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4,876
There's a bad ground wire in those lights- maybe a ground touching neutral.
AND likely a rat's nest of wires. Contractors can fit way too much stuff in a three or four gang box.
 

Pellman73

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There's a bad ground wire in those lights- maybe a ground touching neutral.
AND likely a rat's nest of wires. Contractors can fit way too much stuff in a three or four gang box.

one more thing to be pissed at the contractors about. great.

would not be surprised one bit

some day I'd love to be able to be shitty at my job, not answer calls, be an asshole, and still be super successful. what other line of work can you be like that and still put food on your table?
 

renderit

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one more thing to be pissed at the contractors about. great.

would not be surprised one bit

some day I'd love to be able to be shitty at my job, not answer calls, be an asshole, and still be super successful. what other line of work can you be like that and still put food on your table?

Anything workin' for the gubmint?
 

Hamerfan

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Dec 20, 2004
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791
some day I'd love to be able to be shitty at my job, not answer calls, be an asshole, and still be super successful. what other line of work can you be like that and still put food on your table?

You are not living in Washington DC, Pennsylvania Ave., are you?
 

ourmaninthenorth

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Mar 28, 2009
Messages
7,119
Your amps are being tapped by the ministry of dirty tricks...under no circumstances play any pentatonics on them...it's the only way to avoid a "visit"
 
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