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Post subject: Sick Tube Amp...I hope not
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:54 am
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Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 5:28 pm
Posts: 21
Hey everyone,

As my subject title notes, I believe my 5 year old Epiphone Galaxie 10 might have something wrong with it. She is a 10 Watt class A tube combo, with a 10" Celestion speaker, and one 12ax7 and one 6L6 for tubes. I moved it on Friday when I put away my gear (after allowing the tubes to cool) for company coming over, and when I set everything back up yesterday afternoon I got a very strange buzz through the amp. My first thought was my Crybaby that I just got back yesterday from my friend who modded it for me. I pulled it out of my chain, but the buzz was still there. Last night then, again with cool tubes, I pulled them both out and re-seated them into their sockets. I fired the amp back up (with the Crybaby in my chain) and the buzz still remains.

I'm not sure what the buzzing could be. It comes through on the initial attack, and then on single sustained notes. It almost sounds like some soft static, but not as harsh sounding.

I also know that the hum/buzz is not from the single coils on my new strat. All the other times I've been playing with it through my Galaxie during the past month, there has been not hum or buzz from the single coils.

Do you have any ideas what may be causing this buzzing? The tubes in the amp were new (Groove Tubes) in February, and I didn't install them until the middle of May, so they have barely 2 months of playing time on them (and even then, it hasn't been hard playing, nor as much as I would have liked to have been in that time).

Thank you all so much!

Blessings,

P.S. Here's my Chain-

Fender American Strat
Fender PT-100 Pedal Tuner
Custom Modded Crybaby
Digitech Bad Monkey
Digitech Screamin' Blues
Digitech Hot Head
Danelectro Psycho Flange
Boss DD 20
Boss FDR-1
Galaxie 10

All of my pedals are mounted on a SKB PS 45 which I only use for power and transport. The DD20 has its own separate power supply rather than through the daisy chain. I still haven't figured out the patch bay, so I don't use it.

Thanks!


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 1:54 pm
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Sun Sep 16, 2007 7:32 pm
Posts: 1384
Location: uɐʇsıʞɔnuɐɔ 'puɐlʇɐlɟ
I'd first try plugging it in a different outlet, sometimes you can get electrical noise from them.

However my first guess would be a tube, modern ones can last years or sometimes only hours it seems. I've been through 2 * 12ax7 and a 5751 this year already, Guess just rotten luck, previous tubes lasted a long time.

However Groove Tubes are at the bottom of my list when getting new ones. :)
Jan Philips, RCA, JJ's and Tungsols are my preferred brands.

Had rotten luck with Ruby tubes and Groove Tubes.

You should always keep a spare of each tube type you need around, makes it easier to diagnose issues that might be tube related.

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Keep on Truckin, Going full speed ahead down the highway to hades.


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:20 pm
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Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2009 11:05 pm
Posts: 733
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Here are a few other, very simple, fixes to generic tube amp noise:

Plug straight in and avoid your pedal board. This will confirm that it is, in fact, the amp's problem.

Try a different guitar. Although you're convinced that it's not your pickups, it could very well be a wiring issue in the guitar or something of that nature.

Move your amp away from anything that causes electrical interference: fluorescent lights, computer monitors, and even household electrical mains can wreak havoc on an unsuspecting amp.

Buy a new set of tubes (you'll be glad to have them around) and swap them for the current set one at a time. After each switch, turn the amp on and see if it continues to buzz. If a new tube in a particular socket does the trick, you know you had a bad tube.

Check your amp for loose screws and anything that might be vibrating. Although you shouldn't fiddle around inside the chassis unless you know what you're doing (the capacitors hold enough voltage to kill you), you can certainly ensure that the speaker mount and cabinet screws are tight. Other things that are commonly problematic are metal plates and tube retainers. For instance, my Pro Junior has a metal nameplate on the back that will vibrate and make noise; by wedging a flatpick in between it and the tolex, it was quickly rendered noiseless.

If none of that lot works, take it to a tech. Good luck!


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