It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:29 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 12 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 6:55 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
I play in a church where every amp/guitar combination I've used has been very noisy. In each case the noise 'originates' in the guitar because it goes away when turn the guitar volume down. I use 100% shielded cable.

The same amp/guitar combinations are quite in other locations. What's really curious, humbuckers and lace sensors are almost as bad as single coils in this particular location. As a matter of fact, using a strat with traditionally single coils and stock wiring and the 5-way switch in the 2 or 4 position produces less noise than the guitars with humbuckers or lace sensors (or Fender 'noiseless' pickups).

Since the noise is unique to this 'room', and the guitars are quiet in other locations, I assume that something about that room is causing the noise. This leads me to consider the dimming mechanism used for the house lighting. I've been told that certain types of dimmers (old rheostats) can emit strong enough RF to induce a signal on pickups. This would explain why other audio equipment is not affected and also explain why shielding the guitar doesn't help.

Has anyone else encountered a similar situation? Is there a fix?

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:01 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2013 10:56 am
Posts: 145
Yes, I have encountered the exact same phenomena in rooms in my house where there is a dimmer on the circuit.
And simply turning off the switch didn't help.
I tried using a number of simple electrical work-arounds like ferrite noise reducers, and even tried in-line AC filters that claim to reduce noise
but no luck.

Eventually, I just caved in and hired an electrician to wire the lights and fans (controlled by the dimmers) to a dedicated breaker.
That cured it.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:04 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
I have an oldish ghetto-blaster in my kitchen (an Emerson dating to 1986) and it's in close proximity to two rheostat dimmers -- one in the dining room, one in the living room. It periodically produces an audible hum when using radio's AM band, but only when tuned to certain broadcast frequencies. In twenty-six years I've yet to find an effective cure.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:01 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
Looks like I'll have to deal with it. I'm in the habit of cutting the volume between songs anyway.

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:03 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
Forgot to mention. If I hold the guitar at a certain angle it reduces the noise a lot.

Maybe I should learn to stand perfectly still, at the correct angle, while I play. :P

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:39 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 12, 2009 4:50 pm
Posts: 7998
Location: ʎɹʇunoɔ ǝsoɹ pןıʍ
I believe most people (here in Canada anyway) are installing Leviton dimmer switches in their homes and while they work fine for dimming the lights they aren't the best at RFI suppression. Lutron switches are better. A low end Lutron switch with no suppression is almost as quiet as a Leviton switch with RFI suppression. Lutron also makes switches with RFI suppression which are noticeably quieter than a Leviton. I'd say it's a good bet your church has Levitron switches. It might be in your best interest to simply buy the church a switch for the location nearest your place on stage and volunteer to install it yourself. You could speak to your Pastor. If he doesn't manage the building himself he'd be able to direct you to whomever does. it's your call. All you can do is try it or else find somewhere else to play. It's a gamble of just the price of a dimmer and the 10 minutes of your time it will take to install it. I installed one in my studio and I do notice it is quieter.

Lutron Dimmer

_________________
Image
Just think of how awesome a guitar player you could have been by now if you had only spent the last 10 years practicing instead of obsessing over pickups and roasted maple necks.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 9:18 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
BMW-KTM wrote:
I believe most people (here in Canada anyway) are installing Leviton dimmer switches in their homes and while they work fine for dimming the lights they aren't the best at RFI suppression. Lutron switches are better. A low end Lutron switch with no suppression is almost as quiet as a Leviton switch with RFI suppression. Lutron also makes switches with RFI suppression which are noticeably quieter than a Leviton. I'd say it's a good bet your church has Levitron switches. It might be in your best interest to simply buy the church a switch for the location nearest your place on stage and volunteer to install it yourself. You could speak to your Pastor. If he doesn't manage the building himself he'd be able to direct you to whomever does. it's your call. All you can do is try it or else find somewhere else to play. It's a gamble of just the price of a dimmer and the 10 minutes of your time it will take to install it. I installed one in my studio and I do notice it is quieter.

Lutron Dimmer

The dimmers are actually sliders in a control room on a 'dashboard' that operate all the lighting in the auditorium. A couple of times I've come back the following Monday to pack up my stuff and had to turn on the auditorium lights. It sounds like an electric motor starts up when I hit the light switch on the dashboard.

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 7:17 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 3:12 pm
Posts: 6355
Location: Albemarle, NC
With the light console so far away from your instrument it is curious. I'm wondering if the stage power for your amp and the lighting is on the same circuit. If so, running an extension cord to another outlet that is for sure on a separate circuit from the lighting might help. Worth a try. I'd lastly suggest copper shielding the instrument. Since this is the only room it needs it for it is the last thing I'd try, but even if a full shielding job doesn't help. it won't hurt.

I'm thinking the lighting is the culprit. Something also might not be exactly to code somewhere.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 5:24 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:58 pm
Posts: 7714
Location: Planet Earth
You need a quality surge protector with AC filtering like a Panamax. The dimmers are interrupting the AC cycle at switches in the circuit causing noise across the whole circuit.

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 10:13 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
cvilleira wrote:
You need a quality surge protector with AC filtering like a Panamax. The dimmers are interrupting the AC cycle at switches in the circuit causing noise across the whole circuit.


I don't think the issue is with the AC. The amp is quiet as a mouse if I have the volume on the guitar turned down.

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 10:32 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2008 12:58 pm
Posts: 7714
Location: Planet Earth
mhowell wrote:
cvilleira wrote:
You need a quality surge protector with AC filtering like a Panamax. The dimmers are interrupting the AC cycle at switches in the circuit causing noise across the whole circuit.


I don't think the issue is with the AC. The amp is quiet as a mouse if I have the volume on the guitar turned down.

The likelihood of AC noise increases when guitar is plugged in.

_________________
The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Very noisy room
Posted: Mon Dec 30, 2013 4:04 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Wed May 25, 2011 12:45 pm
Posts: 1169
cvilleira wrote:
mhowell wrote:
cvilleira wrote:
You need a quality surge protector with AC filtering like a Panamax. The dimmers are interrupting the AC cycle at switches in the circuit causing noise across the whole circuit.


I don't think the issue is with the AC. The amp is quiet as a mouse if I have the volume on the guitar turned down.

The likelihood of AC noise increases when guitar is plugged in.

I misunderstood you. Thought by "AC" you meant noise coming through the amp power supply.

Not sure why I thought that. :?

_________________
In my opinion Leo Fender had essentially perfected the guitar amplifier by 1964.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 12 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: