I'm new to guitars, so bare with me. I was loaned a Peavey bass guitar and Fender amp. At first I was having no troubles with them. I picked up the guitar one afternoon to play, and about 20 minutes into the session I realized the sound was fuzzy. Within a few minutes, it got really distorted and then a constant buzz came through the speaker. I strumbed the strings and nothing happened. I turned the amp off and left it for a couple minutes, and then turned it back on. I was able to play for a few minutes, then the exact same thing that had happend earlier happened again.
Does anyone have any suggestions? Could it be a setting on the guitar, or amp? I messed with the equalizer, but that's not it. I have no idea what the knobs on the guitar do, except adjust the sound. I've gotta return this guitar soon, and if something's wrong I'd like to know before I do. Any suggestions or information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
Is the amp a bass amp? If not, you might have blown the speaker if you had the volume up. Guitar amps can handle bass guitar notes at a low volume level but you can damage the speaker if you crank it up.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I don't think so. It's a Fender KXR Sixty, if that helps you. It's a keyboard amp, I believe. If I blew it, would it play for a few minutes before it gets distorted?
Usually, keyboard amps have an extended range and can handle a bass guitars low notes. I'd imagine the speaker, or something, in the amp is fried.
It is a small world for metal fanatics. I welcome you fellow musicians, especially the metalheads!
I hate to agree with the others on this one, Jaded, but my son played his bass into a keyboard amp and that was the end of the amp.
Are you sure it's not the guitar? Today it's doing absolutely nothing when I plug it in. I don't get any sound through the amp. I guess I should take them both to a repair shop tomorrow.
Let us know what you find out. It's hard to know what the problem is. It could be the cable. It could be a loose jack. It could be the amp.
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
A simple way to find out if its the amp that is "fried", is to connect a instrument cable to the input jack and increase the levels knobs a bit. If the amp is alive, you should hear hum and/or noise that increases when you put a finger on tip of the other connector on the instrument cable.
/kalle
Tanglewood TW28STE (Shadow P7 EQ) acoustic
Yamaha RGX 320FZ electric guitar/Egnater Tweaker 15 amp.
Yamaha RBX 270 bass/Laney DB 150 amp.
http://www.soundclick.com/kalleinsweden
To test the guitar, you can connect it to a tuner. If it's working then the tuner will show something.
--vink
"Life is either an adventure or nothing" -- Helen Keller
Guys, thanks for all the input. I feel pretty dumb, because I had no idea about guitars. It was an "active" guitar, is how the guy at the shop discribed it to me. They have two 9-volt batteries...and before I say it, you've probably guessed...they died. Hey slapped two new ones in it and it worked perfectly. At least it did when he played it. When I picked it back up all you heard was fret buzz and out-of-rhythm strumming of random cords. But, it works! Thanks again, and I hope the next question I have will be more oriented towards playing better.
Good to hear the problem's solved. Electric-Acoustics typically have active pick-ups. Is the bass you're playing an electric or an acoustic bass?
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
It's an electric bass. I've actually returned the Peavey Millenium BXP to my instructor, and I have what he calls a "toss around" guitar. It's some old guitar that's been around the block a few times, but it plays well enough for me to learn. Once I can play more than Jingle Bells and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I'll look into getting a better bass for myself. Any suggestions on a good starter bass and will last a while?
I have a Peavey Fury IV which they don't make anymore, but it is a great bass. In the future, if you get a bass with active Pick-ups or active Pre-amp, don't leave the instrument cable plugged into the guitar/bass. That kills the batteries.
It is a small world for metal fanatics. I welcome you fellow musicians, especially the metalheads!
Check this thread if you're looking for a beginner bass:
https://www.guitarnoise.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=27139
Well we all shine on--like the moon and the stars and the sun.
-- John Lennon
I had made a thread once asking what happens when the batteries in an active bass started to die, now I know. The nice thing about playing bass a while before you actually buy one is you'll be able to play a few and determine if you like it, it's when you buy that first one with no experience that you really have to rely on everyone elses opinion of a good bass (it still don't hurt to ask but in the end you need to sit down and try a few).
