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Wow...amp problem? Electrical problem? Guitar problem?

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(@kevin72790)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
Topic starter  

Okay. Let me try to make this as short as I can...

I have a Fender Blues Jr amp...monster tone, amazing tone, etc.

So I had it for about seven months with no problems...then the tone started getting worse, and I lost A LOT of high end. I waited about five months before getting it fixed because I'm lazy.

I get it back, they said it was the tubes and there was some cold solder spots on the board, so all of that was fixed. I try it before I leave, and it sounds like brand new.

I come home, plug it...strum a chord and YUUUCK! It was the way it was before.

A number of things could have happened:
1. Broke again on the way home...(unlikely?)
2. Power problem (likely)

But what I did was I plugged into another wall outlet in another room. It sounded better, much better. I played for about five minutes, and then it started crackling. Went back to bad tone.

So I brought it back, and it did the same thing in the store, where it originally sounded great.

So they said they'll have the tech check it out and they loned be an amp, some solid state amp.

I brought that home...plugged it in...had clear tone for one chord, I shifted my position and then the tone went back to a muddy horrible sound.

And at this point I had NOOO idea on what the problem could be.

So I plugged in my pedals...muddy.

Then i plugged in my other guitar, slightly less muddy, but that's because it was a maple fretboard and not rosewood.

So then I plugged straight into my octave fuzz pedal...it went back to being clean for some reason. Clicked on the pedal, played a lil, went back and it still sounded clean.

I then plugged into my wah only, played a bit, went back, and it sounded clean.

Then did the same with two different fuzz pedals. Turned them off and it sounded clean.

Then I plugged into my Fulltone OCD, stepped on the pedal, played a bit, then I turned it off and it sounded HORRIBLE, back to the muddy sound.

After this I couldn't get the amp back to sounding clean.

But then I switched to my old Squier '51...that sounded better, then went back to my Fender Strat and that sounded pretty bad.

So I have a number of theories here...

1. My Fulltone OCD has some weird problem where it's plugged in (note: I am using AC power)
2. The electricity in my room is messed up
3. Possibly the instrument cable has a problem
4. My strat is messed up.

~~~~~~~

I am just really discouraged right here...and I have no idea on what the problem is. It happened with my Blues Jr, and it's happening with this solid state amp.

Any help or any ideas would be nice...I'm just really confused right now.


   
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 cnev
(@cnev)
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Joined: 21 years ago
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Kev,

I can't really help but I have a Hot Rod Deluxe and an MIM Strat and I have had similar intermittent problems liek you are describing and I haven't pinned it down yet either. But mine seems to come and go.

I think it's the connections but I'm not sure and it's frustrating as heck.

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
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(@kevin72790)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
Topic starter  

Kev,

I can't really help but I have a Hot Rod Deluxe and an MIM Strat and I have had similar intermittent problems liek you are describing and I haven't pinned it down yet either. But mine seems to come and go.

I think it's the connections but I'm not sure and it's frustrating as heck.
The thing is it's happening with this new solid state amp they lent me as well, which makes me think it's a circuitry problem in the wall.

The only thing that contradicts that theory is the tone is A LOT better with my Squier '51...my Fender Strat standard sounds much more muddy. I doubt it's the strings, but I am going to change them today anyways.

I didn't use the Squier when I first plugged in my Blues Jr, because I think that amo has two separate problems (because when I brought it back to the store it started crapping out when he put the overdrive on).


   
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(@kevin72790)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
Topic starter  

Update:
-Changing strings on Fender Strat doesn't help

And I made a video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjCvceLtL8Y


   
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(@hyperborea)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 827
 

There's nothing that the circuitry in the wall could be doing to make your amp sound bassy. Did you use your guitar in the store with the amp when it sounded good? Does the tone control on your guitar have any effect on the tone of the sound coming out of the amp?

Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson


   
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(@kevin72790)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
Topic starter  

There's nothing that the circuitry in the wall could be doing to make your amp sound bassy. Did you use your guitar in the store with the amp when it sounded good? Does the tone control on your guitar have any effect on the tone of the sound coming out of the amp?
What if the wall was putting out too little power? I mean is that possible?

No I didn't, but I do plan on bring it next time I go.

The tone control does have an effect...but again it goes from bassy to very, very bassy.


   
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(@kevin72790)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
Topic starter  

UPDATE!!:

Just tested the circuits at every place in my house. Everything is working okay EXCEPT the wall outlet in the living room. In the past I have plugged the amp into that wall...but it's always been plugged into the wall in my room. Is it possible a DEFECTIVE GROUND could screw up something in my setup?

What I will have to do next is take my guitar to the music store and use that with my amp to make sure it's not the guitar.


   
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(@steve-0)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1162
 

Typically a broken or defective ground is a safety issue: I WOULD NOT USE THAT OUTLET UNTIL YOU CAN GET IT FIXED. Seriously, you could get seriously injured/killed (or cause a fire) by using any kind of equipment that's not properly grounded, whether it's guitar equipment or another kind of appliance.

Don't believe me?

http://www.guitarnuts.com/technical/electrical/safety/index.php

Anyways, I really doubt that anything is wrong with your guitar and/or effects pedals, I've never heard of a guitar causing any sort of problem like this, same as for effects pedals. I think it has got to be a problem with the amp itself. Whether or not there was a problem in the wiring in your house that CAUSED the problem, I still think that probably something happened inside the amp (you said you heard a crackling noise earlier, any sort of weird noise, smells and smoke is a good indictation that something is wrong).

That being said, taking your amp back to that music store to see what the problem is, is probably the best idea.

Steve-0


   
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(@kevin72790)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 837
Topic starter  

Update...

I checked all the wall outlets in the house and only ONE has a "ground" problem. That is the one in the living room, and I have used my amp only a few times there.

The one in my room where I always use the amp is fine.

One problem I have encountered is that my Squier '51 sounds fine through this solid state amp, but my Strat sounds like crap.

So I took off the pickguard and checked for dust as someone else suggested on a different forum.

That seemed to have helped the muddyness A LITTLE BIT! It's still very muddy, so it has me thinking there might be another problem with the strat.

We will find out once I get my amp back though, and I plan on taking my guitar to a different guitar store to play it there to see if it sounds fine.


   
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 cnev
(@cnev)
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How about the input jack on the guitar have you tried that? I don't see why/how it would cause a muddy sound though.

"It's all about stickin it to the man!"
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock n roll!


   
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