after all that eq discussions i went to a shop and tried MXR M 109 6band eq pedal yesterday..i plug it to 2 amps...and realised that when i push the button
eq pedal directly increase the hiss...and although i turn off the buttons of mxr , the hiss was still there... also when i turn off the guitar's volume the hiss was still there too...so is it characteristic of all the eq? or was it faulty? :?
An analog EQ has a lot of circuitry which adds noise. In addition, EQ pedals have pre-amps which raises the noise floor. Knowing this, you have a couple of options:
- If there is an output level on the EQ, turn it down so that the volume from your guitar is about the same with or without the EQ. This should reduce the noise a lot.
- Turn down the input gain on your amp. Obviously, this will have overdrive issues...
- Turn down the highest frequency setting. This may reduce some off the noise introduced by the EQ itself.
If you can afford it, a digital EQ should have less noise.
I hope this helps.
Laz
My EQ (Danelectro Fish and Chips 7 Band) is perfectly quiet on or off unless I push all the sliders to the very top. This is boosting every frequency by 15 decibels.
I never use it with the sliders all pushed to max like this. So, I have no problems with hiss (or any noise) whatsoever.
It might be possible the battery was low. Many pedals will start to make noise when this happens. Check it with a new battery.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I found it quite easy to create plenty of hiss when boosting mids/upper frequencies when using relatively high-gain sounds. Hardly the EQs fault, I assume that is just how an amp deals with such inputs.
when i push the button eq pedal directly increase the hiss...and although i turn off the buttons of mxr , the hiss was still there... also when i turn off the guitar's volume the hiss was still there too...so is it characteristic of all the eq? or was it faulty? :?
I have the Danelectro Fish & Chips EQ and it does something similar, though the hissing isn't too obtrusive especially at louder guitar/amp volumes. It's most noticeable when the higher frequencies are boosted and I'm playing clean.
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
I just got a Fish n Chips today.......I just jacked up the noise gate setting on the modeler to take care of it. Had a little hiss but not using a batt, using a power supply.
I am going to start looking for a line filter for the amps. As I mentioned in another post, home rooms are electrically split to balance the house, usually 2 breakers to a room and appliances in another room can put noise on the line. I noticed even my track light dimmer switch puts noise on the line if not fully turned on or off. If I have the lights partially dimmed, there is noise on the line and I hear it in the amp.
Yo Arjen....also got my Vox Tonelab and Behringer 108 today! Been playing around with this setup for 3 hours and I want more!!!
Looking back I should have gone with an amp without the built in effects but I will get the hang of it. And should have gone with a 30 amp like you suggested. I will be growing out of this 15 amp.
Having fun here! New toys are kool! :D :D :D
If it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing.
One thing not much talked about is the use of power distribution centers and power conditioners. Their a must of guitar equipment. Electric from wall sockets is dirty and needs to be cleaned up and conditioned. If you have eveything plugged into one of those $2.00 power strips may also be part of the problem. You also may want to check the polarity of the amps and the rest of the equipment. Check for a chance of a ground loop. What about the condition of the shielded cables your using.
Joe
thx guys...at last i tried and bought BOSS GE-7 7 band eq..and there is no hiss at all unless i use the settings at max...i m happy with that thing...my chain is now amp>SansAmp triAC>eq>guitar
i found a setting on the eq for every frequency...and now it takes away my strat'S harshenss and adds a little useful overdrive ..i think i ll keep this setting for every distortion or overdrive sound..cause it healed my pickups..do you think this is logical?...and do you use diffrent eq settings for every different sound or using one eq for healing guitar and another one for amp and pedals?
UninviteD
Glad to hear the EQ solved your tone problems. I thought it would.
I myself do what you described. I have found one particular setting on the EQ that I really like. On my Zoom GFX-1 effects processor I have set the EQ on 25 on all presets. This is flat, so really all my tone is controlled by the 7 Band EQ and my amps tone stack.
What I was really after was awesome distortions that are tight. Big heavy bass, but tight at the same time. And I rolled a little off the highs to take out any harshness as well.
Occasionally when I am using a clean preset I will adjust the EQ pedal slightly. I like a rich full tone on cleans. So I might boost the lows and highs just a little. But I will go back to my favorite setting for any distortions.
In my situation I am not switching between clean and distortions much. I pretty much play a song with distortion or clean all the way through. I leave my EQ pedal on at all times.
If I was going to be switching from a clean preset to distortion in one song I would probably get another EQ pedal. I would have one set up to get a beautiful clean. When going to distortion I would have the 2nd EQ set up for this. I would not turn EQ #1 off. This is too much tap-dancing. But I would have EQ #2 set up to correct #1 and get the distortion tone I liked.
Whatever you do, I try to keep it as simple as possible. I do not like dancing like Fred Astaire when I'm playing guitar. :D
This is just me. There is no right or wrong to this stuff. Joe Forrok Star uses numerous EQs in his chain.
You just have to do whatever it takes to get those tones that turn you on.
I was a little surprised to hear everyone getting so much noise with their EQs. I don't get any. But I always use a seperate power source for my amps and effects. I carry a long extention cord so I can use a seperate outlet for my amps and effects.
Using the same outlet will often cause ground loops and get you hum.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
yeah Wes , it did solve the main problem as i said which was harshness!!..it sounds reliable to me to use numerous eq's in the chain now..it s not waste of money...
Wes I don't think my hiss was from my fish n' chips EQ. I was setting up all new gear that day and using presets in my processor which were all set to extreme.
My EQ is after my processor, so I must have been mistaken that the hiss was from the EQ.
Now I have made and saved a couple of my own tones with the processor and have my noise gate adjusted properly and can do just about anything with the EQ, but I have already found the settings I like best.
If it was easy it wouldn't be worth doing.
JosephLefty
I also use my EQ pedal after the processor. This might be the opposite of what most folks do, but I found the processor did introduce some harshness, so that is why I placed it after. I am very happy with this setup.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
I've always found to start your eq out flat or even a little below flat, even any volume on which maybe on it. Even the tone atack on your amp you may want mid center to start with and work from there. Some times you may want to pull the band down on each side fo the one your thinking of boosting. After you've spent sometine experimening with different settings and deciding were in you signal chain you'll have the most control. You'll start thinking of other options and places were to insert more equalizers. Speaking for myslef I can get enough of them, they allow for so much control and add width to you sound.
Joe
