amp for recording
So, I have a Fender Blues Jr. and it pops spits and hisses way too much to use for recording. I have a couple of friends that have the same problem. What's a good equivalent for the Jr. that's 'jazz' clean and quiet when not playing.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by oxfordaudio on -
Interesting question...Are you sure it's the amp? If it is, get that puppy in the shop ! If it comes back with a clean bill of health, make sure your signal path is clean ( i.e. check ALL of the lines your using) sometimes noise can be found right at the start with the jack on your guitar. there are all sorts of things that can cause problems when your in the studio, so don't be so quick to blame the amp. Are you using any f/x's? There's another place to look for noise...try swapin' them around to see how that affects the sound. If all else fails, use a compressor/noisegate to quite down the crud. As to what other amp to use...that's really up to you and what you have available. Hope this helps!!
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Permalink Reply by thomlongmusic on -
Sounds like a preamp tube problem. I've got one in the stash of amps here. I'm a gear junkie, so I always try different preamp tubes naturally with amps to get different EQ and gain variances. Though, depending how old it is and how much it's been used it could be the EL84's in the power section. I haven't had any problems from my blues junior other than the reverb quit due to a horrible factory solder and fixed that right up. However my Mesa Boogie head started to hiss and produce a horrible hum as well..and low and behold it was the set of power tubes. Luckily EL84's are much cheaper than 6L6's...EL34's..and E34L's..or even KT77's. lol. As Doug said, check all of your leads...radio shack cables really don't work. Hope this helps you as well...and preamp tube experimentation is the shit.
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Permalink Reply by mick on -
Thanks guys, I feel like an idiot. I thought, I use no pedals, the cables are great, it must be the amp. Last night at practice, I notice the nut on the 1/4 jack was loose. This thankfully got rid of all but one noise. On certain notes, there is still a rattling. When I touch a stick to the output tubes, it stops. It works better on one tube than the other. One tube is noticeably more orange than the other. Time to change tubes?
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Permalink Reply by Elliott Shannonhouse on
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I recommend having an experienced tube amp technician do a tuneup on your amp. the contacts int he tube sockets should be cleaned and tightened to get a nice snug fit on the prongs of the tube. Do that before you change tubes, otherwise you could be chasing your tail. I had a popping hissing amp and would never have found the problem on my own, because I just wasn't experienced enough to methodically go down the checklist of possibilities. I watched my tech do it, and it was like, "ooooohhhh, that's so obvious". One of the obvious things was he checked solder joints, jack looseness, and tube socket fit, before moving on to the tubes and caps. Also, dirt in your pots will cause weird noises, so a good contact cleaner should be delivered to them as well.
A Fender tube amp should be a good studio companion. But tube amps generally need TLC, and an experienced hand to show the basics of amp care and maintenance, I find, is a huge help. Cuz us OCD/ADD guitar players do weird shit to our equipment. A lot of us just should not be alowed near the inside of an amplifier!
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Permalink Reply by Will on -
I agree with oxfordaudio but one simple thing you can do if you've changed the tubes; take the chassis out of the amp and use a can of computer keyboard air to blow it out. Dust and dirt can be a major problem and can cause pops and buzzes. You might want to try out a Peavey Classic 30; it has an amazing sound for the $. Easy to adjust & simple to maintain but the sound is good in my opinion for recording.
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Permalink Reply by mick on
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I've heard about the Peavey, does it get very loud before breaking into distortion? Pros and cons of the combo vs. head?
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Permalink Reply by Antonis Karydis on -
I also have a Blues Junior and it is as silent as it gets. When I was trying it out in the shop, before I bought it, I had a rattling also only on one string on one note and this nearly stopped me from buying the amp. Then, I switched it off, had a coffee, turned it over, looked inside, felt the tubes and sure enough, both output tubes were loose, one nearly flying free! I pressed them home, pressed the rest for good measure, switched it back on and what do you expected? Sheer magic. Left with the amp on the trunk and didn't have any problem since. And what a beautiful sound this little marvel makes! As I wrote to another message, made me put away my Line 6 X3 Live and gave new life to my TS9. Now I also have purchased a Cry Baby and a Boss MT2. With the Master at 2 to 2,5 (I am still allowed to stay home you see) and volume at 8,5, I get all the sounds I ever wanted! That's the end of amp modeling for me.
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