Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 4, 2018 Members Share Posted July 4, 2018 Hello, I'm having a hard time figuring out which is at fault with my rig. Is it my guitar or is it my amp? My guitar is a Gretsch G5220 loaded with Duncan pups which I installed at the same time I got a new tube amp, a Blackstar Club 40 mkii. I installed the pups and got the amp right around the same time and after playing with a band for the second time, and at half volume on the amp, the amp will just scream a mid-frequency squelch that can only be stopped by hitting the standby switch. I only have this one electric guitar to use so I can't really run another one to test it with the amp. I did go through all the wiring for bad welds and grounds and all looks good. There's zero ground hum from the guitar. Maybe the amp shipped with a bad tube? I did do a microphonic check on the tubes and didn't hear anything through the speakers. It's done this a few times now and at completely random times. If it was my guitar causing the issue, wouldn't hitting my Boss tuner to mute the signal to the amp stop the sound? When it's done this, I'm curious if there's a wiring issue with my guitar, and if so, would a jolt from crossed up wires cause the amp to freak out to the point where it has to be shut off like I'm doing? If not, I'm hunting for issues with the amp. Thanks for taking the time to read through this and help out if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted July 4, 2018 Members Share Posted July 4, 2018 I take it you only have one amp to test this guitar on? Try taking the tuner out of the mic. Test you guitar cables. Plug in and move around a bit. Then test out the second guitar without the tuner. You might have a cable shorting out and it may be something in your guitar shorting out.Might be something in the amp too. but start with just the guitar plugged into the amp, no tuner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 4, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 4, 2018 Thanks for the reply. Yeah, i only have one guitar and one amp. Im using a wireless for the guitar to pedal board. So no cables were moved during playing. mostly wondering if its even possible to a short signal from the guitar to hit the amp and cause the amp to freak out and have to be shutdown to stop the noise. Hard narrowing it down because its random. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted July 5, 2018 Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 Which wireless guitar system? Some still have cables. do you have any guitar cables at all? It might even be an issue with the wireless system, on either end, like possibly not making the proper contacts in the guitar. I'm just brain storming a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 5, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 Im using an Xvive system, so no cables from guitar to pedal board. Just a single cable from pedal board out to amp. I thought the Xvive might be the cause and ran a cable direct from guitar to amp and the issue happened with two different cables, so i ruled that out. Appreciate the brainstorming as i try to get this sorted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted July 5, 2018 Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 You just have to get your hands on another guitar and plug it straight into the amp. If the problem goes away, plug your existing guitar straight in and see if you can make it happen. If not, it's your wireless or tuner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted July 5, 2018 Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 ... or take your guitar to a music store and plug into an amp or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted July 5, 2018 Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 When it happens, turn the Volume control(s) on the amplifier down. If there is no change in the "scream" then the problem is in the amplifier. I suspect a poor solder connection inside the amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted July 5, 2018 Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 ^^^^ If the noise does disappear when you turn down your problem may be the pickups. Pickups on Hollow bodies are typically potted with wax to prevent feedback. By your description your guitar may be generating a continuous microphonic feedback loop when you turn up. Turning down when this high pitched squeal begins should end it if the problem is with the pickups. If the squeal continues with the amp turned down then you likely have a microphonic preamp tube. Even though the amp is new, some tubes can be poorly manufactured and simply resonate badly from the speaker setting up its own microphonic feedback loop. Combo amps typically need tubes with low microphonic levels. This site has an accurate chart of current made tubes. https://tubedepot.com/tube-comparison-tool Electro-harmonix is my recommendation for clean, loud, and lowest microphonics. There are a few others there too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 5, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 Thanks for the ideas, everyone. I'll answer what I know at this point. The bridge pickup is a Duncan Distortion, so it's a fairly high gain pup. The squeal has only happened when I've been at rehearsal and having the 40w amp up half way. So pretty loud. It's never done it at home at low volumes. When the sound does happen, muting the guitar and turning down the volume on the amp does nothing. The only way to stop the sound is by turning the amp off by hitting the standby switch or on/off switch. I could take my guitar to a music store, but I've been playing it for a few hours here and there at home and nothing has happened. It's that random. I've even popped the back plate to my guitar and wiggled the wiring as I played and nothing happened. I'm now leaning towards a microphonic tube. Replacements are cheap and I'll get some in to see if that'll help. WRGKMC, I like Electro Harmonix and Tung-sol tubes. Thanks again, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted July 5, 2018 Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 The fact that this is happening now, with a new amp, tells me the amp is the likely culprit. What amp were you using before this? Tube or SS? It's unfortunate that you changed two parts of the signal chain at the same time (pickups and amp) because now there are two potential causes. Still, my money is on the amp. Trouble is, if you've tested the preamp tubes and eliminated them it's probably something else that might be more difficult to trace. You may end up returning your amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators daddymack Posted July 5, 2018 Moderators Share Posted July 5, 2018 Amp. Still under warranty? How new? Take it back. I have a Blackstar HT20 and have never had an issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 5, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 5, 2018 Yes, just got the amp a couple weeks ago. Called the place i got it from and they are sending a replacement. It was a blemished and there was zero argument about getting it exchanged. Looks like i recieved someone else's headache. All should be well in a couple of days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted July 6, 2018 Members Share Posted July 6, 2018 What does the Gretsch sound like with Duncans in it? I have a Gretsch Power Jet with TV Jones pups, and Tenn Rose with Hi FilterTrons. I just plug em in with just enough amp gain for them to start breaking up. Add a lil slap back delay and some reverb. I've gotten as crazy as Malcolm Young. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 6, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 6, 2018 What does the Gretsch sound like with Duncans in it? I have a Gretsch Power Jet with TV Jones pups, and Tenn Rose with Hi FilterTrons. I just plug em in with just enough amp gain for them to start breaking up. Add a lil slap back delay and some reverb. I've gotten as crazy as Malcolm Young. I played the Gretsch with the stock Broadtron's for a bit but there was just too much midrange and not enough low end for me. I like a bit of a scooped sound. So with it stock it was very much AC/DC tones. I have a '59 Duncan neck installed and love it. The Duncan Distortion in the bridge isn't for my taste. Sounds almost too brittle and the output doesnt match well with the '59 neck. So I have a '59 Custom Hybrid on order to replace the Distortion. The Duncans in the Gretsch sound awesome. The traditional Gretsch sound is pretty much lost and it sounds more Les Paul like. But not as dark as a LP. I got the guitar for its playability and build quality for the price point and was probably going to replace the pickups from the start. Happy I did. The tone is warmer with more clarity in the highs and a less muddled bottom. Can't wait to get the bridge pup in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evets618 Posted July 16, 2018 Members Share Posted July 16, 2018 If the noise happens with the guitar muted, or the amp muted, and the noise goes away when put on standby, it’s a tube. 100%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KeroseneTrewthe Posted July 16, 2018 Author Members Share Posted July 16, 2018 Just an update. Got the new amp a few days ago and after 3 hours of playing though it, not one issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikeo Posted July 17, 2018 Members Share Posted July 17, 2018 Just an update. Got the new amp a few days ago and after 3 hours of playing though it' date=' not one issue. [/quote'] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hellion_213 Posted July 22, 2018 Members Share Posted July 22, 2018 IMHO, you sir, could benefit from a noise gate - ISP.Decimator - or the like, immediately after the guitar and before any pedals, effectively gating the pickups, as i suspect this to be your issue. let us know what ultimately corrects your problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted July 22, 2018 Members Share Posted July 22, 2018 Since the OP has already said a new amp solved the problem it's unlikely the issue is the pickups. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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