Bought a new Valveking Head -- crackling static. What's wrong?

[Jody Butt]

Just bought my first tube head -- a Peavey Valveking.

 

It was unused -- still sealed in its box.

 

When I turn up the gain, and the volume, I get crackling static. I thought it was a bad cable. Nope.

 

Is it a tube problem?

[Stephen Colbert]

Sure does sound like a tube problem. Try these settings

 

gain @ 2

master volume @ 8

 

If you have your gain @ 8 and your master @ 2. You might get these wierd type of sounds.

[Stephen Colbert]

Ohh, one more thing. After you do that. Unplug your cable from your head. Does it still make a bunch of noise?

Then it is def tubes.

 

But, if the noise goes away, but when you plug your guitar in the noise starts again. THEN it could be, the ground on your guitar is not attached well enough.

[Cowinacape]

Do you get the crackling, when you are acctually turning the knobs? Or does it happen after you turn the knobs, and are not touching the amp?

 

What Stephen sounds like he is trying to sort out for you is grounding/hum noise. Good places to start looking, I am just tryign to figure out when you noise is occuring.

[Jody Butt]

The crackling happens when I turn the knobs, and even when I am not. I thought it was the cable because it sounds just like a bad guitar cable.

 

Master at 8, gain at 2, nope.

 

On the clean channel, nope.

 

When gain is lower, not really.

 

With the Boss NS-2, sounds much better.

 

It basically is just really noticeable when I turn up the gain (even at low volumes).

 

The other amps that I own are really quiet, so I don't think it's the power source.

[BAZGUITARMAN]

Sounds like you have a bad pre-amp tube. If you have any spare 12AX7`s laying around take one that you know is good and swap it in the Vk. Try one position at a time and see if replacing any one of the tubes helps. That will probably be your bad tube.

 

The tube would effect the amp at all times. Playing or not, turning knobs or not. Especially as you turn more gain into the pre-amp and those tubes saturate further. It will actually amplify the problem.

 

If it turns out to be a tube, take the amp back to the dealer and show them the problem. Show them how replacing the one tube fixes the crackling noise. They will probably give you a free tube since the amp is under warranty. Even tubes are normally covered for 30 days with Peavy amps.

 

Good luck, if it`s not a tube take that sucker back and exchange it for another one. Test it in the shop before you take it home.

 

Eric

[Zappa74]

while you're messing with preamp tubes, toss a 12at7 in the first spot... it will do wonders to smooth out the Valve Kings gain.

[SGGUITARZZZ]

If you bought it new and there is a problem don't mess with it. Just bring it back. They will end up telling you you voided the warranty or something. This is a real nice amp. A friend of mine recently bought one and used it at a gig and it sounded great.

[etienne]

Do you have another amp ? If you plug it in the same outlet do you have the same crackling noise ?

[WarriorJames]

I agree take it back and get it replaced.

[Jody Butt]

Okay, so I went back to the store, played the display model and the one that I bought side by side. It didn't seem to make the same crackling noise, so it must be something on my end.

 

The strange thing is that, at home, I am using all the same cables and cabinets that I do with my solid state head. With the solid state head, there is no noise. With the tube head, lots of noise.

 

Are tube heads more sensitive to the quality of a power source, or other things?

 

I didn't return the head because it seemed to be performing acceptably when I took it back to the store and played it there. There was still lots of static when you turn up the gain, but . . .

 

All of the tube heads that I played there (XXX, 6505+) seemed to have much more static background than my solid state head. Is that because tube heads are just a lot louder?

 

[For example, with this Valveking, volume 2 or 3 is super loud compared to my solid state head of the same wattage. Past that, it is simply unusable at home.]

[Angry Grimace]

 

Originally posted by Jody Butt Okay, so I went back to the store, played the display model and the one that I bought side by side. It didn't seem to make the same crackling noise, so it must be something on my end. The strange thing is that, at home, I am using all the same cables and cabinets that I do with my solid state head. With the solid state head, there is no noise. With the tube head, lots of noise. Are tube heads more sensitive to the quality of a power source, or other things? I didn't return the head because it seemed to be performing acceptably when I took it back to the store and played it there. There was still lots of static when you turn up the gain, but . . . All of the tube heads that I played there (XXX, 6505+, Supreme XL) seemed to have much more static background than my solid state head. Is that because tube heads are just a lot louder? [For example, with this Valveking, volume 2 or 3 is super loud compared to my solid state head of the same wattage. Past that, it is simply unusable at home.]

They can pick up all sorts of stuff from lights, computers, etc., they also are subject to microphonic tubes...

 

sounds like a 5 dollar microphonic tube

[Jody Butt]

 

Originally posted by Angry Grimace They can pick up all sorts of stuff from lights, computers, etc., they also are subject to microphonic tubes... sounds like a 5 dollar microphonic tube

 

 

I have a computer on in the same room . . . maybe even on the same circuit. I have one of those weird, spiral, low energy lights on, and it has a dimmer switch.

 

I will try taking this amp to different places in the house, and messing with lights, and will report back.

 

I will say that I really do like the sound of the Valveking. I had tried the combo a while before when I was trying out an octave pedal. It sounded thin.

 

I was looking to buy a 6505+. A sales rep told me he was impressed by the Valveking. So, I tried it out. Plenty of nice-sounding gain. Sounds tighter than my solid state head. This thing can do metal as is, without a boost pedal. I was really suprised.

 

I have it running two 4x12s. Man, is it ever loud!

[Riggins]

I have the same head and don't have any of the problems you describe.

 

From your desription, I really think you have a bad preamp tube. Do yourself a favor and buy some back up preamp tubes, you'd do best to have some on hand anyway just in case.

Now, if what you're hearing is simply the hiss from having the gain cranked, it may be that you're not used to how a tube amp can tend to be a bit noisey when the gains maxed. This was my biggest bitch with my 5150, it was so damn noisey and I never really had the gain past 4-5. The VK is far quieter than the 5150 but if you dime the gain I'm sure it can still be quite noisey.

I also put a 12at7 in the 1st position to tame the gain and man it just sounds so much smoother now.

 

bottom line though, as has been mentioned, I would simply return it and grab a new one since it was a recent new purchase.

[Jody Butt]

 

Originally posted by Riggins I have the same head and don't have any of the problems you describe. From your desription, I really think you have a bad preamp tube. Do yourself a favor and buy some back up preamp tubes, you'd do best to have some on hand anyway just in case. Now, if what you're hearing is simply the hiss from having the gain cranked, it may be that you're not used to how a tube amp can tend to be a bit noisey when the gains maxed. This was my biggest bitch with my 5150, it was so damn noisey and I never really had the gain past 4-5. The VK is far quieter than the 5150 but if you dime the gain I'm sure it can still be quite noisey. I also put a 12at7 in the 1st position to tame the gain and man it just sounds so much smoother now. bottom line though, as has been mentioned, I would simply return it and grab a new one since it was a recent new purchase.

 

 

I think you may be right about me not being used to how a tube amp is with gain cranked. It had a lot more noise than my solid state head.

 

What's strange though is that I did not hear the crackling when I took it back to the store to play it there. That leads me to believe that it is something in my house where I am playing that is causing the tubes to behave this way.

 

I didn't return it because when I returned to the store to play it there, it sounded okay . . . just the hiss/static from having it loud with a fair amount of gain.

[stangme01]

It shouldn't have alot of noise unless you have the volume all the way up with the gain boost pressed in with gain very high. Thats the only time my 6505+ gets noisy. I'm getting a ISP decimator for that though.

[Jody Butt]

 

Originally posted by stangme01 It shouldn't have alot of noise unless you have the volume all the way up with the gain boost pressed in with gain very high. Thats the only time my 6505+ gets noisy. I'm getting a ISP decimator for that though.

 

 

Yeah, I'm not trying to say that the crackling is overbearing. It's not. It's only if you stop playing that you hear it . . . and when I stop, it's loud enough that the feedback would rage if my hands were not covering the strings.

 

Like I said, I didn't hear the crackling when I took it back to the store. It may be the background noise in a store versus a really quiet house. Also, I'm playing a full stack, so there are 4 speakers right at my ear level. When I tried just playing one cabinet here at home, it was not as noticeable.

 

With the gain at 5 or lower, it's not much of an issue. Volume 3 is plenty loud. Volume 5 is insane. It rattles the ducts in the house, and everything is reverberating/rattling in the house. Also, I'm standing right next to it, so that may not be helping. It seems that if I shift my body position, the amount of static changes.

 

I took it into a different room (to try a different outlet, and to eliminate the extension cord that I was using in my regular room). At first, it seemed to make a difference. Then, again, maybe not.

 

I think I will just chaulk this up to (a) the huge amount of volume from 100 watts o' tube, and two cabinets (b) high gain © having a full-stack with 4 speakers right near my ears and (d) standing too close to the amp.

 

My Boss NS-2 takes care of this, anyway.

 

Also, when I roll the volume down on my guitar to zero, I hear nothing, basically. Does that correlate with a bad preamp tube?

[Riggins]

nah, if you roll your volume off and it disappears I'd say it's probably not an amp issue.

 

If it were some kinda appliance interference though I think it would be more of a distinct hum than a static crackling.

 

Have you tried different setups? different guitars, different cables, straight in, etc.

 

Maybe now it's time to get a more detailed description of how you are pugging in and with what to try and help you further.

[Nick Kay]

Just sounds like regular tube amp noise to me. Get a noise gate, or check out the other stuff in your chain for noise.

[Jody Butt]

 

Originally posted by Riggins nah, if you roll your volume off and it disappears I'd say it's probably not an amp issue. If it were some kinda appliance interference though I think it would be more of a distinct hum than a static crackling. Have you tried different setups? different guitars, different cables, straight in, etc. Maybe now it's time to get a more detailed description of how you are pugging in and with what to try and help you further.

 

 

I plugged straight in, trying a few different brands of cables ($20 - $50), and three different guitars -- Ibanez RG570, Jackson w/ EMGs, and LTD with stock pickups. If anything, the higher output the pickup, the more noticeable it is . . . which makes sense because the hotter pickup is basically increasing gain.

 

I was worried at first, but then I tried my head in the store, and I couldn't really notice the crackling, just static. I played the display VK head that they had setup, and there was no difference. So, with the two heads sounding the same, I'd say there is nothing wrong with my head. After playing a second VK head, and the other tube amps in the store, I am not really worried. Although, the crackling here at home still makes me scratch my head.

[Nick Kay]

Maybe the power at your place is dirty? Or you've got the power cable plugged into a bad socket.

[Polaris20]

 

Originally posted by Jody Butt I have a computer on in the same room . . . maybe even on the same circuit. I have one of those weird, spiral, low energy lights on, and it has a dimmer switch.

 

 

Dimmer switches can cause weird noises too, as can CRT monitors. I have a VK100, and it's pretty quiet, no static. But I don't have any of that {censored} near it.

[Jody Butt]

The computer is about 6 metres away, but he monitor is an LCD. The light with the dimmer is about 5 metres away. I tried it in a different room, though, and it was similar. So, maybe this house got a bad electrical job?

 

Oh, well.

 

You guys with Valveking heads, how loud do you turn it up? How much gain do you use? Do you use 1 or 2 cabinets?

[Polaris20]

 

Originally posted by Jody Butt The computer is about 6 metres away, but he monitor is an LCD. The light with the dimmer is about 5 metres away. I tried it in a different room, though, and it was similar. So, maybe this house got a bad electrical job? Oh, well. You guys with Valveking heads, how loud do you turn it up? How much gain do you use? Do you use 1 or 2 cabinets?

 

 

You could have "dirty" power. It's possible. I usually turn it up to 2 or 3 with a drummer, and the gain at about 7. I use one 2x12 Avatar with V30's.

[xbryanx]

 

Originally posted by Jody Butt I have a computer on in the same room . . . maybe even on the same circuit. I have one of those weird, spiral, low energy lights on, and it has a dimmer switch. I will try taking this amp to different places in the house, and messing with lights, and will report back. I will say that I really do like the sound of the Valveking. I had tried the combo a while before when I was trying out an octave pedal. It sounded thin. I was looking to buy a 6505+. A sales rep told me he was impressed by the Valveking. So, I tried it out. Plenty of nice-sounding gain. Sounds tighter than my solid state head. This thing can do metal as is, without a boost pedal. I was really suprised. I have it running two 4x12s. Man, is it ever loud!

 

 

yeah i would plug it into a seperate outlet from the computer and everything, and make sure the monitors on the computer are off when your playing. tvs, computer moniters, etc make amps freak out from the electrical interference. it could also just be the wiring in your house unfortunatly, the wiring in my house was done pretty half-assed so i always get a little more ground hum here than i do when i play out.