Members srw Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hey guys, Last night I was jamming with my buddies and I was playing guitar and signing. I noticed that everytime my lips touched the microphone I felt a wee bit of a feeling like a needle poking my lip.. Was I getting shocked? (I sang into my microphone unplugged to see if I get that feeling but I didn't) Does anybody know what could cause this or fix it? Thanks S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mogwix Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 There's a grounding issue. Have you jammed in that room before? Could be a missing ground prong in an extension cable or power bar, could be miswired outlets (ie: missing ground), or your guitar amp could be improperly grounded. If your amp is an older one with a two-prong power cable, take it to a service tech and have them update it for a proper ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Were you using that '65 Fender Twin Reverb in your sig? Has it been modified to a three prong cord and had the polarity capacitor removed? If not you should get that done before someone dies . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srw Posted August 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 There's a grounding issue. Have you jammed in that room before?Could be a missing ground prong in an extension cable or power bar, could be miswired outlets (ie: missing ground), or your guitar amp could be improperly grounded. If your amp is an older one with a two-prong power cable, take it to a service tech and have them update it for a proper ground. The amp is a my Fender Twin '65 RI which is only a few years old. This was, in fact, the first time we jammed in that room. I'm trying to think back to his old house and I recall perhaps feeling this there as well..just nowhere near as bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srw Posted August 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Were you using that '65 Fender Twin Reverb in your sig? Has it been modified to a three prong cord and had the polarity capacitor removed? If not you should get that done before someone dies . This is my '65 Twin which I bought 3 or 4 years ago brand new. I would assume that this is set up to match current electric code, etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stunningbabe Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Why would you wanna kiss the Mic in the 1st place? Seriously. why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srw Posted August 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Why would you wanna kiss the Mic in the 1st place? Seriously. why? I don't want to and try not too but sometimes I just do. Of course I can use this electric shock as therapy for bad behaviour. I just don't want to die yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Is the power source really grounded and all receptacles grounded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Oh, I didn't "get" the RI (reissue) part . Anyways buy an outlet tester and check out the outlets. Even if they all "pass" I'd run the PA and guitar amp off the same outlet "just in case" - the outlet testers aren't perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mogwix Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Check for any ground lift switches on the amps or sound equipment, make sure they're all GROUNDED. The amp is a reissue and should be up to date with modern codes, and so long as nobody removed any ground prongs from the connectors, the problem could be within the building's electrical itself. Go to your local hardware store and spend $5 on an outlet tester to check the outlets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beerguy156 Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Buy a good power supply and run all the band equipment out of the one power supply. We have a monster 2500 and it has solved almost all the power issues we used to experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srw Posted August 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Thank you for all the reponses so far. I will pick up a circuit tester to check the outlets we're using. I will also move my amp to be on the same outlet as the PA (or will justing using the same circuit suffice assuming the outlets are wired correctly?). Hopefully this will solve the issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fireax Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 I've been in venues where this happened to us.Unfortunately, we couldn't stop, and isolate the problem.So....To eliminate the problem short-term, I placed a foam windscreen over the mic.This insulated the lips from the mic, and stopped the problem. All the above solutions are best, but when you are in the middle of the first song, of the first set...you have to wing it. Disclaimer:If you follow my advice, and still get shocked, and your heart stops, I was never here, and this information did not come from me. I am actually an Argentinan Immigrant that stole Fireax's Identity.Adios Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members monthlymixcd Posted August 12, 2010 Members Share Posted August 12, 2010 Every time I work on someone's guitar I ask permission to install this Anti-Shock circuit in between the string ground wire and earth. Works like a charm... unless you have metal knobs on your guitar or are touching the metal plug shield on the guitar cable and kissing the mic at the same time. In that case you'd be just as dead as if it weren't there. Advice I always share after I install the mod... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 13, 2010 Members Share Posted August 13, 2010 Everything should be solidly grounded and the ground passed back to the proper power grounds. IF isolation is necessary, only use an approved device such as an audio isolation transformer (active or passive) between the gtr and the rest of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NUSound Posted August 13, 2010 Members Share Posted August 13, 2010 Buy a good power supply and run all the band equipment out of the one power supply. We have a monster 2500 and it has solved almost all the power issues we used to experience. This won't solve any problems any better than simply connecting everything to the same outlet via a powerstrip will. Waste of money IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted August 13, 2010 Members Share Posted August 13, 2010 But - Monster goes to 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fishmanrod Posted August 13, 2010 Members Share Posted August 13, 2010 I always carry an outlet tester in my bag-o-tricks and any time I play a new place I check the outlets we have to plug into.I have found ungrounded outlets, outlets with the hot and neutral switched, outlets with the neutral missing, and outlets with the ground and neutral switched. Scary. I guess because I do that check I can't recall the last time I had a ground loop issue, and so far have never given anyone a 'lifter' of a mic. I did have one issue with a peavey amp about 4 months ago, could not get the sucker to stop buzzing. Otherwise that's it in maybe 20 years of gigging. I'd start there first. Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoadRanger Posted August 13, 2010 Members Share Posted August 13, 2010 outlets with the ground and neutral switched.How did you find those? Last I knew an outlet tester wouldn't detect that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 13, 2010 Members Share Posted August 13, 2010 How did you find those? Last I knew an outlet tester wouldn't detect that correct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beerguy156 Posted August 15, 2010 Members Share Posted August 15, 2010 This won't solve any problems any better than simply connecting everything to the same outlet via a powerstrip will. Waste of money IMO. The power supply has a built in ground tester, voltage readout , and it will test to see if the hot and neutral are reversed! It also has a timer, which turns your amps on after the rest of the outlets and turns them off first (just convenience). We consistently play the same venue...it is a biker bar that used to be an old chapel (crazy but true, Dog House, Fayetteville, NC) that was constructed in the 20's. We used to have all sorts of noise through our PA. I believe a lot of it came from flourescent lights and neon signs in and outside the bar. The power supply has virtually eliminated that noise. I am a believer. We also had a lightning strike very close to the bar one night; it killed the power and tripped the breaker on the power supply...no damage to any equipment when the power came back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 15, 2010 Members Share Posted August 15, 2010 So it doesn't test for reversed neutral and ground connections right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members srw Posted August 19, 2010 Author Members Share Posted August 19, 2010 Hey guys, UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE!!! Thanks for all the responses. I had a busy week and didn't get a chance to pick up a circuit tester, but when I arrived at my buddies house for jamming I made sure I plugged into the same outlet as the PA. I think this worked just fine.. Thanks again for all your help S. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members beerguy156 Posted August 21, 2010 Members Share Posted August 21, 2010 So it doesn't test for reversed neutral and ground connections right? Yes it does...it will give you a bad ground indication if that is the case. It is pretty cool. Plug it in and you can instantly tell the status of the power supply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members agedhorse Posted August 21, 2010 Members Share Posted August 21, 2010 Yes it does...it will give you a bad ground indication if that is the case. It is pretty cool. Plug it in and you can instantly tell the status of the power supply. What is the make and model? Electrically, without looking at current flow in the wiing BEFORE the receptacle, neutral and ground are identical in potential and impedance in a (solidly) grounded electrical system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.