Members heymelbs Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 I would get a hum with any bass that I would plug into my Behringer amp, and I thought that it was just the el cheaponess of the amp. Just received my Avatar B212 and I plugged my bass into it, only to receive the same annoying hum. Could it be that the problem is the cheap 1/4" cable I'm using? If so, what recommendations and where should I purchase? I convinced my wife that I needed a new amp/cabinet because of the annoying hum from my cheap speaker, so it's probably a good thing that I didn't try that first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grumpy_Polecat Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 I would get a hum with any bass that I would plug into my Behringer amp, and I thought that it was just the el cheaponess of the amp. Just received my Avatar B212 and I plugged my bass into it, only to receive the same annoying hum. Could it be that the problem is the cheap 1/4" cable I'm using? If so, what recommendations and where should I purchase? I convinced my wife that I needed a new amp/cabinet because of the annoying hum from my cheap speaker, so it's probably a good thing that I didn't try that first. Cheapness is an issue, and it goes for the cables as well as the female sockets they plug into, but more than this it's important to know there are 1/4" speaker cables and 1/4" instrument cables. Speaker cables WILL make noise if used as instrument cables. You can tell the difference (if they have screw-on ends) by seeing how they are made. An instrument cable is shielded, which means the negative wire is braided around the signal wire. Speaker wires are two separate, insulated wires (usually white & black). If it is an instrument wire, the cheapest thing is to get another one. (they are prone to failure, even if they are better quality. You can only step on them for so long...) If you still have a noise problem after replacing the wire, you'll have to look elsewhere for the cause. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jim-Bass Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 cheap cables always give more problems, so I bought from The BassPlyer, a shop here in Sydney. Not too expensive, but lifetime warranty - I have 2 ....got the first one 11 years ago and it's fine. Also a Fender Electro-Volt which has been good so far. When I bought cheaper cables I was always buying new ones every couple of years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heymelbs Posted March 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 I just bought a 3' Live Wire 16 gauge cable for the cabinet and amp, so I'm thinking that it should be ok. The other chord was a Musicians Friend special, and it says on the outside of the chord that it is an instrument cable. I am having a hard time getting the ends unscrewed, so I may just get a new one anyway. Is it worth spending the extra money on Monster or Mogami cables? How about 24k gold connectors?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members phaeton Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Go blow $15 on a cable. It'll answer your question. You should have several of them anyways. ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heymelbs Posted March 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Cheap cable justifies new amp and cab with the CFO, didn't work out too bad for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grumpy_Polecat Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 I just bought a 3' Live Wire 16 gauge cable for the cabinet and amp, so I'm thinking that it should be ok. The other chord was a Musicians Friend special, and it says on the outside of the chord that it is an instrument cable. I am having a hard time getting the ends unscrewed, so I may just get a new one anyway. Is it worth spending the extra money on Monster or Mogami cables? How about 24k gold connectors?? My opinion is no. Gold connectors plugged into non-gold sockets... What's the use? Monster & Mogami, maybe, but you can get by just fine for a lot less. Could be your MF cable is just a bad one (it happens, even with the 'best'). I don't like to spend more than a buck a foot. This lets me have several spares (and a big pile of 'to be fixed', accumulated over the years...) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members georgestrings Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 My opinion is no.Gold connectors plugged into non-gold sockets... What's the use?Monster & Mogami, maybe, but you can get by just fine for a lot less. Could be your MF cable is just a bad one (it happens, even with the 'best').I don't like to spend more than a buck a foot. This lets me have several spares (and a big pile of 'to be fixed', accumulated over the years...) Yup - Monster cables are a rip-off... buy a decent cable, or make your own - but once you get much over $1/foot, you're getting ripped off... - georgestrings Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Are you near fluorescent lighting?Is your amp properly grounded?Is the wall socket properly grounded?Lots of things can be the problem. 19335 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Darkstorm Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Sounds like either the bass isnt properly grounded, or amps got problems. Cheapie qaulity cables mainly cause signal loss esp in bass dept. I'd check to see if the bass is sheilded and if its ground wire is connected first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heymelbs Posted March 6, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 Sounds like either the bass isnt properly grounded, or amps got problems. Cheapie qaulity cables mainly cause signal loss esp in bass dept. I'd check to see if the bass is sheilded and if its ground wire is connected first. What should I be looking for. It's easy to get under the hood of the Warwick fortunately. I'll also try my MKD and see if I get the same buzz. The room has flourescent lights. One thing I noticed is that as I move about the room, the buzz gets louder and softer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chris-dax Posted March 6, 2007 Members Share Posted March 6, 2007 get a 10' planet waves instrument cable for $15.00 It may not cure your particular problem, but you will have eliminated the cable as a cause for concern, and will have a cable that will work for you for a long long time....c-d Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members heymelbs Posted March 7, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 Sounds like either the bass isnt properly grounded, or amps got problems. Cheapie qaulity cables mainly cause signal loss esp in bass dept. I'd check to see if the bass is sheilded and if its ground wire is connected first. I'm starting to wonder about the bass. I plugged another bass into the amp and the signal was clean - same 1/4" cord. Why when I move around with the bass does the humming get louder and quieter? I can actually stop the humming completely if I find the right spot in the room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nos Posted March 7, 2007 Members Share Posted March 7, 2007 I'm starting to wonder about the bass. I plugged another bass into the amp and the signal was clean - same 1/4" cord. Why when I move around with the bass does the humming get louder and quieter? I can actually stop the humming completely if I find the right spot in the room. Try playing with the light off. Does the hum go away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.