Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

[jmcorey]

Hi all,

Do tube amps pick up loud EMF signals and amplify them?

Thought I'd put a question to all you very knowledgeable people out there. I play in church about 10 feet in front of a bunch of transformers that control the house lights. The EMF is bad, across the whole spectrum, causing things to buzz. The designers regret having done that, but that is the way life is. After I finally found pickups that are completely noiseless, I have continued to play through my boss GT-3 and with an assortment of external overdrive pedals. The sound is good, but now that my playing is improved and I am playing a lot more leads and fills, I'd like to get a more realistic amp sound than 6-7 year old technology has to offer.

So tube amp? I've heard that tube amps also pick up EMF signals very readily. Neon lights are the closest things simulation to this, I guess, so I want to ask you tube amp players if this might/will be a problem. The other solution is to get more realistic amp simulation, e.g., a line 6 product like the POD xt Live, that will give me the "gwwahhh" type sound on a Marshall or Matchless amp model.

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Joe

 

[JimiHWannaBe]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

when i play in church i use a fender super reverb head with some boss pedals infront of it. it doesnt pick up anything but the peavy transtube amp i used to play through did and my wah wah does as well.

 

[Imp]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

reverb tanks also give out hum if theres flourescent lights around.. i dunno if a digital amp will cure everything though.. it'll help i reckon, but some will still remain through the pickups and lead..

try finding a mate with a SS/modelling amp and put it in the same conditions.. should help you assess what you need

 

[some_dude]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

Invest in good quality leads, and get your axe shielded.

Generally, the cheaper things are, the more buzz they'll pick up. The same goes for amps, pedals, and pickups/guitars.

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

Invest in good quality leads, and get your axe shielded.

Generally, the cheaper things are, the more buzz they'll pick up. The same goes for amps, pedals, and pickups/guitars.

Imp, yeah, I've heard the reverb tanks do it.

Screamingdaisy, shielding does nothing for it. The guitar is dead quiet now, even with the loads of gain that the GT-3 supplies, the sound from the pickups has no noise in it. The bridge humbucker does not make any noise, and from most manufacturers they do, but I have a special source.

JimiH - the sound guys said that my Fender Princeton 112+ (also a transistor amp) did also. It is interesting that your super reverb head does not.

 

[sanrafael]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

There is nothing inherent in tube amps that prevents them from being quiet in a noisy environment. A poor design might not be, but that is not the fault of the tubes. Obviously there have to be shields on the preamp tubes, etc. The main problem when playing near large transformers is magnetic hum, and it sounds as if you have that taken care of that with your humbucker pickups,

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

There is nothing inherent in tube amps that prevents them from being quiet in a noisy environment. A poor design might not be, but that is not the fault of the tubes. Obviously there have to be shields on the preamp tubes, etc. The main problem when playing near large transformers is magnetic hum, and it sounds as if you have that taken care of that with your humbucker pickups,

Are most tubes or tube amps shielded? How can I tell? Sorry to be so naive.

J

 

[some_dude]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

Screamingdaisy, shielding does nothing for it. The guitar is dead quiet now, even with the loads of gain that the GT-3 supplies, the sound from the pickups has no noise in it. The bridge humbucker does not make any noise, and from most manufacturers they do, but I have a special source.

Another thing you could try is a power conditioner. I use a Furman PL-Plus to filter noise off the mains power supply. I don't know how much RF the mains power in your church has, but I know it's clean up my amps sound.

 

[lastwinj]

Re: Do tube amps buzz in high noise (EMF) environments?

see if you can put your amp on a different circuit breaker. might help.

germ