Morley A/B/Y question.

D

Danglin' Fury

New member
I recently purchased a used A/B/Y box and it rules but I think it might be malfunctioning. When I have only the amp on the right activated, I can still hear some of the left amp coming out of it's own speaker. When I have only the left amp activated, the amp on the right is quiet. It seems the Morley has put a substantial amount of noise into my rig. Is this the nature of the beast or is it in fact malfunctioning? Any response welcome.
:rocket:
 
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Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

I've got the exact same problem. It's slight, but I can still hear amp A when set on B. It's weird, but when using my Vetta and Univox half stack, no extra noise. When using a 73 Marshall and Silver Jubilee combo, extra noise with the Jubilee but not the 73. Strange pedal. I have two of them and they both do the same thing.
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

I also have an A/B/Y box, I forget the brand, but I know it isn't a Morley. I stopped using mine due to the noise. And 1 channel was louder than the other, and the singals bled into each other. What a peice of crap.

Made a nice paper wieght tho...
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

Does it have something to do with a ground loop issue or whatever its called? Someone with more electronics experience points might know.
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

YJM_Rocks said:
Does it have something to do with a ground loop issue or whatever its called? Someone with more electronics experience points might know.
Click to expand...

the extra noise would be a ground loop issue... not sure about the hearing the amp in the loop that is off bit...

Most of the cheaper ABY pedals have not been designed to work well with most amps.... Most common way to remove the hum and buzz is using a ground lift adapter on one amp only... it's an adapter that will allow you to plug your 3 prong power cord without the ground... Thus removing the issues of the ground loop when using the A/B box... Some say you are still safe with one amps ground still being plugged in.. I've never 100% felt safe doing that... i even added a grounded cord to my 65 Fender Deluxe as i didn't like the 2 prong cord system..

There is some new quality A/B systems that offer low noise operation without modding your amps cord or using the ground lift adapter... ToneBone makes one....
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

I would not feel safe playing without being grounded.

My friend has this 20 year old gorilla solid state. It obviously has grounding issues because I once touched his strings while in contact with my strings and I got one hell of a shock. Numbed my arm for a minute and scared me s---less.
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

YJM_Rocks said:
I would not feel safe playing without being grounded.

My friend has this 20 year old gorilla solid state. It obviously has grounding issues because I once touched his strings while in contact with my strings and I got one hell of a shock. Numbed my arm for a minute and scared me s---less.
Click to expand...


well the theory behind the ground lift when you have 2 amps and an A/B box, is one amp grounded in the chain is safe enough for the player as long as the amp is in good working order... People have lifted the grounds on their amps when running mutible amp rigs for years... leaving one ground connected is said to be safe..

I'm no expert here but the above i have been told is ok to do.... but i just don't like the idea of lifting a safety system like a ground plug myself... And the amp that has the ground lifted needs the ground when not used in a dual amp rig and too many people just break off the 3rd prong on their amp cord... then the amp is unsave if ever used on it's own
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

YJM_Rocks said:
I would not feel safe playing without being grounded.

My friend has this 20 year old gorilla solid state. It obviously has grounding issues because I once touched his strings while in contact with my strings and I got one hell of a shock. Numbed my arm for a minute and scared me s---less.
Click to expand...


PS.... i'd stay away from your friends SS amp...
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

Would changing the resistors in it to metal film quiet the thing down? I don't think I would feel safe with the ground lift either. Me no likeee being lightning rod! :smokin:
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

Danglin' Fury said:
Would changing the resistors in it to metal film quiet the thing down? I don't think I would feel safe with the ground lift either. Me no likeee being lightning rod! :smokin:
Click to expand...


well the noise is caused from the 2 amps internal grounds interfering with each other... so modding the pedal is not an option to quiet things down... i would guess

I had this ground loop issue and i ended up spending a lot of money having a pro rig maker make me a Head switching system that allows me to safely change heads noise free and safely... same guy has made stuff for Rush, EVH, Peter Frampton so on...

But some companies are now making quality A/B boxes that cure the ground loop issues... a $40 Morley units not much more then a switch... but with the more expensive $250-$300 A/B boxes like the Radial one they have buffers of some sort that cure the noise...

I use my old cheap A/B switch to change to a tuner and to turn my cord off for guitar changes..
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

I have the same pedal. I bought mine to use with aFender and a Marshall. The problem with these pedals is you do get a little bleed from one side the other. It is also a little noisey when switching from A to B (it pops) Its a pretty cheap box so I guess you get what you pay for. Here is the one I will eventually buy
http://www.startouchpedals.com/home.html

Right now I don't need it and I do still use the Morley from time to time, but this thing is supposed to be one of the best A/B/y boxes out there.
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

Bludave said:
I have the same pedal. I bought mine to use with aFender and a Marshall. The problem with these pedals is you do get a little bleed from one side the other. It is also a little noisey when switching from A to B (it pops) Its a pretty cheap box so I guess you get what you pay for. Here is the one I will eventually buy
http://www.startouchpedals.com/home.html

Right now I don't need it and I do still use the Morley from time to time, but this thing is supposed to be one of the best A/B/y boxes out there.
Click to expand...

Well, the reviews at HC were outstanding (what else is new). I hope they're good cuz I just ordered two of them! I'll leave a report when I get them. I wanted to run three amps but the Morleys were too noisy for that and with the Marshalls, they REALLY pop when switching amps. Not so much with the Vetta and Univox. Maybe because the Vetta is a modeler with no tubes? Who knows. You'll probably hear from me in about a week.
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

jerryjg said:
Sh*t! I just bought a Morley off the Trading post. Boooooo!
Click to expand...

Its not that bad Jerry, I have had mine id=n use over 10 years. I broke a wire once changing a battery, but other than that its not bad. $40 don't buy to much today, the one that I posted earlier is about 75$ I think.
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

i'd like to try the Frampton amp switcher and the 3 banger.... makes me wonder what street prices are.... the unit i had made for me 4-5 years ago cost me $550..... now that these noise free switchers are more common the prices are coming down a bit
 
Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

WhoFan said:
i'd like to try the Frampton amp switcher and the 3 banger.... makes me wonder what street prices are.... the unit i had made for me 4-5 years ago cost me $550..... now that these noise free switchers are more common the prices are coming down a bit
Click to expand...


Robert Keeley is building them now. This site lists the prices www.robertkeeley.com/product.php?id=33
 
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Re: Morley A/B/Y question.

i heard dicey things about the morleys. i bought a startouch and haven't had any problems. the guy building them is very cool too.
 
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