Buzzing Tube Screamer... - How do u overcome this?

[germX]

HI.

everytime i turn on my re-issue TS-9, there's this humming/ buzzing, same goes for my other tube screamer, the tone-lok TS7. what's with these pedals anyway? i don't think it's my guitar coz it's present when i tried it with all my other guitars... hope u can help me out...

[Doink]

Bad cables? Bad power supply? Bad amp? Bad outlet? Bad battery?

[wilch]

What type of power source are you using?

AC adapter, or batteries?

Wil..

[rgr]

If you are using a noisy power supply that might be the problem, try it with batteries instead to see. *Like Doink and Wilch said, we need more information.

Roger

(Edited by rgr at 9:20 am on Jan. 11, 2001)

[bob oakman]

60 cycle hum. The scourge of all audio endeavors. I have been battling it for years. Sometimes I think I’m loosing “ground”. :biggrin:

My point… Proper grounding is the issue. If you are using the correct power supply, check and double-check any and all grounds. I personally have big problems with power supplies on stomp boxes. They are very picky and almost never have a grounding prong on the ac side. I don't know why...

[Vaibanez]

Wall warts are transformers that take your 110v AC household current and knock it down to 9v DC current. To do this it uses coils of wire with lots and lots of windings (This is also why they get so warm). These windings create a stronger magnetic field around the wart than the surronding wireing(sp). This field acts like an antenea picking up 60 cycle hum from sources as far away as 100 ft.

My suggestion has always been, use batteries. In fact, in my pedal days, I used rechargable 9v batteries. They cost a bit more, but you can recharge them about 20 to 30 times before you need to replace them.

J>

[wilch]

If you don't want to go the battery route, and have a bit of spare money lying around, get yourself a good (read: expensive) Boss dual rectified AC adapter.

One easy, visual way of seeing which AC adapter will be most silent is size within the same current rating.

ie. 9V 500mA noisy adapter will be smaller than a 9V 500mA quiet adapter.

Being in Australia, which uses 240V mains, I had to search for an AC adapter that would work with my Bad Horsie pedal (morley don't make 240V AC adapters for Oz). I went through 15 different adapters before settling on a Boss. Luckily the guy at the store let me try virtually every adapter they had there. Every other adapter (even a sony) produced more than your standard 60 cycle hum....the thing buzzed and BUZZED LOUD, overpowering the guitar.

Wil..

[germX]

HI again. thanks for the replies.

i've been using batteries for my tube screamers. fresh batteries- hum is still there...

can it be that the source of this hum is by another FX pedal, it's just that the tube screamer acts as a trigger? i'm using the tube screamer to boost my Zoom510...

[Vaibanez]

Are you using an AC adapter for your Zoom?

That will also get you that annoying hum.

J>

[wilch]

The Zoom most probably has an inherent "hum" that's inaudible when's it's just used by itself at normal volumes.

When you kick the tubescreamer in and everythings boosted the hum would also be boosted.

But it could just be that you've got a bad patch lead inbetween or something.

Wil..

[rgr]

It's probably the Zoom, especially if you are using an adapter with it. *Try bypassing the Zoom and running the TS straight into your amp. *Care to fill us in on the rest of you signal chain? *It would probably help with the diagnosis. *

Roger

[Doink]

I assume you've tried plugging in JUST the Tubescreamer and still gotten hum? Is the TS placed after the Zoom in the signal chain? If so, then it's boosting the Zoom's hum. If it's before the Zoom, then I don't know.

[megawzrd]

You might want to check the electronics in your guitar also and make sure that they are grounded properly.