Noise???

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gdog

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I have a hum / buzz in my amp. Tubes the first place to look?
Thanks
G
 
I would definitely check your tubes first. Was the hum there when you bought it?

I had an F-30 that was noisy and installing a full set of JJs cured the noise and made the amp sound better overall.
 
I might as well hijack this thread...

I recently bought a used F-50 combo. I remember trying them out when they first came out and really liking them, but the price of a new one was just too much. Back here in Europe buying a new Mesa is a pretty big investment. But lucky for me, I now got one for a reasonable price, and I'm loving it. The clean channel sounds just perfect!

However, I do have a fair bit of white noise or hiss coming from my amp. What's interesting is that it's pretty much equally loud on both channels. I'm used to and accept a certain amount of noise from the gain channel of a tube amp, but would really like my clean channel to be quiet. That being said, the noise isn't really overwhelming, just a bit of a nuisance. Especially since I read one magazine review which raved about how quiet the F-50 was.

I tried swapping V1 and V2 for some JJ's, and decided to try some Engl power tubes I had lying around, but they didn't really do anything to the noise. Now I'm still gonna swap all the tubes, including V3 and V4, but somehow I suspect it might come down to the power tubes. Can anybody give some advice regarding this issue, and what might be good tubes to buy and try out. Should I try some Mesa power tubes, or do you think it will make a difference? Basically any help is appreciated.
 
Until last friday I had an F50, I liked the clean channel which I only used (the gain channel was completely unusable for anything I do, but the white noise from the amp was too much and the rest of the band couldn't put up with it. it was just the amp because even with no guitar or effects plugged in it was the same. I found that by keeping the gain down (clean channel) to just past half way and then boosting it right up with an eq used as a volume boost it cut down a lot of the noise and gave me more volume, the amp is no where near loud enough on the clean channel, infact its bedroom level. It kept blowing valves, Manson's sent it off and the bloke put new valves in, but they blew again, kept blowing. The gain channel is loud enough to kill a bull but the clean channel is really really quiet. When the F50 was being repaired I borrowed another almost new F50 still with the mesa boogie valves in it, it was a little bit louder than mine on a side by side A/B (before mine was broken) in a dead sound booth but not much, the noise was the same, also the newer F50 had less bass and more top, mine had a nice 3d full bloom, the newer F50 was sterile and stabby, no warmth. I borrowed the new one after mine went wrong again but after a week it was microphonic.
I think there might be a problem with the F50, mine hummed when plugged in, the new one hummed when not plugged in. But the way mine went through valves was mad, a set would not last one gig even.
They have written the amp off and given me a credit note. I am going to add money to it and get the EXPRESS 5.50!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I tried the Rectoverb combo, no good for me, can't get my clean sound, I tried a Tremoverb combo, WAY to quiet even when full and using bold and diode (I only use clean). The Rectoverb was loud enough but the sound wasn't there, the EQ isn't good, nothing like the F50. The amp constantly needs re adjusting after every level change and the increase of treble actually cuts the bass instead of just adding treble, you go round in circles!!!! BUT the rectoverb was QUIET, not like the F50 and miles and miles louder.
In a four our session in a dead booth I tried a Fender Twin reverb, a Fender tremolux, a Boogie Tremoverb, a Boogie Rectoverb, a Boogie Express 5.25 1x12", A Marshall vintage/modern, a Marshall 210c, a Cornford roadster 30.
I was sat on a drum stool with the amps in front of me a couple at a time tilted towards my face. The Fenders were MUCH too glassy and spiky, you can't get a warm crunch, they start to clip into overdrive at near or near full volume but the sound of it is horrible, and no control over the overall volume. I had the twin on 10 tilted back with my head about a foot from it, ouch. The Marshalls had a better clean than the Fenders, not as much broken glass.
The 210c has an insane amount of clean volume, louder than the twin by a long way!!!! I hurt my ear with a single note, its still hurting, I had no idea it would be THAT loud.
The Cornford was terrible for clean. THE BEST was the BOOGIE EXPRESS 2.25 1x12.
I have ordered the Boogie Express 5.50, as a replacement for the F50 because NO amp I have ever tried has had the clean sound of the F50. Its perfect for me. I like a rounded warm clean sound with a touch of crunch introduced by the gain knob, a SWEET middle and bride vintage strat pickup combination with no sharp glassy spikes and a nice 3d bloom. My F50 had that, although not so much the f50 I borrowed. I like the compression from the F50, you get a CLICK with everynote. The Recto combos can't come anywhere near.

From reseach I think my perfect amp is the LONESTAR but the lonestar is about $5000 in our money, UK Pounds. For the EXPRESS 5.50 it is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

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