Bad House Power Causing Bad Tone?

[Daver]

Enzo,
Yes, I agree 100% that the isolating the amps from their current environment is vital. I was just hoping there may be some other test(s) I can do in the mean time. Thanks.

[Jazz P Bass]

For peace of mind, you could always call your local electric utility.
Have them do a line check.

[Dr Kaos]

How many guitars have you tried?

Dr

[Daver]

Five. They have a variety of pickup types. Single coils, humbuckers, mini-humbuckers and wide range humbuckers. I haven't tried the P-90's. It ain't the guitars. Thanks

[Chuck H]

Do all your amps use the same speakers???

[Daver]

No. As I've already detailed I've used a variety of amps. Combos, heads and bottoms and various combinations of amp(s) guitar(s) and speaker(s). Also different speaker and guitar cables. I've mixed and matched everything I can think of. The only common element I can come up with is the house. That's why I was asking about the AC. Thanks!

[g1]

I hate to say it but the other common element is your hearing. I hope for you sake that this is not the case.
Your original description of the problem sound is quite subjective.
You have looked at the AC line voltage with the scope, have you looked at the output signal to see if there is any oscillation etc.?

[Daver]

I don't think I have an oscillation in every amp I own. I don't think it's my hearing. I don't have any problems other than when playing the guitars. I had a friend here over the weekend and he heard it too.

[g1]

Glad to hear you had someone else verify the sound. Hearing damage is something I take quite seriously and I think we all tend to overlook it somewhat. It sounded like the problem is fairly slight, so I just put that out there.
As far as oscillation, I wasn't thinking all your amps oscillate, rather that if some kind of interference in the environment is causing the problem, it may be creating an oscillation or distortion that may be visible on the output waveform.

[Daver]

UPDATE I took one of my amps over to my brother's house today. He lives across town about 12 miles away. I used his guitar and cord. I still hear the "distortion" or whatever it is on the notes. My brother can kind of hear it but not like I can. Hmmmmm. My 15 year old niece was there. She plays the violin and piano. I asked her if she could hear what I was talking about and she said yes! She even imitated the the sound. OK, so I'm not crazy and my ears aren't shot. It's not the power at my house. Have I suddenly become super sensitive to something that was always there? Next test is to go to a music store with someone else and find out if I or they can hear anything there. This is so weird and annoying.!
Dave

[Chuck H]

Since you've tried different amps, guitars, cords, with or without effects, cabinets and locations... AND YOUR STILL HEARING SOMETHING ANNOYING!!! It seems that there is something inhearent in guitar tone that you don't like!?! I suffer this on many levels. I try to minimize what I don't like in my personal builds. It's tough to ignore my impulses to squash these sounds when I'm building for other people though.

I guess a good question at this point is... Can you play through anything, anywhere that doesn't present this problem to your ear? And, if yes...

There must be a common denominator to why all your personal gear has a problem but not every rig elsewhere does. What is the common denominator? Do all your guitars have the same pickups? Do all your amps use the same power tubes? etc.

[olddawg]

Are you using the same guitar? Maybe it is a mechanical issue with the guitar. Fret buzz? Microphonic pickup? Bridge ground?

[Daver]

Not the same guitar, cord, speakers, pickup types, tube types or underwear. I've even tried different types of picks. And my brother uses a different brand of strings on his guitars. Maybe there is "something" I don't like, but this is recent. It is sooooo strange. I can't imagine my hearing has gotten "better" and that all amps do this. I do still want to go to a music store or two and play completely unfamiliar gear in a different environment and find out if I hear the same thing. Thanks!

[sparchead]

Daver! you are not crazy my dear.. I once had a similar problem with all my tube amps. Your story reminds me a lot All my research ended with the AC main was the cause. I'm not really sure about the where's or why's, but I think that the AC voltage variations in the main outlet, over time, stress the tubes which lead to some degradation. I am now using those surge protect power bar and the problem is gone! Keeping in mind that the ones with filtering and voltage regulation can alter your tone.. Maybe you can also try with fresh new tubes, or bring a friend's amp at your home... Dunno if it can help you..

[soundguruman]

Is it possible for bad power from the outlet to cause unusual tonal artifacts? In the last couple of days I've been prototyping a couple of similar amps. There's been this little "sweet" artifact that you can sometimes hear around the note. It's far more pronounced using an overdrive pedal. That's where I first noticed it. After tearing my hair out trying different circuit tweaks, tubes and speakers I tried my other amps. Holy Crap! They do it too! There's this extra harshness with the tone that wasn't there before. It happens when the pedals are powered from a One Spot, or a battery or if they're used by themselves with no other pedals in line. I can hear a bit of it when the amps are clean. The AC tonight measues 123 volts. A little high, but it's around 120 other times I've measured it. So, can the AC coming in have this affect? Is there a way to test for it? Thanks.
Dave

"Is there a way to test for it? Thanks."

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