Strange noises

hilton2266 · May 1st, 2008, 07:10 AM

The last two evenings while practicing, I have heard what sounds like a radio station bleeding into my amp!! Is this possible? The amp is a Park G10 practice piece. The sounds seem to go away after a while, like just fade from hearing. I have not heard this before the last two nights. I played both teles last night and heard the sounds with both. Must be the amp?? Any ideas?

hilton2266

Durtdog · May 1st, 2008, 07:18 AM

Yes, it's entirely possible. I saw Little Feat many years ago at the Fox in Atlanta and they kept getting police calls through their Music Man amps. It's annoying I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how to avoid it.

Dan German · May 1st, 2008, 07:21 AM

Yes it's possible, and yes it's probably the amp. An EE friend of mine once gave me a simple piece of advice that has been proven true time and again. He said "if a piece of electronic equipment does something unlikely or impossible, just remember that all electronics is FM. F-ing Magic." So probably the ghost of a dead radio station has possessed your amp.

Gaber_771 · May 1st, 2008, 07:40 AM

it happens every so often... a once in a blue moon kind of thing... i'm sure someone here can tell you what actually causes it, but i guess i've had it happen 5 times in the last 10 years...

guitreble · May 1st, 2008, 07:50 AM

It could be the shielding on your tele. I was picking up TV or radio signals while using my tele but not in my 335. Maybe a ground is missing, or you can do some copper shielding.

hilton2266 · May 1st, 2008, 08:05 AM

I don't know about it being the teles. My first one is a new HWY 1 Texas and the other is the 57 vintage of my dad's. The sounds happened with both of them both nights. Just really strange

hilton2266

Doug Ferguson · May 1st, 2008, 08:14 AM

Yep, very possible. I lived next door to a guy with a home-based CB radio and used to hear him through my amp all the time. At first I thought it was the effects pedals (they're notorious for that kind of thing) but even with them not hooked up I picked up his signal -- so clear it was almost like having him in the room. There wasn't much I colud do about it; even shielding my guitar didn't help. It was just an annoyance I learned to more or less live with.

woodman · May 1st, 2008, 09:11 AM

back in the '70s, we played this one joint where CB transmissions would come through our amps ... we'd be singing or playing and suddenly you'd hear, "breaker one-nine ..." it was maddening, but it only happened at that one place. FM indeed.

davis502 · May 1st, 2008, 10:03 AM

I have had this happen with more than one Kustom amps. They were "tuned" to a French Canadian station. I have read that using sheilded wire for the input jack wiring can stop this. Good luck. - Jim

The sheilding has to be connected to ground usually by the input jack ground lug.

SixStringSlinger · May 1st, 2008, 02:37 PM

Happens to me all the time. Back when my setup was a Squier guitar and amp I got some Creole-speaking (I'm pretty sure that's what it was) station when I played at home. With my current setup I get the local salsa station at a friend's house.

May 1st, 2008, 07:10 AM	#1 (permalink)
hilton2266 TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Macon Ga Age: 61 Posts: 29	Strange noises The last two evenings while practicing, I have heard what sounds like a radio station bleeding into my amp!! Is this possible? The amp is a Park G10 practice piece. The sounds seem to go away after a while, like just fade from hearing. I have not heard this before the last two nights. I played both teles last night and heard the sounds with both. Must be the amp?? Any ideas? hilton2266

May 1st, 2008, 07:21 AM	#3 (permalink)
Dan German Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rupertsland Age: 48 Posts: 650	Yes it's possible, and yes it's probably the amp. An EE friend of mine once gave me a simple piece of advice that has been proven true time and again. He said "if a piece of electronic equipment does something unlikely or impossible, just remember that all electronics is FM. F-ing Magic." So probably the ghost of a dead radio station has possessed your amp. __________________ Higgy

May 1st, 2008, 07:40 AM	#4 (permalink)
Gaber_771 Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: WV Age: 24 Posts: 296	it happens every so often... a once in a blue moon kind of thing... i'm sure someone here can tell you what actually causes it, but i guess i've had it happen 5 times in the last 10 years... __________________ "floor it... thats a technical term"

May 1st, 2008, 08:14 AM	#7 (permalink)
Doug Ferguson Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Indianapolis, IN Age: 55 Posts: 1,557	Yep, very possible. I lived next door to a guy with a home-based CB radio and used to hear him through my amp all the time. At first I thought it was the effects pedals (they're notorious for that kind of thing) but even with them not hooked up I picked up his signal -- so clear it was almost like having him in the room. There wasn't much I colud do about it; even shielding my guitar didn't help. It was just an annoyance I learned to more or less live with. __________________ If you get hung up on just guitar players, you've missed something.... Don't ever get to a point where you just gotta be a guitar player. You hear something, go try to get that note and sound as much like that as you can.-Buddy Guy

May 1st, 2008, 09:11 AM	#8 (permalink)
woodman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Mint Hill, NC Age: 62 Posts: 5,804	back in the '70s, we played this one joint where CB transmissions would come through our amps ... we'd be singing or playing and suddenly you'd hear, "breaker one-nine ..." it was maddening, but it only happened at that one place. FM indeed. __________________ Truth is stranger than fact ... www.myspace.com/woodymitchellmusic BAND PAGES: www.myspace.com/stragglerswing (Stragglers - Western Swing) www.myspace.com/loafersgloryband (Loafers Glory - '70s country-rock)

May 1st, 2008, 07:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
Durtdog Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tennessee Posts: 3,245	Yes, it's entirely possible. I saw Little Feat many years ago at the Fox in Atlanta and they kept getting police calls through their Music Man amps. It's annoying I know, and I'm sorry, but I can't tell you how to avoid it.

May 1st, 2008, 07:50 AM	#5 (permalink)
guitreble Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Safety Harbor, FL Age: 25 Posts: 133 2 Photos	It could be the shielding on your tele. I was picking up TV or radio signals while using my tele but not in my 335. Maybe a ground is missing, or you can do some copper shielding.

May 1st, 2008, 08:05 AM	#6 (permalink)
hilton2266 TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Macon Ga Age: 61 Posts: 29	I don't know about it being the teles. My first one is a new HWY 1 Texas and the other is the 57 vintage of my dad's. The sounds happened with both of them both nights. Just really strange hilton2266

May 1st, 2008, 10:03 AM	#9 (permalink)
davis502 Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Maryland Posts: 177	I have had this happen with more than one Kustom amps. They were "tuned" to a French Canadian station. I have read that using sheilded wire for the input jack wiring can stop this. Good luck. - Jim The sheilding has to be connected to ground usually by the input jack ground lug.

May 1st, 2008, 02:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
SixStringSlinger Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2006 Location: Miami, FL Age: 20 Posts: 1,223	Happens to me all the time. Back when my setup was a Squier guitar and amp I got some Creole-speaking (I'm pretty sure that's what it was) station when I played at home. With my current setup I get the local salsa station at a friend's house. __________________ "Is a hippopotamus a hippopotamus, or just a really cool opotamus?" -Mitch Hedberg