Gettin' shocked!

Murphy Slaw · March 2nd, 2008, 05:49 PM

Sheeze. Crappy clubs.

Any answers?

Would a Power Conditioner fix this?

You can't turn the plugs anymore, and I'm thinking this club has 3 prong plugs, but isn't wired right.

I dimmed the lights last night with my lips...............

My ex wife would have been impressed, but it hurt, and impressing her is a waste of time.

The bass player thought he was safe, but I could grab my mike, and his arm, and nail him.

And I did.

Telarkaster · March 2nd, 2008, 07:19 PM

That's scary.

Do you get shocks from just your guitar, or only when you touch something else electric like a mic or someone holding a plugged in guitar?

If it's the latter, then check on the back of your amp for a switch that reverses the current.

A trick to check if your going to get zapped is to take your hands off the guitar and let it gently swing and touch the mike stand. If you don't get a zap and blue light that burns through a guitar string then you might be ok...

Oh yeah, wear shoes with thick rubber soles...

Capel · March 3rd, 2008, 02:56 AM

Or it's time to go unplugged....

Tim Armstrong · March 3rd, 2008, 07:07 AM

We plug everything (PA, guitar amp, bass amp) into a single power strip, so at the very least we don't have to worry about frying ourselves by completing a circuit between two different outlets...

Cheers, Tim

neocaster · March 3rd, 2008, 07:17 AM

Power conditioner probably won't help. The most common cause for this is that one of the outlets (amp or PA) are not wired correctly. Check their outlets with one of these (outlet tester)

It's not your job to advise them, but it's totally your job to keep your own arse from frying. It's a crap job, but cliub owners obviously aren't doing it.

superchicken_VI · March 3rd, 2008, 07:44 AM

These stories always make me look at wireless units at Musician's Friend...

vjf1968 · March 3rd, 2008, 08:00 AM

Go wireless. Your out of the circuit so getting shocked is less likely and you can also sound check the band from the back of the room and adjust levels.

Dan German · March 3rd, 2008, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neocaster

It's not your job to advise them, but it's totally your job to keep your own arse from frying. It's a crap job, but cliub owners obviously aren't doing it.

Yup. When I was studying Lighting Design, the instructor loved to ask newbies "How do you know that a circuit is safe to work on?" The answer of course is that you disconnected and tested it yourself.

serialsteve · March 3rd, 2008, 10:42 AM

One club we routinely play has that problem. For whatever reason (we use the same sound company who provides mikes too), it happens about 2/3 of the time, so my guess is that it's a bad outlet/wiring. The sound guy has re-worked everything a few times, but it's still hit or miss. My quick fix was to get windscreens for the mics. No touch=no blue flash and teeth that feel like they're going to explode!

Murphy Slaw · March 3rd, 2008, 07:16 PM

That's the weird thing. We play there once a month, it's never happened before. A few weeks ago it happened at another club for the first time. Last week at a 3rd club everything was fine. My Boogie doesn't have a ground switch, and the p.a. rack is a slew of crap like most, you know several eq's, power amps for mains, monitors, ect.

I'm gonna buy a 25/30 foot good extension cord I can run over to the other side of the stage (where all the pa stuff plugs in).

I have a cordless I can bring, I just don't like what they do to tone, and added noise. But I can live with it as opposed to the jolt I took Sat. night.

Thanks gang.

Murph.

Dave_O · March 3rd, 2008, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

My ex wife would have been impressed, but it hurt, and impressing her is a waste of time.

The bass player thought he was safe, but I could grab my mike, and his arm, and nail him.

And I did.

you funny man, I like that....

If you got a wireless, use it. I've had some doozy shocks over the years

and it is no fun at all.

DaBender · March 3rd, 2008, 07:54 PM

That happened to me for the first time Friday at a club I've been playing for a couple of years. I touched the mic with my lips and thought I'd played my last gig for a second. I suspected the 1960 Ampeg I was using for the first time, but it has a 3-prong plug, and my bass player said he got zapped as well.

bendecaster · March 3rd, 2008, 08:58 PM

I played a club that was a big banquet hall with 12(or so) huge glass chandeliers. Every time I went up to the mic, it sparked to my mouth, and all of the chandeliers dimmed, and I shreiked obscenities! It was possibly amusing to watch, but I was not amused! It never happened before, or since, so I never got to the bottom of it.

camari · March 6th, 2008, 08:35 AM

If you want me to fight, just shock me with some electricity. Nothing ticks me off more than gettting shocked. Could be that old man that convinced me when I was 8 yrs old, peeing on an electric fence wouldn't hurt none.

neocaster · March 6th, 2008, 08:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphy Slaw

The bass player thought he was safe, but I could grab my mike, and his arm, and nail him.

And I did.

Watch it. Completing that circuit from hand to hand could stop your heart. Crappy way to end a gig, and your life.

pbenn · March 6th, 2008, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telarkaster

If it's the latter, then check on the back of your amp for a switch that reverses the current.
.

With a two-prong amp, yes. But how many two-prong amps are still being gigged? I was under the impression that a three-prong conversion should also have a disabled, disconnected ground switch, for safety.

Telarkaster · March 6th, 2008, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pbenn

With a two-prong amp, yes. But how many two-prong amps are still being gigged? I was under the impression that a three-prong conversion should also have a disabled, disconnected ground switch, for safety.

Hmm... I thought that would make a difference with a 3 prong. I know it definitely cuts down on the hum.

I have a 1976 Twin Reverb with a switch, and it's 3 pronged. Can any of the amp gurus here chip in? I don't want to give advice that will get someone killed. Including me!

Tim Armstrong has great advice, but not always practical in a club. I know it works in our practice studio though.

Big John · March 7th, 2008, 02:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neocaster

Check their outlets with one of these (outlet tester)

It's not your job to advise them, but it's totally your job to keep your own arse from frying.

We have a similar one for UK use --- make sure you use one too !!
Remember, we have to do all this at 240V and more than once i have seen guitar strings welded to frets and musicians suddenly gaining the power to fly !!, these things are life savers.

March 2nd, 2008, 05:49 PM	#1 (permalink)
Murphy Slaw Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Joppa, Il. Age: 50 Posts: 439	Gettin' shocked! Sheeze. Crappy clubs. Any answers? Would a Power Conditioner fix this? You can't turn the plugs anymore, and I'm thinking this club has 3 prong plugs, but isn't wired right. I dimmed the lights last night with my lips............... My ex wife would have been impressed, but it hurt, and impressing her is a waste of time. The bass player thought he was safe, but I could grab my mike, and his arm, and nail him. And I did.

March 3rd, 2008, 07:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
Tim Armstrong Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Berlin, Maryland, USA Age: 49 Posts: 8,891	We plug everything (PA, guitar amp, bass amp) into a single power strip, so at the very least we don't have to worry about frying ourselves by completing a circuit between two different outlets... Cheers, Tim __________________ http://www.moodswingers.org

March 3rd, 2008, 07:17 AM	#5 (permalink)
neocaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Chester County, PA Age: 35 Posts: 3,492 11 Photos	Power conditioner probably won't help. The most common cause for this is that one of the outlets (amp or PA) are not wired correctly. Check their outlets with one of these (outlet tester) It's not your job to advise them, but it's totally your job to keep your own arse from frying. It's a crap job, but cliub owners obviously aren't doing it. __________________ "...You don't need faith if you know it's gonna work!" "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed."

March 3rd, 2008, 08:00 AM	#7 (permalink)
vjf1968 Tele-Holic Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Philadelphia Age: 40 Posts: 771 6 Photos	Go wireless. Your out of the circuit so getting shocked is less likely and you can also sound check the band from the back of the room and adjust levels. __________________ "the cult aesthetic of liking only what's obscure is just as sick of being mindlessly led around by the nose" -Mark Mothersbaugh

March 3rd, 2008, 08:58 PM	#13 (permalink)
bendecaster Tele-Holic Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: maine Posts: 915	I played a club that was a big banquet hall with 12(or so) huge glass chandeliers. Every time I went up to the mic, it sparked to my mouth, and all of the chandeliers dimmed, and I shreiked obscenities! It was possibly amusing to watch, but I was not amused! It never happened before, or since, so I never got to the bottom of it. __________________ The Demented 7th

March 2nd, 2008, 07:19 PM	#2 (permalink)
Telarkaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Montreal Quebec Canada Posts: 1,607	That's scary. Do you get shocks from just your guitar, or only when you touch something else electric like a mic or someone holding a plugged in guitar? If it's the latter, then check on the back of your amp for a switch that reverses the current. A trick to check if your going to get zapped is to take your hands off the guitar and let it gently swing and touch the mike stand. If you don't get a zap and blue light that burns through a guitar string then you might be ok... Oh yeah, wear shoes with thick rubber soles...

March 3rd, 2008, 02:56 AM	#3 (permalink)
Capel Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Capel, West Oz Age: 40 Posts: 161	Or it's time to go unplugged....

March 3rd, 2008, 07:44 AM	#6 (permalink)
superchicken_VI Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Monroe, NC Age: 36 Posts: 1,291	These stories always make me look at wireless units at Musician's Friend...

March 3rd, 2008, 10:42 AM	#9 (permalink)
serialsteve Tele-Holic Join Date: May 2003 Posts: 640	One club we routinely play has that problem. For whatever reason (we use the same sound company who provides mikes too), it happens about 2/3 of the time, so my guess is that it's a bad outlet/wiring. The sound guy has re-worked everything a few times, but it's still hit or miss. My quick fix was to get windscreens for the mics. No touch=no blue flash and teeth that feel like they're going to explode!

March 3rd, 2008, 07:16 PM	#10 (permalink)
Murphy Slaw Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Joppa, Il. Age: 50 Posts: 439	That's the weird thing. We play there once a month, it's never happened before. A few weeks ago it happened at another club for the first time. Last week at a 3rd club everything was fine. My Boogie doesn't have a ground switch, and the p.a. rack is a slew of crap like most, you know several eq's, power amps for mains, monitors, ect. I'm gonna buy a 25/30 foot good extension cord I can run over to the other side of the stage (where all the pa stuff plugs in). I have a cordless I can bring, I just don't like what they do to tone, and added noise. But I can live with it as opposed to the jolt I took Sat. night. Thanks gang. Murph.

March 3rd, 2008, 07:54 PM	#12 (permalink)
DaBender TDPRI Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Maine Age: 53 Posts: 76	That happened to me for the first time Friday at a club I've been playing for a couple of years. I touched the mic with my lips and thought I'd played my last gig for a second. I suspected the 1960 Ampeg I was using for the first time, but it has a 3-prong plug, and my bass player said he got zapped as well.

March 6th, 2008, 08:35 AM	#14 (permalink)
camari Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Florida Age: 50 Posts: 102	If you want me to fight, just shock me with some electricity. Nothing ticks me off more than gettting shocked. Could be that old man that convinced me when I was 8 yrs old, peeing on an electric fence wouldn't hurt none. __________________ Remember to listen.